 He left his home when he was young and became a monk in the region of Klarjeti (now located in north-eastern Turkey), the only region of Georgia free of Arab presence.After a short time in the monastery of Opiza (ოპიზა), he founded his own monastery at Khandzta (ხანძთა) which soon attracted an increasing number of brethren.He founded several other monasteries in Klarjeti, and subsequently he was elected as their archimandrite.