National mourning has been declared in Georgia in connection with the death of Patriarch Ilia II.

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Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II has died at the age of 93, and national mourning has been declared in the country.

Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia Ilia II died on March 17.

The health of the 93-year-old Catholicos sharply deteriorated on the night of March 17, and he was taken to the Caucasus Medical Center with massive internal bleeding. An endoscopic surgery was performed, after which the head of the church was in critical condition on a ventilator, Novosti-Gruzia reports.

According to Georgian Health Minister Mikheil Sarjveladze, it all began with a stomach ulcer, followed by "appropriate manipulations" followed by multiple organ failure, pulmonary, cardiac, and renal failure. Furthermore, Ilia II's blood pressure dropped sharply. "This is a tremendous tragedy, a loss. Georgia will be different from tomorrow," the publication quotes him as saying.

The official statement on the patriarch's death was made by the locum tenens of the patriarchal throne, Metropolitan Shio Mujiri. "He was an epochal figure, a tremendous loss for the entire Orthodox Church throughout the world. I would like to express my condolences to every Georgian, to all of Georgia, to our Church, and to all of Christianity. He created an entire era. It is very difficult to speak of him in a few words; we are talking about such a great man. Through him, through his merits, God returned Georgia to the true faith. He was a great builder of our Church, both literally and figuratively, and our grief is great," he said. The body of the Catholicos will be transferred today to the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Sameba, announced Archpriest Andria Jagmaidze, head of the Patriarchate's public relations service.

The Georgian government has declared a national day of mourning, and state flags on administrative buildings across the country will be lowered to half-mast, Georgia Online reports.