Where are the relics of Simon Kananite located? Grottoes of New Athos

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Much in New Athos is connected with the name of Simon the Canaanite, one of the 12 apostles of Jesus Christ. Before Christmas, it is especially touching to be in holy places, to relax, to feel grace and peace. In this article I will show what the grotto cell of Simon the Canaanite looks like, tell you how to climb to the cave and share interesting facts about the apostle and the holy land of New Athos.

About the Apostle Simon the Canaanite

Before your trip, be sure to read the life of Simon the Canaanite or read this article to the end, I will try to tell you the most important things. Otherwise, the apostle is called Simon the Zealot - this name is found in the Gospel of Luke. Simon is one of the sons of Joseph, which means he is the half-brother of Jesus Christ.

Researchers associate the nickname Canaanite with Canae of Galilee, when Jesus turns water into wine at the wedding of Simon, who, from what he saw, believed in the Lord and followed Jesus. Church ministers call the apostle the patron saint of marriage and family. Simon preached in Judea, Syria, Libya, Egypt, Armenia and Abkhazia - folk legends testify to this.

So Simon the Canaanite, together with Andrew the First-Called, arrived on the land of Iveron (in Abkhazia, in New Athos) to preach Christianity. Abkhazian parables tell about a certain Simon, who healed with prayer and splashes of river water. Simon chose a cave in the gorge of the stormy mountain river Psyrtskha as a place of solitude. It was possible to enter the cell only through the hole at the top; this required a rope. Local residents who believed in the teachings of Christ came to the apostle to pray and brought Simon food and some clothes. It is unknown how long the apostle stayed in Anakopia, but according to the legends of local residents, it was only thanks to the sermons of the Canaanite that the Abkhazians took the righteous path and abandoned paganism in the name of Christ. After all, at that time the ritual of child sacrifice and cannibalism was popular among the Abkhazians.

But Simon had haters - the pagan king of Georgia Aderki was against Christianization neighboring peoples, so he ordered the apostle to be killed. It is still not known for certain how Kananite was tortured, but there are two versions based on the traditions of the ancient Abkhazians. According to one of them, Simon was beheaded with a sword, according to the other, he was sawn apart with a saw. There is even a legend about how the apostle was crucified on the cross.

Simon was buried not far from a cave in New Athos; now there is an artificial waterfall nearby, and on the relics of the saint in the 9th century, the temple of Simon the Canaanite was built from limestone slabs. Despite numerous persecutions (Arab and Turkish expansion), the Abkhazians retained their faith in Christ and revere Saint Simon the Canaanite, who preached Christianity despite persecution. The Simon-Kananitsky Temple was destroyed several times, and now no services are held in it. But on the side, hidden from the eyes of tourists, believers leave icons and notes with requests, and light candles.

Grotto cell of Simon the Canaanite - how to get there?

The first time we arrived in New Athos, we did not have time to visit the Kananita cave, but this time we decided to definitely go.

The entrance to the gorge territory is at Psyrtskha station. To get there you need to go from the city center following the sign towards the waterfall. Near the waterfall you will see the three-apse cross-domed temple of Simon the Canaanite. You need to climb the steps along the waterfall and exit to the station. Now walk along railway, on the left you will see the entrance to the gorge territory. A ticket to enter will cost 150 rubles (with a purchased ticket you can later enter for free). The path to the apostle’s cave was refined at the beginning of the 19th century by New Athos monks who arrived from Old Athos (Greece) and built the huge New Athos monastery in Anakopia. But you still need to be careful, and I don’t recommend that older people go into the cave alone, as they will have to climb about 200 stone and slippery steps. The climb is quite difficult, it runs along the river, at the very top there is a railing that will protect you during the climb.

Now there is no need to climb into the cave through the hole at the top; the monks cut an entrance to the apostle’s cell and again laid a staircase. Near the entrance to the cave you can buy candles. In the Canaanite grotto itself, you will see portraits of Jesus and Simon, laid out in mosaics - the authors are the monks of the New Athos Monastery, the works date back to the 19th century.

On the way to Kananite's cell you will see big stone, which has a dent that clearly resembles a human footprint. It is believed that this trace was left by Simon the Canaanite.

