Church of Bzyb

Ruined medieval Christian church at the village of Bzyb in Gagra District, Abkhazia/Georgia

43°14′27″N 40°23′45″E / 43.24083°N 40.39583°E / 43.24083; 40.39583ArchitectureTypeChurchCompleted9th-10th century

The Bzyb Church (Georgian: ბზიფის ტაძარი, romanized: bzipis t'adzari) is a ruined medieval Christian church at the village of Bzyb in Gagra District, Abkhazia/Georgia, on the right bank of the Bzyb River.^[2]

History

Church is part of the Bzyb fortress complex and date to the latter half of the 9th century or 10th century.^[3]^[4]

The church, dated to the second half of the 9th century, is a large domed cross-in-square design, with three projecting apses. Only the ruins of walls covered with blocks of hewn stone survive. They are located in the upper portion of the ruined fortress; the lower part was once crossed by an old road. The fortress was strategically placed to guard the Bzyb valley. To the east of the Bzyb church, remains of an older church are visible.^[3] The church may have served as the seat of the Byzantine bishop of Soterioupolis.^[4]

Georgia has inscribed the church on the list of Cultural Monuments of National Significance and reported an inadequate state of conservation.^[3]

References

^ The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Georgia in 1992, Abkhazia is formally recognised as an independent state by 5 UN member states (two other states previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it as as de jure Georgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it as Russian-occupied territory.
^ Church in Bzipi settlement Historical monuments of Abkhazia — Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia.
^ ^a ^b ^c Gelenava, Irakli, ed. (2015). Cultural Heritage in Abkhazia (PDF). Tbilisi: Meridiani. p. 22.
^ ^a ^b Khroushkova, Liudmila (2006). Les monuments chrétiens de la côte orientale de la Mer Noire: Abkhazie, IVe-XIVe siècles. Brepols. p. 317. ISBN 2503523870.