Saint Nina, Equal-to-the-Apostles, enlightener of Georgia, was born around 280 in Cappadocia. Her father, Zabulon, was a relative of St. George the Great Martyr, and St. Nina's mother, Susanna, was the sister of the Patriarch of Jerusalem. At the age of twelve, Saint Nina came to Jerusalem with her parents, who had an only daughter. By mutual agreement and with the blessing of the Patriarch of Jerusalem, Saint Nina's parents took vows and devoted their lives to the service of God, and her upbringing was entrusted to the pious elder Nianfora.

One day, when she was crying and sympathizing with the evangelist who described the crucifixion of Christ the Savior, her mind stopped on the fate of the Lord's tunic. When asked by Saint Nina where the Lord's chiton resides, the elder Nianfora explained that the incorruptible chiton of the Lord, according to legend, was taken by the Mtskheta rabbi Eleazar to Iberia (Georgia), called the inheritance of the Mother of God. Saint Nina often had to hear about this country, day and night she prayed to the Most Holy Theotokos: may He grant her to see Georgia turned to the Lord and may he help her to find the Lord's tunic.

The Blessed Virgin appeared to her in a dream and presented her with a cross woven from a vine, which is now kept in a special nod in the Tbilisi Zion Cathedral. The image of the saint is framed in the form of an ornamental kiosk, and the sculptural portico of a Georgian temple is imitated in the upper part of the image. Christians turn to the saint in prayers for intercession, strengthening of faith, and healing from many ailments and misfortunes.