And on the other side of the river you will notice a stone cross; if you look closely, you can see stones with red splashes in the water; according to legend, the apostle was killed at this place, and the stones preserved the blood of the saint. The Psyrtskha River is considered life-giving, you can drink the water from it and you can swim here (the temperature is always about 5 degrees). For the convenience of pilgrims, there are booths along the shore where you can change clothes.

Walk a little behind the cave, a huge clearing with majestic fir trees will open in front of you; in this place you want to sit for hours and enjoy the peace.

But in 2015, trouble happened: someone dared to desecrate the apostle’s cell, sneaked into the cave under the guise of a tourist, collected all the icons in the cell and burned it. But now there are again many icons in the cell, probably more than fifty!

Temple of Simon the Canaanite

It is a monument of the 8th century, made in the Byzantine style. Previously was the main Abkhazian Christian Church before destruction by Muslims. Currently, only the shape and a few wall paintings on the facade remain of the majestic temple. In the 14th century, the church was decorated with frescoes; Simon the Canaanite, St. Andrew the First-Called and the Dormition of the Mother of God were depicted on the walls. For several centuries the temple was destroyed during Muslim expansion. And after 1875, Alexander III issued a decree transferring the church into the possession of the New Athos Monastery, then the monks began to restore the damaged areas of the building, and the shape of the temple changed slightly.

Currently, the church holds an annual liturgy with procession of the cross May 23 is the day of remembrance of the Apostle Canaanite. On other days you cannot enter the church, as it is under restoration.

Dream Interpretation of Simon Kananita

On the Internet you can find the dream book of Simon the Canaanite online; this seemed strange to me, given that very little is known about the apostle; official sources do not say anything about the fact that Simon was involved in the interpretation of dreams (he certainly had no time for that). The creators of such a resource tell what served as the basis for creating Kananita’s dream book ancient greek monument literature "Book of Dreams", which was found in the Caucasus (where exactly is not specified). And in the 18th century, the book was translated into Russian and presented to Catherine II (there is also no official information about this).

But in fact, it is not clear what relation Simon the Canaanite has to this book, and in general I could not find anything about this ancient literary monument. So you don’t even have to go to sites offering to read the dream book of Simon the Canaanite. But come to New Athos and visit memorable places An apostle is a must!

In one of the hidden corners of Abkhazia, between two mountain tunnels, there is the Pstsyrkha railway station, named after the river flowing nearby. Directly from it, upstream, there is a shady gorge. Its length is no more than a kilometer, and its history associated with human activity goes back about 15 centuries.

Classmates

The main historical site for which tourists and pilgrims flock here is the grotto of St. Apostle Simon the Canaanite. A narrow and deep niche in the rock became the starting point from where the teachings of Christ spread throughout Abkhazia. Folk legends, associated with the life of St. Simon, the old Abkhazians retold to the first Europeans who settled here in the 19th century. Much did not resemble the truth, but one thing remained undoubted: the mysterious Pstsyrkhi gorge preserves the great Christian shrine.

Simon Zelotes - one of the 12 Apostles

God's providence hid the details of the life of the holy Apostle Simon the Canaanite: in the Gospels his name is only mentioned in the listing of the twelve disciples of Christ. Nickname "Kananit" may mean that he came from the city of Cana (Israel, near the city of Nazareth), where Christ performed two miracles - turning water into wine at a wedding and healing the son of a courtier.

The Holy Scriptures also mention another nickname for the apostle - Zealot. The Jews were called Zealots, dedicated themselves to the fight against Roman rule. These people dared to publicly oppose the authorities, staged uprisings and knocked down Roman “eagles” from city buildings and the walls of the Temple. Wanting to channel Simon's jealousy Christian preaching, the Lord called him to be one of his closest disciples.

The scarcity of gospel information about the apostles is complemented by church Tradition - a collection of ancient oral and written sources, recognized by the Church true. Tradition says that the Canaanite was one of the sons of Joseph, the “said” father of Jesus Christ. At first, Simon opposed his half-brother, upset by Joseph's decision to equally divide the inheritance between them. Many years passed before a change occurred in his mood.

