Bichvinta
Bichvinta is a town (since 1963) in the Gagra municipality (in the region of Abkhazia), and it serves as the administrative center. It is a resort located on the Black Sea coast. The town is situated on the Bichvinta Cape, surrounded by the Gagra and Bzipi ridges and the southern slopes of the main Caucasus ridge. It is located 4 meters above sea level, 21 km from Gagra and 80 km from Sukhumi.
At present, it is in an occupied territory.
The name "Pitiunti," both in Georgian and Greek (Pityunt, Pitios, or Pityus; Latin Pithyus; Italian Pezonda; Russian Пицунда), derives from the word "pine." A relic pine forest still covers a 7 km stretch along the coastline of Bichvinta Cape.
Bichvinta enjoys a mild, moist sea climate. The sea temperature at the surface remains above 20°C from May to November. Nearby, there are sulfuric mineral springs and therapeutic mud deposits, which aid in expanding the resort's medical services.
On Bichvinta Cape, close to the confluence of the Bzipi River, there are remains of a city from ancient and early feudal periods. Bronze sickles and characteristic "woven" ceramics of the ancient Colchian settlements discovered here confirm that this area was inhabited by Colchians in the 2nd millennium BC and the 1st century AD. Bichvinta is first mentioned in Strabo's "Geography" as “Great Pityunt”. Strabo refers to the 2nd-century BC Greek geographer Artemidorus of Ephesus, indicating that the city existed during the Hellenistic period, though cultural layers from that time are not yet fully explored. The Roman scholar Pliny the Elder called Bichvinta one of the wealthiest cities, which during his time was raided by the Heniochi people. From the 1st-2nd centuries, until the 4th century, a Roman garrison (one cohort) was stationed at Bichvinta to ensure the safety of maritime trade and to protect Roman imperial borders from raids by mountain dwellers and nomads.
Bichvinta is one of the oldest centers of Christianity. The bishop of Pityunt, Stratophilus, participated in the First Council of Nicaea in 325 AD. The town remained an important ecclesiastical center during the Middle Ages. After the creation of the Kingdom of Abkhazia, the Abkhaz Catholicos resided in Bichvinta. Following the dissolution of the unified Georgian state in the 15th–16th centuries, it became the seat of the Abkhaz Catholicos-Patriarch.
From the 8th century, Bichvinta was part of the Kingdom of Abkhazia, and from the 10th century, it was part of the unified Kingdom of Georgia. In the 14th–15th centuries, the Genoese had a trading post called Pitsunda. The remains of the ancient city of Bichvinta attracted researchers from the first half of the 19th century. French traveler Dubois de Montperreux equated Pitsunda with the historical city of Pityus. There have been several archaeological excavations in this area.
Excavations have revealed remains of a wooden Roman fortress from the 1st–2nd centuries AD, a 2nd-century Roman fort-castellum, and civil settlements from the 3rd–4th centuries AD. Also, archeologists discovered burial mounds from the 2nd to 6th centuries, remains of various churches, and other structures. An advanced sewage system with a central collector of 175 meters in length was uncovered. Furthermore, there is evidence of Christian sacred sites with several layers of cultic buildings. The oldest single-nave church with a semi-circular apse, which operated in the 4th century AD, was discovered. Military buildings from the 2nd to 6th centuries, such as a tower and wall, were excavated near the Castellum's northern and eastern sides, near Lake Inkiti.
During the excavations of the fortified city, numerous archaeological artifacts were discovered, including over 1,600 coins made of gold, electrum, silver, copper, and bronze; various ceramic goods; amphoras; diverse glassware; window glass; local and imported red-glazed ceramics; as well as gold, bronze, and iron jewelry.
Bichvinta and its surroundings are rich in religious buildings from the 7th–8th centuries and later period. Excavations have revealed a basilica on the Akhashnikhi hill in the village of Alakhadzi and a small church in the village of Lidzava.
Literature: დიდი პიტიუნტი. არქეოლოგიური გათხრები ბიჭვინთაში, [წგ.] 1 – 3, თბ., 1975 – 78; რ ა მ ი შ ვ ი ლ ი რ., არქეოლოგიური გათხრები ბიჭვინთაში, ,,მასალები საქართველოსა და კავკასიის არქეოლოგიისათვის", 1965, ტ. 4; ც ი ც ი შ ვ ი ლ ი ი., ქართული არქიტექტურის ისტორია. ლექციების მოკლე კურსი, თბ., 1955.
A. Apakidze
G. Lortkipanidze
I. Tsitsishvili
G. Ushveridze
E. Bagrationi
