Church of St. Simon the Canaanite, New Athos
Immovable Cultural Monuments of National Significance of Georgia
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The Church of St. Simeon the Canaanite (Georgian: წმინდა სვიმონ კანანელის სახელობის ტაძარი) is located near the town of New Athos in Gudauta District, Abkhazia/Georgia, dating from the 9th or 10th century.[2] Not to be confused with St Simon the Canaanite Basilica in Psirtskha village.[3]
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New Athos, Gudauta District, Abkhazia, Georgia| Likhni Church Aba-Ata ლიხნის ეკლესია აბა-ათა (in Georgian) Лыхнытәи ауахәама Абаҭаа (in Abkhaz) | |
|---|---|
Church of St. Simon the Canaanite, New Athos | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Georgian Orthodox |
| Province | Abkhazia[1] |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | ruins |
| Location | |
| Location | New Athos, Gudauta District, Abkhazia, Georgia |
  Shown within Abkhazia  Church of St. Simon the Canaanite, New Athos (Georgia) | |
| Coordinates | 43°05′26″N 40°48′59″E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Completed | 9th-10th century |
| Materials | |
| Official name | Church of St. Simon the Canaanite |
| Designated | November 7, 2006 |
| Reference no. | 3548 |
| Item Number in Cultural Heritage Portal | 9282 |
| Date of entry in the registry | March 30, 2006 |
History
The church is dedicated to St. Simon the Canaanite, who, according to the 11th-century Georgian Chronicles, preached Christianity in Abkhazia and Egrisi and died and was buried at the town of Nicopsia, to the north of Abkhazia.[4][5][6] A nearby grotto is associated by popular legends with the site of martyrdom of St. Simon.[7]
The design of the extant church dates to the 9th or 10th century[6] and is influenced by the Byzantine and Georgian art traditions,[8][6] but the church site seems to be two centuries older.[6] At the time when the Georgian historian Dimitri Bakradze visited it in the 1850s, the church was abandoned, but still standing except for the collapsed dome.[8] The church suffered greatly when the local landlord, Major Hasan Margani removed its blocks of stone for the construction of his own mansion.[7] Later, in the 1880s, the church was reconstructed, using blocks of white hewn stone, to its current state. The church is adorned with images of Christian symbols such as a fish, lion, and cross curved in relief.[6]
Current condition
Georgia has inscribed the church on its list of cultural heritage and treats it as part of cultural heritage in the Russian-occupied territories with no known current state of condition.[6]