It was at the wedding of His half-brother in Cana of Galilee that Christ turned water into the missing wine, which finally confirmed the future apostle in the faith.

After the death and Resurrection of Christ, His disciples gathered to cast lots as to who should go to what region to preach. Simon and Andrey fell to Iveria and Scythia - the land of the Caucasus.

Sermon of Simon the Canaanite in Abkhazia

The short river Pstsyrkha comes to the surface of the earth from a deep cave located under the grotto - the dwelling of the Holy Apostle. Feeding from underground lakes, it never dries out and carries clean drinking water. To the right of the source rises the symbol of Abkhazia - Iverskaya Mountain, on the top of which there are the ruins of a large city and fortress by ancient standards. Nowadays it is called Anakopia, but in ancient times it bore the name Trachea (Greek for “harsh rocky”).

In the first centuries A.D. e. Greeks settled here and decided to settle in new spaces on the shores of the Pontus Euxine (Black Sea). Perhaps it was with them that the two closest apostles of Christ, Andrew and Simon, arrived to the land of the pagan Abazgs.

First they stopped in the city of Sevasta (Sukhum), where their preaching was received with gratitude, since the inhabitants of the port city were under the cultural influence of the Greeks and Romans.

Andrei soon went further north, traveling with a sermon in the Scythian steppes to the Crimea, while Simon remained in a cozy valley near the city of Trachea, settling in a secluded grotto so that he could pray before each journey.

Preaching Christ among the pagans in those days was a dangerous undertaking, especially since some tribes retained customs human sacrifices, were extremely warlike and refused to listen to other teachings. It is assumed that one of the “cannibalistic” tribes lived in the vicinity of what is now New Athos. According to local legend, the Apostle Simon the Canaanite was killed at the insistence of pagan leaders where he lived - on the banks of the Pstsyrkha.

Even today, local residents point out rocks with red spots in the riverbed. This was imprinted with the blood of the Saint, reminiscent of the cruel times of unbelief.

Temple of Simon the Canaanite in New Athos

The legend that the remains of St. Simon are located under the building of the temple, rising on the right bank of the Pstsyrkha, dates back several centuries. To late XVIII centuries, despite the decline of Christianity, Abkhazians and Georgians maintained the custom of making pilgrimages to the ancient ruins associated with the name of the apostle. Then, for almost a century, this tradition was forgotten and appeared only after the construction of the New Athos Monastery began, which took the temple, almost destroyed by time, under its guardianship.

By that time, the temple building was overgrown with trees, but still inspired awe in the local residents. They told the monks who arrived at the site of the future monastery that they could not graze cattle on the lawn in front of the ruins, since an unknown force forced the sheep to flee from there. One Muslim, who decided to take stones from a temple to build a house, suffered a sad fate: the carrier of the stones suddenly died, and then, without having time to live in the new house, the owner himself and his family were forced to flee to Turkey, where they also died. Another storyteller saw an “old man with a staff” in a dream, who commanded him to free land plot near the temple for future monastery construction.

Along with the restoration and consecration of the church, the cave of Simon the Canaanite was also consecrated, where icons of both educators of the Caucasus were installed. After the revolution, the rebuilt temple was closed. In 2011, as a result church schism, the temple was again transferred to the Abkhazian Orthodox Church and found itself in the power of schismatics. Currently, worship services are held there, but Russian pilgrims are not recommended to visit them.

You can pray to the Holy Enlightener of the Caucasus in other churches dedicated to his name:

• Temple in the village Loo(Sochi, Krasnodar region).
• Cana (Israel), Church of the Wedding on the site where the house of Simon the Canaanite stood.
• Church of St. Simon the Canaanite in memory of those killed in the Georgian-Abkhaz conflict (Tbilisi, Sameba Lavra).
• Roman Catholic Church of St. Simon the Zealot in Sukhum.

Desiring to join in the glory of Saint Simon the Canaanite, Western Church sets out other versions of the life and exploits of the apostle.

