On February 18, 2017, with the blessings of His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, and with the support of the Diocesan Headquarters, a group of faithful of Saint Etchmiadzin Church in Tbilisi made a pilgrimage to the Surb Prkich (Saint Savior) Church in the Samshvilde village in the Tetritskaro region. Arriving at the place of pilgrimage, the faithful lit candles and offered prayers.

The Armenian pilgrims of Tbilisi and the local faithful crowded the sanctuary, where Rev. Fr. Husik Harutyunyan, Pastor of Armenians in Bolnisi and the Tetritskaro region, celebrated the Divine Liturgy on the occasion of the Commemoration of the Pontiff St. Sahak Partev.

The church was crowded; the attendance of children together with their parents was particularly striking.

During the Divine Liturgy, in his sermon, the celebrant particularly spoke about Pontiff St. Sahak Partev who became Catholicos of All Armenians in 387 A.D., and reigned for an astounding 52 years. St. Sahak greatly contributed to the development of Armenian national culture. He was the strongest advocate for the creation of an Armenian Alphabet, and became its chief patron. Following the creation of the Armenian Alphabet, St. Sahak and St. Mesrop opened a school for translators in the city of Vagharshapat (Etchmiadzin). There they begin the translation of the Holy Bible into Armenian and did it so perfectly, that centuries hence the Armenian Translation is called the “Queen Translation of the Breath of God”. Rev. Father Husik Harutyunyan congratulated the school students on the Knowledge Day, and called upon them to work hard at their studies in mother language, as well as to preserve the Armenian language.

The faithful and pilgrims listened to the sermon with great interest and took Holy Communion. At the conclusion of the Service, upon the request of the faithful, Rev. Father Husik Harutyunyan offered a prayer of blessing for children and a prayer for healing the sick.

At the initiative and with the support of the Primate of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, the faithful occasionally go on pilgrimages to the sanctuaries of the Diocese, in order to strengthen a believer’s faith and to unite the faithful around the church.

The Samshvilde village in the Tetritskaro region has existed for almost 200 hundred years. It is inhabited by Armenians, in 1863 the Surb Astvatsatsin (the Holy Mother of God) Church was built out of stone here; the church also hosted a religious school. In 2010, the dilapidated church was rebuilt with the support of the Headquarters of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia and financial assistance of the local faithful. Taking into consideration that the church was built on the site of the former Surp Prkich (Saint Savior) Church, upon the request of the village community, in 2012, the Primate of the Diocese, His Grace Bishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan consecrated the church and named it Surb Prkich.

The clergymen occasionally celebrate liturgies and conduct church rites in the church.