Nine brothers named Kherkheulidze, their mother, and sister were heroes who died defending Georgia from a large Persian army at the Battle of Marabda in 1625. The Kherkheulidze brothers led the Georgian army, which consisted of 20,000 men but was ultimately defeated after a day-long battle. All nine brothers, their mother and sister were killed while fighting bravely to the end, with their banner being raised by each family member until their deaths. For their sacrifice and heroism, they were canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church.