Simon Cananite's Grotto

The grotto of Simon Cananite is one of the most important and famous sights of the city of New Athos, which bears primarily a religious character. It was here that the great apostle conducted his own sermons, in which he praised the Lord God and expressed by his residence in this grotto the lack of significance in all earthly goods and material things. The grotto of Simon Cananita has survived to this day in its original form and is one of the most popular places for pilgrims from all over Abkhazia.

The road to the grotto runs through a very picturesque gorge of the Psyrtskha River, not far from the supposed place of death of the saint. The cell of Simon Cananita acquired a modern look after the death of the apostle - in the XIX century the monks of the New Athos monastery cut a convenient entrance to it, attached a huge stone staircase, and also laid out the faces of the Mother of God, Jesus Christ and Simon the Cananite himself in mosaics on the walls of the cave.

Near the grotto of Simon Cananita there is an artificial waterfall with a height of 8.6 meters and a beautiful lake Psyrtskha. Here you can not only admire the magnificent landscapes, but also breathe clean air.