Holidays in Abkhazia are more familiar to representatives of the older generation of our country. Just a few decades ago, Pitsunda, Gagra or Sukhum were almost the ultimate dream of a vacationer. Now the country is returning to the resort horizon, welcoming its travelers to open its borders. A variety of tours to Abkhazia are offered, including a visit to Orthodox shrines.
Ancient monasteries, small churches, healing springs and miraculous icons are all worth seeing with your own eyes. You can take combined tours or individual tours, or make an independent route and leisurely go around the most amazing and interesting corners of the country. Pay special attention to the famous holy places of Abkhazia, which will be discussed below.
Village of Kamany
Located just 15 km from the resort of Sukhumi, the village is called three times holy. Remote from worldly vanity and hidden in a beautiful gorge near the confluence of two rivers, the village lives a quiet and measured life. However, there is something in these parts that makes thousands of pilgrims and tourists annually return to it.
Perhaps in every country you can find holy places where grace and peace descend on people. At first they strive to get into them, and then they will certainly return. For Abkhazia, the village of Kamany is one of the main places of this kind. On its small territory there are several shrines at once: the source of St. Basilisk and temples. Everyone will find here what he is looking for: healing, truth, the meaning of life.
Holy spring and church of St. Basilisk
The healing spring that beats from the ground is located to the right of the country road to the village. Legend has it that St. Basilisk, for his confession and devotion to the Christian faith, was locked up in prison, cruelly beaten and tortured. However, he did not refuse faith, and for his commitment to Christ he was sent into exile. On the way to Kamany, his guards stopped and threw the martyr near a dry tree under the scorching sun. Roman soldiers refused him even a sip of water. The basilisk began to pray, and suddenly the tree trembled and came to life, and a source sprang from the ground. All this led the guards into a rage, and the Basilisk was executed. In 308, a temple was built on this site, which has not survived to our days, unfortunately.
Many tours to Abkhazia include this place in their programs. Thousands of pilgrims come to the old chapel to bow to the saint and receive healing by drinking water from a spring spouting from a rock.
Cave
According to legend, the third acquisition of the head of I. Baptist occurred after the clergy Innocent had a prophetic dream. In it, he clearly saw that it was hidden in the Kamans, at the foot of a high picturesque mountain. A delegation was sent to the Abkhazian land by Emperor Michael III. It was here that in 850 the third acquisition of the head of John, which was subsequently transferred to Constantinople, was accomplished. The grotto, in which it was hidden by monks, has survived to the present day and is a shrine for the entire Christian world.
Temple of John Chrysostom
The third shrine of a small village is the oldest temple. John Chrysostom received his name thanks to the outstanding eloquence, which easily comforted the afflicted and converted the Gentiles to the Christian faith. Its history is in many ways similar to the life of St. Basilisk. It was in these places that he ended his earthly journey. A temple was erected in honor of the saint. During the construction, a sarcophagus with the relics of Zlatoust was found here and its shroud was stolen, which was stolen during the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict.
Mokva Temple
Mokvinsky temple, or the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is one of the oldest in the country. It was erected in the second half of the 10th century. This is not only a holy place, but also a unique architectural monument. In Abkhazia, the temple is the only one with a five-nave cross-domed church. According to scarce written evidence, the cathedral had a very rich interior with magnificent fresco paintings on the walls. From the end of the 17th century, it was abandoned and desolate. The doors to the parishioners were officially reopened in 2002.
Dranda Cathedral
The holy places of Abkhazia cannot be imagined without this medieval temple. Estimated date of its construction - 6-7 century. It was badly damaged during the Turkish invasion and subsequently restored, but, according to historians, frescoes on the walls were lost. The cathedral has a cross-domed structure with the characteristic features of Byzantine architecture. In the period from 1880 to 1928 a monastery was operating in it. At the moment, thanks to large-scale restoration work, the temple is returning to its original appearance.
The monastery is located just a half hour drive from the city of Sukhum, in the village of the same name. The temple is valid and accessible to believers.
New Athos Monastery
Another object that each guide includes in the “Holy Places of Abkhazia” route is the New Athos Monastery. His story began in 1874. It was then that, with the assistance of Emperor Alexander III, the monks of the Panteleimon Monastery were allocated not only land for a new church, but also an impressive cash subsidy. However, the choice of location was not random. According to one legend, in the first century AD in this territory, at the hands of Roman soldiers, the apostle Simon Kananit died, who preached Christianity among the peoples of the Caucasus.
The cloister consists of six temples. At the moment, restoration work is actively being carried out to give the object its original appearance.
To visit this amazing, hospitable and beautiful country and not see the holy places of Abkhazia would be completely unforgivable. Even if you are not a pilgrim, it still makes sense to look at these amazing places where pristine nature is harmoniously combined with the creation of human hands.