Saint Shio (Simeon) of Mgvime was born in Antioch of Syria to a Christian family. From a young age, he showed a love for the Word of God, studying the Holy Scriptures and constantly carrying the Gospel and Psalter with him. After learning about Saint John of Zedazni, Shio left his parental home and became his disciple.
After 20 years, together with other disciples, he went to Iberia (Georgia) to preach. Later, wishing to live as a hermit, he settled in the wilderness, where, due to his ascetic feats, a spring of water appeared, and a dove brought him food. His life attracted attention, and other seekers of solitude began to come to him.
Shio founded a monastery, where a church was built in honor of John the Baptist. King Parsman VI, upon visiting him, gifted land for the monastery and funds for the construction of churches. Saint Shio left the monastery to deepen his solitude and spent the rest of his life in seclusion, receiving a revelation about his death. He passed away on May 9, and his body was buried in the monastery he founded, where his holy relics continue to serve as a protection for the monastery, which survived the devastations of Georgia.
