Christophorus III (March 27, 1873 – January 10, 1932) was a Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia

Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia

Catholicos–Patriarch has been the title of the heads of the Georgian Orthodox Church since 1010. The first Catholicos–Patriarch of All Georgia was Melkisedek I...

 from 1927 until his death.

He was born as Kristepore Tsitskishvili (ქრისტეფორე ციცქიშვილი) near the town of Kharagauli

Kharagauli

kharagauli is an administrative center of Kharagauli district in Georgia. It is situated on both banks of Chkherimela river in a narrow and deep gorge, 280-400m above the sea level....

. Having graduated from the Tiflis Theological Seminary in 1895, he served as a priest

Priest

A priest is a person authorized to perform the sacred rites of a religion, especially as a mediatory agent between humans and deities. They also have the authority or power to administer religious rites; in particular, rites of sacrifice to, and propitiation of, a deity or deities...

 in the Trans-Caspian region

Transcaspian Region

Transcaspian Region , or Transcaspia, was the name used from the second half of the 19th century until 1924 for the section of Russian Empire to the east of the Caspian Sea, bounded to the south by Iran's Khorasan Province and Afghanistan, to the north by the former Russian province of Uralsk, and...

, and later in Georgia. At the same time, he taught theology and Georgian, and was energetically involved in the movement which led to the restoration of autocephaly

Autocephaly

Autocephaly , in hierarchical Christian churches and especially Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox churches, is the status of a hierarchical church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop...

 of the Georgian Orthodox Church in 1917. Christophorus was consecrated as a bishop

Bishop

A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight. Within the Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodox, Oriental Orthodox Churches, in the Assyrian Church of the East, in the Independent Catholic Churches, and in the...

 of Urbnisi

Urbnisi

Urbnisi is a village in Georgia’s Shida Kartli region, in the district of Kareli.Situated on the Mtkvari river, it was an important city in ancient and early medieval Iberia as Georgia was known to the Greeks and Romans. Archaeological studies have demonstrated that the place was inhabited in the...

 (1921-1925) and metropolitan

Metropolitan bishop

In Christian churches with episcopal polity, the rank of metropolitan bishop, or simply metropolitan, pertains to the diocesan bishop or archbishop of a metropolis; that is, the chief city of a historical Roman province, ecclesiastical province, or regional capital.Before the establishment of...

 of Abkhazia

Abkhazia

Abkhazia is a disputed political entity on the eastern coast of the Black Sea and the south-western flank of the Caucasus.Abkhazia considers itself an independent state, called the Republic of Abkhazia or Apsny...

 (1925-1927). Elected as the catholicos-patriarch on June 4, 1927, he had to lead the Georgian church as it withstood harsh pressure from the Soviet

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

authorities.