The Martyrdom of Queen Ketevan of Georgia : An Episode in the Relations between the church of Rome and the Georgian Church

Abstract

The exotic nature of the court and capital of the Persian Shah, 'the Grand Sophy', was redolent of the flavour of the One Thousand and one Nights for travellers and missionaries arriving there from Europe. Their own accounts confirm their astonishment at the beauty of Isfahan, with it many gardens and fountains, its palaces, mosques and minarets, and the lavish banquets served on golden platters at the brilliant court of Shah Abbas.' This paper will focus on one particular story, fully worthy of inclusion in the collection of Scheherazade, that of a brave and beautiful queen from a foreign land, imprisoned for long years with her retinue by a tyrannical ruler, before being cruelly murdered for refusing to submit to his demands.