On Great Thursday (დიდი ხუთშაბათი), 9 April 2026, Their Royal Highnesses Crown Prince Davit Bagrationi Mukhran Batoni and Prince Giorgi Bagrationi Mukhran Batonishvili attended the Divine Liturgy at the Diocese of Urbinisi and Ruisi, presided over by His Eminence Metropolitan Archbishop Job.
The date carries weight that extends beyond the liturgical calendar. April 9 marks the anniversary of the 1989 Tbilisi Tragedy, when Soviet forces dispersed peaceful Georgian demonstrators calling for independence, and twenty-one lives were lost. The Georgian people have observed this day in solemn remembrance for thirty-seven years. That Their Royal Highnesses joined the faithful in prayer on this day, father and son together, speaks for itself.
Archbishop Job’s Sermon
In his sermon, Metropolitan Jobi spoke with conviction about Georgia’s future. He expressed his firm belief that Georgia will have a blessed king from the Bagrationi dynasty, one guided by the Holy Spirit, who will accomplish great things for the country. The Metropolitan affirmed that the Bagrationi royal dynasty has never left the memory of the Georgian people and that the king who comes will be a stabilizing force in the nation, a bearer of peace, and a symbol of unity. “Our nation will truly rejoice,” he said.
Metropolitan Job also called on the faithful to pray for the selection of the future Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, following the repose of His Holiness Patriarch Ilia II on 17 March 2026. He asked that the prayer be open and sincere, not directed toward any particular candidate, but trusting God’s will to reveal the one who will lead Georgia’s Church forward.
The sermon was covered by all Georgian media.
A Confluence of Memory and Faith
Holy Week and April 9 rarely fall together. This year they did. The presence of the Crown Prince and his son at the Great Thursday liturgy, on a day that Georgia does not forget, reflects the Royal House’s deepest commitment: to stand with the Georgian people in faith, in history, and in hope.
ქრისტე აღდგება.