There is a legend that St. Apostle Simon preached in Brittany. English Wikipedia mentions ancient city Glastonbury as the site of his exploits and modern Lincolnshire as the site of execution by crucifixion carried out by local pagans. Despite the dubious origin of this legend, the Apostle is revered in England, one of Anglican churches London is dedicated to his name.

Wikipedia in Germany names Edessa and Babylon (Iraq) as the areas where Simon the Canaanite preached. In the latter, he was executed along with the Apostle Judas Thaddeus. On Catholic icons the saint is depicted with a saw, representing the instrument of his execution. This circumstance gave rise to a tradition in the West of honoring Simon as the patron saint of sawyers.

German Wikipedia mentions the Basilica of St. Andrew the First-Called in Cologne, where pilgrims can see a piece of St. Apostle Simon. The Russian Orthodox Church is of the opinion that the relics of the apostle rest under the cover of a temple in Abkhazia and have never been found.

Service and prayers to the Apostle Simon

For home prayer to the Holy Apostle, you can use the following chants:

Agtsa Grotto is located northwest of New Athos, near the ancient Abkhaz village of Anukhva, behind the Apsara Mountain, where the picturesque foothills begin. On the northern outskirts of the village, in a rock made of red limestone, at an altitude of about 30 meters, there is a dark opening of the Agtsa grotto (from Abkhazian “cliff”). The grotto is a corridor about seven meters long, and up to two and a half meters wide and high, presumably a sanctuary for religious rituals.

The grotto was discovered in 1940 by local archaeologist Lev Soloviev. Rock paintings clearly appeared on the smooth surface of the wall. Having studied the images, the scientist attributed some drawings to the Upper Paleolithic era, others to the Middle Ages. The drawings depict the outline of a human hand with a cross on the palm, hut-like dwellings, and an image of a bow with a lowered string. Inscriptions from the early Middle Ages were also found on the walls. Studying them, the scientist came to the conclusion that the inaccessible cave served as a sanctuary for religious rituals. Excavations carried out near the grotto helped discover a large Paleolithic site.

Grotto of Simon the Canaanite

The Grotto of Simon the Canaanite is one of the most important and famous attractions of the city of New Athos, which is primarily of a religious nature. It was here that the great apostle held his own sermons, during which he praised the Lord God and expressed by his residence in this grotto the lack of significance in all earthly goods and material things. The Grotto of Simon the Canaanite has survived to this day in its original form and is one of the most popular places for pilgrims from all over Abkhazia.

The road to the grotto runs through the very picturesque gorge of the Psyrtskha River, not far from the supposed place of death of the saint. The cell of Simone the Canaanite acquired modern look after the death of the apostle - in the 19th century, the monks of the New Athos Monastery cut a convenient entrance to it, added a huge stone staircase, and also mosaiced the faces of the Mother of God, Jesus Christ and Simon the Zealot himself on the walls of the cave.

Next to the grotto of Simon the Canaanite there is an artificial waterfall with a height of 8.6 meters and the beautiful Lake Psyrtskha. Here you can not only admire the magnificent scenery, but also breathe clean air.

During the reign of Aderki, Andrei and Simon the Canaanite came to Abkhazia and Egrisi - two of the twelve holy apostles... The Great Andrew, together with Simon, went to the lands of Ovsetia, reached a city called Fosta-for, where they performed many miracles, converted and enlightened a lot of people; From there they went to the lands of Abkhazia and reached the city of Sevast, now called Tskhumi. And Andrei left Simon the Canaanite there with his disciples, and he himself went to the country of the Jiks. The Jikis - the people of this land - were hard-hearted and very evil in their deeds, unbelieving and unshepherded. Not only did they not heed the apostle’s preaching, but they tried to kill him. However God's grace defended Andrey. Seeing their inflexibility, he left the jiks and went away. That is why they remain in unbelief to this day. The grave of Simon the Canaanite is located in the city of Nikopsia, between Abkhazia and Dzhiketia, for the Apostle Simon reposed there.

And Saint Andrew then confirmed the Mingrelians and Abkhazians in the faith and retired to Scythia...

