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AbkhaziaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
Ilorsky temple or the Church of St. George the Victorious is an ancient Christian church in the village of Ilor near Ochamchira, one of the most significant examples of Western Georgian architecture of the XI century. This is an active temple, especially important for the faithful Christians of Abkhazia, a place of pilgrimage.
The complex of the Ilora Church consists of a church building and outbuildings, there is a holy spring here. Excursion groups of tourists and vacationers from all over Abkhazia are brought here, you can come here on your own. But we try to be objective, and to be honest, we think that its tourist attractiveness is too exaggerated by tourist sites and sellers of excursions. With all due respect to its significance and rich history, there is really nothing to see here. It is not distinguished by any special architecture (unless only specialists and special lovers of temple architecture will find differences), nor by picturesque views, nor by a beautiful well-groomed territory, nor by any artifacts or ruins. So if you expect to see something special here as a tourist attraction, then it is better to skip the excursion to this temple, especially since it is located very far from the popular Abkhazian resorts far in the south of the country.
Attention! The Ilora temple is not only a landmark, but also an active religious building. Do not visit it in short skirts, shorts, T-shirts with open shoulders and in provocative clothes. We urge you to show respect to believers and local residents.
History of the temple
The Ilora temple was built on the site of one of the seven main Abkhazian sanctuaries of Elyr-nykha. The name of the temple comes from the Abkhaz word "ailyrgara", which can be translated as "justice". In the XI century Christianity was already firmly entrenched on the territory of Abkhazia, and in most cases the spiritual authorities did not particularly consider the pagan ideas of the population. However, this did not apply to Ilor, where the church was built in a sacred place according to pagan ideas.
Since the XVII century, the story of "The Ilor miracle" is found in many authors. He was described in his notes by the Italian missionaries Giuseppe Giudici, Christopher Castelli and Arcangelo Lamberti. This was due to the feast of St. George, during which large fairs were held near the temple.
According to the Italians, up to 20 thousand people from Abkhazia and Western Georgia came to the fairs. Merchants from Turkey even arrived by sea. On the eve of the holiday, the doors of the church were closed, and the tsar personally sealed them with the royal seal. The next morning, after a careful inspection of the seal and locks, the doors opened, and there was already a bull inside. People believed that he was led by St. George himself in an unknown way. The bull was stabbed at the behest of the prince, and his meat was distributed in a small piece. Only men had the right to eat it.
For such a long time of existence, the temple has repeatedly been subjected to a barbaric attack. So, in 1733, it was almost completely destroyed by the Turkish conquerors. But the holy icons and objects of worship were hidden and saved. The most beautiful frescoes on the walls have been preserved only partially.
In the same year, the Abkhaz soldiers gave a decisive rebuff to the Turkish invaders, turning them into flight. Local residents managed to defend their shrines and the Orthodox faith, which the Turks sought to destroy. According to legend, St. George the Victorious himself helped to defeat the Mohammedans.
In recent years, an Orthodox dome has been added to the temple, which was not originally there. Domes are traditionally erected in Orthodox churches, but the Ilora temple in Abkhazia was founded even before the division of the united church into Orthodox and Catholic branches. The Georgian authorities did not like such willfulness of the Abkhaz authorities. The Georgian authorities also expressed dissatisfaction with the fact that inscriptions in the Georgian language were plastered on the walls of the temple. According to them, these inscriptions told about the history of the construction of this temple.
🕐 Working hours
From 09:00 to 12:00 and from 13:00 to 18:00.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
Free of charge.
🚶 How to get there
The Ilora temple is located in the village of Ilor in the Ochamchira district, 5 kilometers from the center of Ochamchira (temple on the map). It is quite far from popular resorts, for example, from Sukhum is 60 kilometers here, and from Gagra there are almost 150 kilometers in general. If you want to visit the Ilora temple simply as a tourist attraction, and not as a sacred place for pilgrimage, then it is best to come here with an excursion. In travel agencies and distributors on the streets of resorts of Abkhazia, special programs are offered "Paroslavnye shrines of Abkhazia", "Ilor+Kamany", "Acquaintance with Ochamchira" and others, which include visiting several places at once, including the Ilora temple. From Gagra, the most inexpensive one-day tour costs from 2000, from Sukhum from 1000 rubles.
If you are staying in Ochamchira, then you can get to the Ilora temple by taxi from 200 rubles or even walk, although you will have to walk several kilometers. Public transport to Ilor, unfortunately, does not go. And in detail about how and by what you can get to Ochamchira on your own, we told here.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: