Novo Aconan Monastery and Neighborhood – Inside and Outside
We went here with your family – I am with my husband, my husband’s sister with two children and my mother-in-law. To the Orthodox shrines (and the monastery we ranked as such) we have a serious attitude, so we went not just on a tour, but to the service.
Local drivers will gladly call you around the surroundings, there are also many interesting things and stop, so that you have looked at this lake, here this river … We have agreed with a taxi driver for the whole day, and he himself offered us the most picturesque route in addition to the new Athon ( Search the car, by the way, it is quite easy, it is only worth going out on the street, and the drivers will find you). We left early in order to have time for the beginning of the service (she began at 9:30 or so).
Since tourists at such a time is quite small, the market was still closed. Disabled markets – generally an unusual spectacle. Quiet and empty. We stood with a three-year-old niece for the counter, they independently opened and closed several tents, examined each shelf and every locker ..
A little about dress code: Initially, I was in a dress to the knee. In principle, it is permissible, but just in case there are long dark gray shirts-aprons hang on the entrance, here I put on top of the dress, more even from interest (well, when I still will be here?). Shorts, including for men, are unacceptable, the same with bare shoulders, my husband and my sister were in hoodies.
Service in the monastery is conducted in two languages. A piece is read on the Abkhaz language (yes, not Georgian, Abkhaz has its own separate language!), immediately the second person translates everything into Russian. It was very unusual, because in Russia the service goes to the Church Slavonic language. At the end of the service after the communion, where many local children led, we were given an antidor to all, and it was not even alone, but two big slices of bread. Progress in this temple does not give.
The territory around the monastery is very beautiful, we walked a lot and took pictures. When markets opened, we bought spices, clay Turk and local sweets.
The next point of our journey has become the cell simon channel. It is high in the mountains, we went on foot along the River Psyrtzha on the stones, but it was still easy, but in the mountain itself it is harder to rise. In the cell dark and closely (they say, there was a collapse), the lighting goes through a tiny hole in the "roof", it is also ventilation, and this natural grotto itself served as Saint Simon Refuge for several years. Here, right in the earthy deepeners stand icons and candles. View worth. Necessarily. On the way, you still meet the footprint of Simon Kananita, do not forget to make it.
On the way back we walked in a beautiful park, looked at floating swans and amazing blue water. I first had a confusion with a newafon monastery and new Athos. So, new Athos is the city, and not the monastery itself, now I will remember.
The last thing we looked at New Athos – the famous New Aphon Cave. I will not tell about it, I will not tell a lot, I will just say that all the halls will not show you, on a small train will be lucky only before the entrance, and at all about the cave itself, as we thought. We, I got early and already decently arrived, was hard, especially in the dark. However, I still recommend visitors, it’s unique and beautiful in your own way.
I do not know what people who come to look at the monastery and surroundings just like a tourist object. In a sense, we had "our own" motives, and impressions remained deep and positive, despite the fact that. Already returning home, we learned that the Novo Aconan Monastery is in the split from the ROC, and therefore, instead of grace, we kind of got the opposite effect. However, the beauty, energy and the uniqueness of this place are not at all reduced from this, and we did not regret our journey. After this trip, I definitely "per" Actually laid trails and from anyone independent routes, which I wish everyone 🙂