In ancient Abkhazian parables there are often references to Saint Simon, who treated various ailments with the touch of his hand, splashed water on a sore spot, read a prayer on unknown language, and everything passed. In the fifties of our era, Simon the Canaanite settled in the secluded town of Psyrtskha, in a cave on the banks of the river of the same name. During the cruel persecution of Christians, which was started by the Georgian king Aderki, Simon suffered a martyr's death. He was sawed alive with a saw and his head cut off. A church named after him was subsequently built not far from this place.In the photo, the steps to the Apostle's grotto.

By the beginning of the 15th century, several churches were built in Pitiunta (modern Pitsunda), the remains of which were studied by Soviet archaeologists. Now the excavations are mothballed, waiting in the wings...

In the first half of the 5th century, the Abkhazians adopted Christianity as state religion, and from that time the construction of numerous temples began. In modern Abkhazia there are miraculously preserved churches from the 5th to the 11th centuries, which survived numerous wars, natural disasters, centuries of religious persecution.. One of the temples is located in the village. Tsandrypsh. I want to tell you more about this village later...

One more thing Christian place associated with the name of Simon the Canaanite.
Who is Simon the Canaanite?
Apostle Simon was one of the 12 Apostles. He is the third alleged brother of the Lord in the flesh according to the Gospel of Matthew.
There is a legend that at the wedding of Simon the Canaanite, Jesus Christ performed the first miracle by turning water into wine. Having seen the miracle, Simon believed in Christ so much that he followed the Savior, despite the fact that he had just gotten married.

The name Canaanite, which has sometimes been misunderstood as “from the city of Cana,” actually has the same meaning in Hebrew as the Greek word Zealot, “zealot.” Either this was the apostle’s own nickname, or it could mean his belonging to the political-religious movement of the Zealots (Zealots) - irreconcilable fighters against Roman rule.

The Holy Apostle Simon preached the teachings of Christ in Judea, Egypt, Libya, Cyrene and Britain. He suffered a martyr's death in Abkhazia. According to legend, the apostle was sawed alive with a saw. According to other sources, he was crucified on the cross. He was buried in the city of Nikopsia (now New Athos). Subsequently (in the 19th century), on the site of the exploits of the holy Apostle, near Mount Iveron, the New Athos Monastery of Simon the Canaanite was built. The cave in which he lived has been preserved.

First, when approaching the cave, is the Temple of the Holy Apostle Simon the Canaanite, built on the relics of the apostle in the 9th-10th centuries. For some time, the temple was the tomb of the highest clergy and the center of the Sukhumi diocese. It was restored several times (last time in 1882), but from the outside it retained its original appearance. Inside, under a layer of late plaster, there are small fragments of ancient wall painting.

The cave is the place that particularly impressed me...

Firstly, the path to the cave of Simon the Canaanite is very beautiful. Gorge, Psyrtskha River, “path of sinners”...

This is the New Athos railway station, it is not working now, it is on the way to the cave.

On one side of the path there is a stone with the imprint of the foot of Simon the Canaanite. He showed this miracle to the Romans, who were leading him to execution. According to some sources, it was not the Romans who executed him, but the ancestors of the Abkhazians who did not want to accept Christianity.

Place of death of Simon the Canaanite

Simon worked miracles. Together with the Apostle of Jesus Christ, Andrew the First-Called (according to one version, hiding from Roman legionnaires), he went to the Caucasus, choosing this place for preaching. Andrew the First-Called did not stay in our area and went further to Scythia, the ancestral home of Russia.

And Simon the Canaanite settled in the secluded place of Psyrtskha, in a cave. Tradition says that he entered his cave-cell through a narrow hole in the vault.

This was in 55 AD. Traditions say that thanks to the sermons of Simon the Canaanite, the cruel pagan custom sacrificing babies to the gods and cannibalism.

In ancient Abkhazian parables there are often references to Saint Simon, who treated various ailments with the touch of his hand, splashed water on a sore spot, read a prayer in an unknown language, and everything went away.

I was shocked that my camera, which refused to adequately photograph the beauty of the New Athos cave, suddenly decided in complete darkness (!), since the cave was not illuminated by anything except a couple of candles in front of the icons, to photograph clearly, clearly! This is despite the fact that I did not switch to photography mode in the dark... Just a miracle!