Bichvinta Church

The Church of Bichvinta, a 10th-century architectural monument, is the cathedral of the Bichvinta episcopate.

The church, like other monuments in the territory of Abkhazia, is organically connected to the development of Georgian architecture. However, its external appearance, unlike other monuments in Georgia, shows certain similarities to Byzantine buildings. The Church of Bichvinta is a cross-shaped structure with a dome, which has a narthex from the west and three projecting apses from the east.

The Church of Bichvinta is constructed with alternating layers of flat brick and roughly cut stone in horizontal rows. The springing of the dome is entirely built with brick. The interior of the church was originally painted, but in the second half of the 19th century, it was completely plastered, painted white, and repainted, which resulted in the destruction of the original frescoes. In the southwest corner of the narthex, there are small remnants of frescoes on its walls dating back to the second half of the 16th century.

In 1966, major restoration work was carried out (the project was designed by V. Tsintsadze). During the restoration, small fragments of ancient frescoes were discovered inside the church, which are approximately dated to the second half of the 16th century.

The Church of Bichvinta it is currently located in an occupied territory.

Literature: ბ ე რ ი ძ ე  ვ., ძველი ქართული ხუროთმოძღვრება, თბ., 1974; ც ი ც ი შ ვ ი ლ ი  ი., ქართული არქიტექტურის ისტორია. ლექციების მოკლე კურსი, თბ., 1955; Р ч е у л и ш в и л и  Л. Д., Некоторые аспекты грузинской архитектуры черноморского побережья, კრ.: Средневековое искусство. Русь, Грузия, М., 1978; Ш е р в а ш и д з е  Л. А., Средневековая монументальная живопись в Абхазии, Тб., 1980.