Georgian Patriarch Ilia II dies aged 93 after critical illness

Ilia II, the head of the Georgian Orthodox Church and one of the longest-serving religious leaders in the Orthodox Christian world, has died at the age of 93 following a period of critical illness.

He had been receiving intensive treatment at the Caucasus Medical Centre, where doctors had described his condition as serious, with unstable haemodynamic indicators. Senior officials, including Prime MInister Irakli Kobakhidze and President Mikheil Kavelashvili, had visited the clinic on Tuesday, expressing support and calling for prayers for his recovery.

Born Irakli Shiolashvili on 4 January 1933 in Vladikavkaz, Ilia II was baptised shortly after birth and named in honour of King Erekle II. 

He pursued theological studies at the Moscow Theological Seminary and later at the Moscow Theological Academy, before returning to Georgia in 1960 to serve in the clergy during a period of shortage.

His rise within the Church was swift. In 1963, he was consecrated Bishop of Shemokmedi and later became the first rector of the Mtskheta Theological Seminary, the country’s only theological institution at the time. He was elevated to metropolitan in 1969 after being transferred to the Abkhazia diocese in western Georgia.

Following the death of David V in 1977, Ilia was appointed locum tenens and soon elected Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia. He was enthroned on 25 December 1977, beginning a tenure that lasted nearly five decades.
Over 48 years as Patriarch, Ilia II oversaw the revival and expansion of the Georgian Orthodox Church, becoming one of the most influential and respected figures in the country.

His death marks the end of an era in Georgia’s religious and public life.