New Athos Monastery is the main religious sight of Abkhazia and one of the most recognisable monastic ensembles of the whole Black Sea coast. The golden domes on the slope of Mount Athos are seen from afar, from the sea and from the highway hairpins, and hardly any coastal route passes without a stop here.
The monastery was founded in the second half of the nineteenth century by monks of the Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery from the Holy Mount Athos, who carried both the name and the spirit of the Athonite tradition to the Abkhazian shore. The heart of the ensemble, the cathedral of the Great Martyr Panteleimon, is painted from floor to domes: under its vaults an hour passes easily over the scenes of the murals. Around are the buildings, the courtyards and viewpoints over the sea, with the Psyrtskha gorge, its waterfall and the church of Simon the Canaanite nearby.
This is a working monastery and a centre of pilgrimage, and its order asks respect: modest dress, a headscarf for women, silence in the cathedral and no filming during services. In the morning there are noticeably fewer tour groups, and the monastery opens up more calmly.
📜 Facts
- A working monastery of the Athonite tradition
- The slope of Mount Athos above New Athos
- The Panteleimon cathedral painted from floor to domes
🚗 Getting there
- Landmark - New Athos; a cypress alley leads uphill from the seaside part
- The navigator opens with the Build Route button
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