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AbkhaziaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
The village of Kamany or Komany is one of the oldest villages in Abkhazia and a place especially revered by Christian believers. Even the name of the village translates as "Holy Place", and it is believed that one of the three Ecumenical saints and teacher John Chrysostom died and was originally buried here in 407 A.D. And there is also a version that 100 years before, in 308, the Holy Martyr Basilisk Komansky died and was buried here. In this regard, the wooden Church of Basilisk the Martyr was founded here, there is a holy source of Basilisk, the Kamansky monastery with the church of St. John Chrysostom works, there is another little–known holy place - the 3rd finding of the head of John the Baptist.
In fact, if you study various sources, including those telling about the biographies of John Chrysostom and Basilisk Komansky, their connection with the village of Komany is not obvious and is questionable. The fact is that the place of their activity and death is called a completely different place, but similar in name, namely the city of the Pontic Comans. The Comani of Pontus was a Greek colony in the northeast of Asia Minor, now it is the territory of modern Turkey. How this city, located almost a thousand kilometers from here, is connected with this village, and how temples associated with saints appeared here is unclear.
It is impossible not to mention another event in the recent history of this village. We are talking about the tragic events that allegedly took place here in 1993, and were called the "Massacre in Kamani." We do not undertake to judge what is true and what is fiction in those articles that are presented on this subject on the Internet, but if you are interested, you can find and study the information on the Web about it yourself.
Whatever the historical and religious background, we can say with all responsibility that the village of Kamany will be interesting as a tourist destination and attraction not only for the deeply religious, but also for any tourists. It's not for nothing that group tours from almost all local resorts are being taken here now.
It is also easy to visit Kamany by yourself on your own transport or get here by taxi. And it will be even more interesting, since most excursions include only visiting the most easily accessible holy springs and monasteries, and on your own you will be able to take your time and see the wooden Church of Basilisk the Martyr and walk to the place of the third finding of the head of John the Baptist.
Here's what you can see and visit in Kamany:
Kaman Monastery and the Church of St. John Chrysostom
This is the main place visited by tourists and believers in the village of Komany, a place of power and pilgrimage. Here is the restored church of St. John Chrysostom with presumably the tomb of the saint. It was originally founded in 1898 as a convent, built on the foundation of an ancient temple. In Soviet times it was closed, the temple was destroyed, and the buildings were used for various economic needs. In 1986, under the already fading Soviet power, the monastery was revived, the temple was restored.
During the war in Abkhazia in 1993, tragic events took place here, as a result of which both priests and nuns were killed (at least, this is how the events are described by public sources on the Internet). In 2001, the monastery was revived again, but now as a men's monastery.
Today it is a quiet peaceful place with a neat, well-groomed territory and beautiful views of the surroundings, a monastery shop is open.
🕐 Working hours: during daytime.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price: free.
🚶 How to get there: the monastery is located at the end of the asphalt road 6 kilometers after the village of Kamany and 15 kilometers from Sukhum (monastery on the map). Good asphalt leads to the monastery itself, there is a parking space.
Source of St. Basilisk
The holy spring of St. Basilisk comes out from under the rock from the depths of the earth, and forms a lake here in which you can swim. Of course, this is not about bathing for pleasure, but for ablution and purification. The water is very cold. There are changing booths. Here you can also get water to drink.
Just keep in mind that this is a holy place, not a clearing for rest and picnic. In no case arrange a vacation here with sunbathing in a swimsuit and drinking alcohol. In general, for bathing in the spring, it is necessary to show modesty: if possible, wrap in sheets, and do not plunge into a bikini.
🕐 Working hours: around the clock.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price: free.
🚶 How to get there: The source is located a little before reaching the monastery, asphalt also leads here (source on the map).
Temple and Tomb of Basilisk the Martyr
A small wooden church of the Holy Martyr Basilisk Komansky, built next to the tomb of the saint. As we have already told above, the story of his burial place is somewhat confusing, but, nevertheless, for believers this is an important place. The church is small, built recently. It is said that it was built by a man from Tula after his daughter was cured thanks to the faith and help of the Holy Martyr Basilisk.
🕐 Working hours: around the clock.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price: free.
🚶 How to get there: the temple is located a little before reaching the monastery, asphalt also leads here (temple on the map). To get to the temple and the tomb, you need to climb the stairs to the hill, walk for a few minutes.
Attention! On Google maps, the position of this temple is marked incorrectly, in fact it is located exactly in the place where we marked it on the map.
The place of the third finding of the head of John the Baptist
Another holy place to which tourists with group tours are usually not taken, because it is a little more difficult to get to it, you will have to walk. John the Baptist was the forerunner of Jesus Christ, predicted his appearance and baptized him in the waters of the Jordan River. Around 30 A.D. John was arrested for crimes against righteousness, and subsequently executed by beheading. Head (head) St. John is a sacred relic and was kept in Byzantium, but in the 18th century it was stolen and secretly taken to Abkhazia. According to legend, she was hidden in a grotto near the Kamans, where she was discovered a hundred years later, and now this place has become especially revered and holy.
🕐 Working hours: around the clock.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price: free.
🚶 How to get there: The grotto is located near the holy places mentioned above in Kamanakha, but a little to the side (grotto on the map). To get here, there are two options:
- From the Kamansky monastery there is a trail about 2 kilometers long and all the way up. We have not walked this path, so we cannot say anything about her condition.
- Drive by car to the beginning of the trail and stairs. The distance from the monastery is 6 kilometers, half of the way will be along a dirt mountain road. You can drive in any car in good weather, go to this point (the beginning of the trail and parking on the map). Here you need to park the car, and then walk along a very long metal staircase, first up, then down, and a little along the trail. At a fast pace and if you are in good physical shape, it will take 40 minutes to get there and back. And if you go slowly and with rest, you can spend one and a half to two hours.
Be careful! There is a warning information about mining preserved after the war, it is impossible to deviate from the stairs and paths.
How to visit Kamany
Until recently, the village of Kamany was a somewhat inaccessible place due to a bad road, but now there is good asphalt laid here up to the monastery. So now they carry group tours here, and it's easy to get there by your own transport.
It is important to note that the holy places are not located in the village of Kaman itself, but further along the road 6 kilometers after it, it is about 15 kilometers from the center of Sukhum. Above, we talked in more detail about each place, where it is located and how to get there.
In all resorts of Abkhazia it is now easy to buy cheap excursions here. The cheapest ones we have met cost from 800 rubles from Sukhum, and include a visit only to Kaman. But there are also more complex excursions, which also include other holy places and sights of Abkhazia in one trip. You can buy them on the streets from distributors and in hotels, prices are the same everywhere, but excursion programs may vary. From other resorts of Abkhazia besides Sukhum, prices are slightly higher (because to go further).
As for the independent trip, as we have already mentioned, the road leads here is good, the asphalt is new. There are parking areas near each place, everything is free of charge. Only to the starting point of the route to the grotto of the third finding of the head of John the Baptist will have to travel three kilometers along a rocky dirt road, but in dry weather you can drive any car 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: