Massive crowds filled the streets of Tbilisi, Georgia on Sunday to pay their final respects to Patriarch Ilia II, who died at age 93 after leading the Orthodox Church for 49 years. The beloved spiritual leader guided the nation through Soviet rule and civil wars, with mourners calling his death "the end of an era."
Thousands of Orthodox believers filled the streets of Tbilisi on Sunday, coming together to honor Patriarch Ilia II, the revered religious leader who guided Georgia’s church for nearly five decades through some of the nation’s most challenging periods.
The 93-year-old patriarch, whose birth name was Irakli Ghudushauri-Shiolashvili, passed away Tuesday at a local hospital after serving as the country’s spiritual head for 49 years in the predominantly Orthodox Christian nation.
“He was a friend, he was a father, he was a leader,” mourner Nino Kajaia told reporters. “This is the end of an era.”
People of every generation lined the riverbank in Georgia’s capital, many carrying flowers and lit candles, as they watched the funeral procession travel toward Sioni Cathedral for the patriarch’s final burial. Emotional crowds could be heard crying and applauding as the vehicle carrying his casket passed, with many calling out “I love you, patriarch!”
The country embraced Christianity as its official faith in the fourth century’s early years and maintains strong religious traditions today.
Taking on the role of patriarch in 1977, Ilia II shepherded his flock through the challenges of Soviet control and the violent conflicts that marked the 1990s.
“We lost a man who, over the course of 49 years, managed to unite the nation,” physician Giga Tutberidze reflected.
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