Bedia Cathedral, Abkhazia

In Abkhazia, pilgrims and tourists have an opportunity to visit another important religious object, the Bedia Cathedral. It is located in the village of Agubedia. The landmark was built in the late 10th century. This cathedral was consecrated in honor of Our Lady of Blachernae. Surprisingly, the church was able to keep its original appearance and a number of unique elements of decoration for more than a thousand years. The shrine was built of solid stone. The construction features impressive size.

Studies of the temple showed that once its interior has been decorated with rich paintings, but they didn’t survive. You can see small fragments of ancient frescoes depicting the Old Testament stories only on the western wall of the temple. The main relic of the cathedral since its foundation was a golden porting, which is now kept at the Museum of Art of Tbilisi. Construction of the temple was carried out on the initiative and under the leadership of King Bagrat II. Later his shrine was built in the church.

The ancient Christian church attracts not only pilgrims, but also those who like to walk around the historic sites. Close to the temple, you can see the ruins of an ancient palace and other buildings. Once Bedia bishops lived in those palaces. The last hundred years the temple was in ruins. In 2010,  the first prayer in many years was held within its walls. Today, for the first time in the last 500 years, the Bedia temple is actively being reconstructed. Despite the fact that there are no valuable relics in the cathedral, it is still popular among pilgrims and curious tourists. Next - Christian Basilica of Lin