View source for Diocese of Bodbe

The '''Diocese of Bodbe''' is an ecclesiastical [[jurisdiction]] in the nation of [[Church of Georgia|Georgia]]. St. [[Nino of Cappadocia|Nino]], [[Enlightener]] of Georgia, [[Equal-to-the-Apostles]] (remembered on [[January 14]]), is buried here. 

==History==
[[Image:Bodbe.jpg|thumb|left|Tomb of St. Nino, Enlightener of Georgia]]
The [[Diocese]] of Bodbe was founded in the fifth century. In 506 Lazarus, [[Bishop]] of Bodbe, was recorded in a list of Dvini Church Council participants. Due to St. Nino's holy tomb being located in his diocese, the bishop of Bodbe had privileges in the Kingdom of Georgia and before that in the Kingdom of Kakheti as well.

The diocese's territory historically was called ''Kambechovani'' and its people those "with bad character," according to Vakhushti Batonishvili, an eighteenth-century historian. In the fifth and sixth centuries, there were two dioceses in the region: Khornabuji and Bodbe. Khrnabuji was administrative centre of Kambechovani. This area had great importance, politically and otherwise, because both dioceses were located near the border of the state; the Western side of Kambechovani was the Diocese of Bodbe, while the other side was the Diocese of Khornabuji.

Beginning in the middle of the seventh century and for a hundred years afterwards, Arabs had invaded the region. After they formed the Principality of [[Diocese of Nekresi and Hereti|Hereti]], the two dioceses of Kambechovani were included in its territory. 

The hierarchs of Bodbe were the main defenders of the Faith in the region, not only by their words, but by the sword. They participated in several wars against the [[Islam|Muslims]]. In 1792 Kirile, [[Metropolitan]] of Bodbe, was killed by the Muslim Lezgins (a North Caucasian tribe).

The diocese was severely damaged by the Persians. In the years 1614-1617 the Persian Shah Abbas I relocated more than a hundred thousand Georgians into the Fereydan region of Iran. He then decided to replace them with immigrant Turkman and North Caucasian Muslim tribes. This period was a very difficult one in the history of Georgia.

[[Image:Bodbe-monastery.jpg|thumb|right|Bodbe Monastery]]
After its [[autocephaly]] was abolished in 1811, the diocese was united within the [[Diocese of Alaverdi|Diocese of Alaverdi and Kakheti]].

In 1925, after the restoration of its autocephaly, the Diocese of Bodbe was restored.

==Diocese==
The Diocese of Bodbe includes the districts of Sighnaghi and Dedoplistsqaro. There is one [[stavropigial]] women's [[monastery]] in the diocese. 

The current [[primate]] of the diocese is His Grace David, Bishop of Bodbe.

==External links==
*[http://www.parliament.ge/~lika/ancient/bodbe/bodbe.htm Bodbe Convent]
*[http://www.le.ac.uk/elh/grj1/dedbodbe.html Map of the Diocese of Bodbe]

[[Category:Dioceses|Bodbe]]
[[Category:Georgian Dioceses|Bodbe]]