AUGUSTINIANS MISSIONARIES IN GEORGIA

Abstract

From the beginning of the 17th century, the rather long war between Persia and the Ottomans (1602-1618) caused major international political changes that led to the activation of the Pope and European states interested in defeating the Ottomans. The Roman Curia immediately showed interest in the Middle East and the Caucasus. Visits of its representatives - missionaries of various Catholic orders to Persia and the Caucasus, including Georgia, begin. The Iranian government, unsure of the strength of its military forces (at least in the first period of the outbreak of the war), tried to gain allies in the Christian states of Europe, which were no less interested in the complete destruction of the Ottoman Empire or its weakening. They attached particular importance to the protection of Christians living in the territory of the Ottoman Empire, which was not an easy task.  Shāh Abbās I, who declared himself a protector of Christians from a political point of view, allowed representatives of the Pope - Catholic missionaries - to live in his domains and allowed Christians of different denominations to convert to Catholicism. Based on the above, sending missionaries to the two kingdoms of Eastern Georgia -Kartli and Kakheti, which were vassals of the Shāh, depended on the will of Shāh Abbās, which is clearly seen from the materials verified in this article.

The article talks about the Missionary monks of the Augustinian order - Belchior dos Anjos and Guilhermo de Santo Agostinho, Giovanni Tadeo de San Eliseo, Guilhermo Portuguese and the Portuguese - Ambrosio dos Anjos and his comrade Pedro dos Santos. The article talks about the missionary monks of the Augustinian order - Belchior dos Anjos and Guilhermo de Santo Agostinho, Giovanni Tadeo de San Eliseo, Guilhermo Portuguese and the Portuguese - Ambrosio dos Anjos and his comrade Pedro dos Santos. The work focuses on and discusses in detail the last two missionaries who played a major role in the creation of the Augustinian Gori mission. We know little about the activities of the mission, which existed for a short time (1628-1637).

Key words: Augustinian Mission; Gori; King Teimuraz I; Ambrosio dos Anjos; Pedro dos Santos.