Grigol Peradze was a distinguished Georgian theologian, historian, and professor of patristics who lived from 1899 to 1942. Born in Bakurtsikhe, he spent much of his academic career in Germany and Poland, where he served as a professor at the University of Warsaw. After the Soviet occupation of Georgia, he lived in exile, eventually becoming a monk and an archimandrite. He is remembered for his extensive research into Georgian manuscripts and his courageous efforts to assist Jewish people during the Nazi occupation of Poland, which ultimately led to his death in the Auschwitz concentration camp.
Academic and religious life
Following his studies in Tbilisi, Peradze moved to Germany to pursue advanced degrees, earning a PhD in history in 1927. He held professorships in Bonn and Warsaw, specializing in the history of the Georgian Church and patrology. During his life, he discovered many significant Georgian manuscripts across Europe. He was ordained a priest in Paris in 1931 and served the Georgian community in France before moving to Poland.
Death and veneration
In 1942, the Gestapo arrested Peradze for his humanitarian actions in supporting Jewish individuals. He was sent to the Auschwitz II-Birkenau camp, where he died in December 1942, reportedly sacrificing himself to save others. The Eastern Orthodox Church canonized him as a martyr in 1995. He is honored on December 6, and his legacy is preserved through a memorial chapel in Warsaw and a museum in his birthplace.