India to display relics of St. Ketevan

What is the News?

According to the Archaeological Survey of India(ASI), the relics of St. Queen Ketevan that were found in Goa in 2005 are likely to be put on display in India as well as her native Georgia.

Who was St Queen Ketevan?

• St Queen Ketevan also known as Ketevan the Martyr. She was the queen of Kakheti, a kingdom in eastern Georgia, in the 17th century.
• She was killed in 1624 for not converting to Islam, and parts of her remains were brought to Goa by Augustinian monks.

Where were her relics found?

• The relics of the martyred Queen Ketevan were found by the ASI in 2005 in the ruins of the Church of St. Augustine. They have ever since been in the possession of the Indian government.

What has happened now?

• Indian Government has gifted one part of the relics of St Queen Ketevan to Georgia.
• However, the larger part of the relic remained with the ASI in Goa as a reminder of our shared past. This would be publicly displayed for the first time.