The monasteries always played an important role in the history of the Christianity in Georgia.
The 13 Assyrian fathers, a group of the monks-preachers, came to Georgia from Assyria in the 6th century AD. They preached monasticism and helped strengthen Christianity in Georgia. In today's Georgia there are some monasteries named after Assyrian fathers, including the monastery in Dzwell Kanda, where Father Serafim conducts the Holy Liturgy in in Aramaic.
The Monastery of 13 Holy Assyrian Fathers Choir is run by Father Serafim, a priest with Assyrian-Georgian roots born and raised in Georgia. In 2008, he was introduced to the patriarch of the Georgian Orthodox Church, Elijah II, who invited him to become a shepherd of the Assyrians in the village of Kanda Bells in the Mcchetto region. In October 2016, an important event took place: Pope Francis was invited to Georgia, where in his presence archimandrite Serafim and the choir of the Thirteen Holy Assyrian Fathers monastery performed a prayer song in Aramaic language. The leader of the Assyrian monastery, archimandrite Serafim Bitbunov (also known as Seraphim Bit-Kharibi) , is known as one of the two priests in the world who celebrate the Divine Liturgy in the language of Jesus Christ, as well as a gifted vocalist.
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