St. Tamar, Queen of Georgia

Crowned in 1184 and styled king of kings, who ruled Georgia at the height of its power and its culture. She summoned a church council at the start of her reign to reform the clergy, built churches and monasteries, among them the cave city of Vardzia, sent gifts to the monasteries of Athos, Sinai and Jerusalem, and was remembered for abolishing the death penalty and mutilation in her courts. The great Georgian poem, The Knight in the Panther’s Skin, is dedicated to her. Her burial place was kept secret and has never been found. The Georgian Church keeps her as a righteous queen. Feast: May 1.