Pictures From Orthodox Abkhazia

Paint chips away from most of the frescoes inside the cathedral of St. Pantaleon, within the center of Novy Afon

Novy Afon Monastery north of Sukhumi was completed in the late 1800s

A monk carries brooms through the courtyard of Novy Afon, much of which is still under renovation with Russian money

Frescoes in the dome and the rest of the main cathedral at Novy Afon were painted from 1911 to 1914

A bridal party enters the courtyard of the monastery, which overlooks the Black Sea

During the Soviet era, monks were forced out of Novy Afon, which served for many years as a hostel

A man prays alone and in silence inside the main cathedral at Novy Afon

In recent years the Novy Afon sewage system was repaired and two new cupolas were added to the cathedral

A cow grazes outside Novy Afon, which is regularly visited by Russian tour groups

The Georgian Orthodox Church considers the Church of St. George of Ilori in southern Abkhazia a key medieval religious site

A woman prays and weeps loudly at the back of the Ilori church, which underwent significant renovation in 2010

A grave at the Ilori church bears Georgian script on the solid rock covering

A woman prays inside the entrance to the cathedral in the Abkhaz capital, Sukhumi

Notes, prayers and an orange lay on grave inside the Sukhumi cathedral

Father Vissarion Apliaa has declared himself the “interim bishop of the Abkhaz Orthodox Church"

A woman reads a bible inside the Sukhumi cathedral, considered the center of the breakaway Abkhaz Orthodox Church

Russian tourists visit the waterfall next to the grotto and church of St. Simon the Zealot, located near Novy Afon

A monk tells visitors about the various icons on display inside the Church of St. Simon the Zealot

The 10th-century Church of the Virgin Mary near Lykhny is undergoing major renovation of the structure and facade

A volunteer in the Church of the Virgin Mary shows how to pray at the grave of Abkhazia’s last ruling prince, Georgy Chachba

The Church of the Virgin Mary is one of more than 100 churches located in Abkhazia

The church containing the grave of Prince Chachba is considered a significant historical site in Abkhazia

A Russian tour group visits the Church of the Virgin Mary