Aside from the Cypress Alley, also known as the "Path of Sinners", there is an inconspicuous building. This is the very first temple of the New Athos Monastery, built by Russian monks who came here from Greece from Mount Athos. In 1876, the church was consecrated in honor of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos. But a year later, during the Russian.- The Turkish war was ravaged and burned. After the end of the war in 1878-79. The Church of the Intercession was rebuilt and re-consecrated. The central aisle of the temple was decorated with a carved gilded iconostasis, there were rare icons and relics of the Great Martyr and healer Panteleimon, as well as the miraculous icon "Deliverer", brought from Greece. The temple operated until 1924 and was closed along with the monastery. Until 1992, the building of this church belonged to the collective farm "Psyrtskha", it was used as a cinema club. In Soviet times, the dome of the temple, the bell tower were destroyed, and the clock with chimes was removed. A veranda with a summer cinema was attached to one side of the building. After the transfer to the faithful, the Intercession Church became a parish for the residents of New Athos. In 2003, a Regency School was established under him. In 2006, the city library was located in the left part of the temple - in its side chapel in honor of the Archangel Michael of God. Its building was destroyed by fire, but the remaining part of the fund was placed in the church building. It is open to the public, the rest of the Pokrovsky Church is closed. Only once a year, on October 14, on the Feast of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos, Divine Services are held here, which are headed by Archimandrite Dorofey (Dbar). The interior of the central aisle is in pretty good condition. The area around the church building has been cleared and landscaped. I have strong impressions from visiting this place. The temple needs repair and serious restoration, but despite its modest appearance, it attracts with its energy, its prayer. After all, it was from him that the New Athos Monastery began. Note: the photo to my review shows not the Intercession Church, but the Church in honor of the Holy Apostle Simon the Cananite, which is located in the waterfall area. This is what the Intercession Church looked like in the old days.

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СВЕТЛАНА Л.

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In the reviews, the title photo, instead of the Church of the Intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos in New Athos, by mistake, placed the temple of Simon the Canaanite. At the beginning of the "path of sinners" on the way to the monastery in New Athos, there is an inconspicuous building that does not look like a temple, but if you look closely, you can see its characteristic features. In the spring of 1876, monks who arrived in Abkhazia from Mount Athos (Greece), laid their first temple in honor of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on the site of the future New Athos. The construction was completed in SIX months, on October 1, 1876. On October 17, 1876, the consecration of the temple took place. On April 27, 1877, during the Russian-Turkish War, the temple was burned down. In October 1878, restoration work began. In THREE months, the temple was restored! On February 3, 1879, the rededication of the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin took place. The church kept shrines: particles of the Tree of the Life-Giving Cross, the stone of the Holy Sepulchre and seven particles of the relics of saints, among which were the relics of the Holy Great Martyr Panteleimon, the righteous Joseph the Betrothed, Saints Mitrofan of Voronezh and Tikhon of Zadonsk. The miraculous icon of the Mother of God "The Deliverer", transferred from Old Athos, was also located here. With the advent of Soviet power in 1924, the church was closed, the bell tower of the church was destroyed, and the shrines were lost. In the 70-80 years, the cinema of the Psyrtskha campsite, located in the upper monastery, was located in the building of the former church. In the late 90s, an attempt was made to restore the church. Now there is a library there. There was no war in New Athos. Many, many years have passed, and the church has not been restored. I am attaching photographs of what the church was like in the 18th century and photographs reflecting attitudes towards history and religion at the present time.

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