New Athos seemed to hide from prying eyes in the gorge of the Psyrkha River, not far from Sukhum, the resort town of Abkhazia. Clean sea air, dense forests and ancient history attract many travelers to this region.
Alleys of slender cypress trees, a majestic cathedral with blue domes, monks' cloisters, the greenery of man-made gardens and the boundless sea - this is how the monastery in New Athos (Abkhazia) appears today before admiring travelers.
Beginning of the monastery complex
The history of the Orthodox monastery began at the end of the 19th century, when a considerable amount of money and a vast territory were donated from the royal treasury to the monks of the Russian monastery in Greece. The land was infamous, because here in the 1st century Simon the Zealot, a Christian missionary in the Caucasus, died. And the mountain itself, in its appearance, resembled the Greek Mount Athos.
Architect Nikonov created a project according to which the monks began the construction of the monastery a year later. The pristine mountainous terrain was difficult to access and hard to master, it took the monks a lot of effort and time toclearing the territory. It was necessary to fill in the abysses, ennoble the soil, level the ground for construction. The monastery itself consisted of lower and upper parts. Thanks to the incredible efforts of the monks, in 1884 there was already a temple of the Intercession of the Mother of God, a shelter for pilgrims, outbuildings and the pride of the complex - a school for boys. The building of the upper monastery was completed. Only in 1911 did he find his upper part New Athos (Abkhazia).
The monastery stands out among other similar monasteries with its grandeur and is truly a work of art. In the north-west of the monastery there is a 50-meter-high bell tower, under which a refectory, a hospital and a laundry room are comfortably located. The monastery complex itself consists of several temples: the temple in honor of the icon of the “Redeemer” of the Mother of God, in the name of Hieron the Martyr, in honor of the Monk Fathers of Athos, the Church of St. Andrew the First-Called and the Church of the Ascension of the Lord. The Cathedral in the name of the Great Martyr Panteleimon is the most important and impressive building on the territory of the monastery. The walls of all churches, including the refectory, are decorated with frescoes.
Abkhazia. New Athos (monastery) - the largest center of Orthodoxy
The monastery of St. Simon the Zealot became the center of Orthodoxy on the territory of the Black Sea coast of the Caucasus. The number of pilgrims who visited the monastery every year numbered in the thousands. Among them were eminent guests: Prince Mikhail Romanov, Emperor Nicholas II, writers Maxim Gorky and Anton Chekhov.
The monks invested a lot of work both in the development of the monastery itself and in the district as a whole. A pier for passengers and cargo, a hydroelectric power station, and its own railway with a steam locomotive donated by Alexander III were built. Several factories for the production of candles, oil, bricks worked at the monastery, handicraft workshops were opened. In gardens, on carefully cultivated land, familiar fruits and never-before-seen tangerines, olives, lemons and oranges grew. They had their own apiary, winery and stud farm. Abkhazia, New Athos, a monastery are the first associations that any Orthodox believer has about the Caucasus. The scope and influence of the monastery was truly grandiose.
Controversial XX century
Difficult times began for the monastery monastery with the advent of Soviet power. For seven years, the monks courageously tried to defend the complex, but in 1924 it was still closed for counter-revolutionary propaganda. In different years of the Soviet period, the monastery was used as warehouses, a camp site or a military hospital.
Only in the late 90s of the XX century Abkhazia, New Athos (the monastery, in particular) began to rise from their knees. Divine services began within the walls of the complex, the male choir and church music began to sound, the church economy came to life. In 2001, a college and a regency school were opened. Until now, repair and restoration work is underway, because the buildings of the monastery complex were badly damaged without the sensitive guidance of the monks.
Invariably attracts pilgrims andtourists ancient Abkhazia. New Athos (monastery) is a unique world heritage of Orthodox Christianity, the shrines of which every believer strives to touch. Pilgrimage to the male monastery is open daily, except Monday, from 12 pm to 6 pm.
