The Temple of the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God

Lykhne Church of the Assumption of the Most Holy Theotokos is the oldest Orthodox church of Abkhazia, dating from the X-XI centuries. It is well preserved to this day in its primitive form, as it did not lend itself to serious reconstructions.

The Lykhne temple is located in the village of Lykhny, four kilometers from the city of Gudauta, on the west coast of Abkhazia. It is a typical cross-domed structure for the early medieval architecture of Abkhazia. The facade of the building is quite modest - its walls are decorated with red slabs of limestone, three sides are crowned with porches, and a small dome rises on the octagonal drum.

The interior of the ancient temple is more interesting for pilgrims and other visitors – you can see beautiful rich frescoes of the XIV century, which are made in the Byzantine style, several ancient inscriptions, as well as a unique icon of the Mother of God “The Sign” from the oldest inscription in the Abkhazian language. In the Lykhne temple is the tomb of the Abkhazian Prince George II Shervashidze, during whose reign Abkhazia as an autonomous region was part of the Russian Empire.