Little is known about Iese's early life. He was widowed young and retired to a monastery, taking the name of Arsen. In the 1760s, after his brother David and cousin Paata, were put to death for plotting a coup against Heraclius II, Arsen fled to the Kingdom of Imereti (western Georgia) and for many years served at the Katskhi Monastery. Eventually, through the patronage of Catholicos Anton II, a son of Heraclius II, Arsen was able to return to Kartli and appointed as a bishop of Nikozi. In 1795, Anton further elevated Arsen's rank, to the displeasure of his father, to metropolitan bishopric of Tbilisi, the capital of the kingdom, which then lay in ruins after the Iranian invasion. By 1800, his parish consisted of Tbilisi and 18 other settlements, with seven noblemen, three "tavadi" and four "aznauri".