Ambara church
The Ambara church (Georgian: ამბარას ეკლესია) is located near village Myussera in the Gudauta District, Abkhazia/Georgia, on the cape of Miusera, close to the mouth of the Ambara stream.[2] Ambara three-nave basilica represents an important example of this type's architectural monuments. Ambara church has been given the status of culture heritage monument.
| Likhni Church Aba-Ata ამბარას ეკლესია (in Georgian) | |
|---|---|
 Ruins of the Ambara church around 1899. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Georgian Orthodox |
| Province | Abkhazia[1] |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | ruins |
| Location | |
| Location |  Miusera, Gudauta Municipality, Abkhazia, Georgia |
  Shown within Abkhazia  Ambara church (Georgia) | |
| Geographic coordinates | 43°08′37″N 40°29′23″E |
| Architecture | |
| Type | Church |
| Completed | 7–8th century, reconstructed in Late Middle Ages |
History
The Ambara church complex consists of a half-ruined three-nave basilica (first built in 7–8th century), a stone fence (Middle Ages) and remains of several additional secular structures, dated by scholars from the 8th to the 10th century. The basilica has a roughly processed ashlar stone surface stones that have survived almost in its original form, a two-storey narthex and an upper gallery on the west facade. The main nave vault bears traces of the Late Medieval reconstruction.[3][4]
The Ambara church is one of the tourist destinations in Abkhazia. The area is reportedly increasingly being littered.[5] Georgia has inscribed the church on its list of cultural heritage and treats it as part of cultural heritage in the Russian-occupied territories with no known current state of condition.[3]
References
- The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Georgia in 1992, Abkhazia is formally recognised as an independent state by 5 UN member states (two other states recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while Georgia continues to claim it as part of its own territory, designating it as Russian-occupied territory.
- Ambara church in Miusera village Historical monuments of Abkhazia — Government of the Autonomous Republic of Abkhazia.
- Gelenava, Irakli, ed. (2015). Cultural Heritage in Abkhazia (PDF). Tbilisi: Meridiani. p. 20.
- Rcheulishvili, Levan (1988). Купольная архитектура VIII - X веков в Абхазии [Domed architecture of the 8th-10th centuries in Abkhazia] (in Russian). Tbilisi: Metsniereba. pp. 72–75.
- Solovyeva, Y. (10 October 2013). "Цивилизация добралась и до урочища Амбара. Теперь и здесь мусор!". Respublika Abkhaziya. Retrieved 13 March 2017.