Loo temple: a piece of Byzantium in Sochi

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

In the Lazarevsky district of Sochi, a few kilometers from the village of Loo, on the top of a mountain, there are the ruins of a Byzantine temple, causing heated debate among historians. The archaeological site, protected by metal structures to prevent further destruction, was taken under state protection.

Ruins of an ancient structure

Loo Temple, which did not reach the descendants in its original form, is a ruin, devoid of a vault. The oldest building, erected between the 10th and 12th centuries, was first opened in the 19th century, and in 1979 a book by the famous scientist Y. Voronov was published, mentioning the cult building. Ten years later, an archaeological group arrived in Loo (Sochi), excavating at the site of a historical monument, which is evidence of the existence of Byzantine culture in the territory of the village.

The architects who designed the temple and built it taller than thisconditions allow, they did not take into account one thing - the seismic unreliability of this area. In the 13th century, the building was razed to the ground, and only a hundred years later it was restored again. According to archaeologists, a new one has appeared on the site of the old religious monument, and it is its ruins that we see today.

Temple Architecture

The three-nave Loo temple, about 21 meters long, in the center of which stood symmetrically arranged pillars (now only the bases remain), was illuminated by narrow windows. Glasses of a greenish-blue tint were inserted into small openings, through which rare rays of the sun passed. The inner space of the religious building at these moments was filled with a mysterious light. Scientists who studied the chemical composition of glasses and established their Byzantine origin found that they appeared no earlier than the 10th century.

The thick walls of an architectural work that characterizes the culture of the population professing Christianity in the Middle Ages are made of sand and limestone slabs, as well as slate. Facing blocks covered the entire outer surface, giving the temple a majestic appearance: from afar, it looked like an elegant white stone church with a purple roof. During the excavations, scientists found several fragments of walls with carved ornaments, and also found a slab on which the letters of the Greek alphabet were engraved.

Belonging to the Alan-Abkhazian group of religious buildings, which were a separate direction in Byzantine architecture, the Loo temple (Sochi) had a rectangular shapethree entrances and the same number of apses (altar ledges).

It is curious that on the temple grounds and beyond, archaeologists have discovered burials dating back to the 13th-14th centuries.

A cult building turned into a fortress

The Loo temple, destroyed by an earthquake, was converted into a defensive fortress several centuries later, which is confirmed by archaeological finds. The already narrow windows, covered with masonry, turned into loopholes, the southern and western entrances were closed, and only the third one from the north remained. And behind the temple there was a watchtower, from which now only the foundation remains.

If you look at a map of the Black Sea region of the 19th century, you can see what is designated as the ruins of an old fortress temple in Loo (Sochi).

A place with a special atmosphere

Now the only surviving wall is supported by metal supports, and the passage inside is clogged with boards, which slightly spoils the visual perception of the historical monument. As tourists admit, the Loo temple is a sparsely populated place with strong energy. Complete silence and the calming sound of the sea allow you to feel a special atmosphere, and each visitor is transported to the distant past without the help of a time machine. There is a legend according to which every tourist who visits the attraction must touch the wall, and then God will fulfill the most cherished desire.

Interesting facts

The Orthodox Church believes that an ancient cult temple is dedicated to St. George the Victorious. Loo every year on May 6, on the daycommemoration of the great martyr, receives a huge number of pilgrims hurrying to the ruins.

In holy places, ancient legends are intertwined with reality so closely that scientists to this day argue which of them is true and which is fiction. According to one legend, the Apostle Simon the Zealot was executed by the Romans and buried near the Black Sea coast. Five hundred years later, Christians began to look for the grave of the preacher and found it here. At this place, called Nicopsia, believers erected a temple. Some historians are sure that the saint was buried in New Athos, and according to other researchers, the current ruins are the same religious building that appeared on the grave of Kananit, which has not yet been discovered.