Armarchuk E.A., Mimokhod R.A., Sedov Vl.V.

Key words: Byzantine architecture, Abkhazian architectural influence, church archaeology, Christian graves, iconography.
The article is a preliminary publication of a Middle Byzantine architectural monument excavated in 2010–2011. The monument dates to the 9th–10th cc. It belongs to the group of churches that are typical of the Abkhazian kingdom yet also shares some common features with the churches of Alania. The church is a rather large edifice of the cross-in-square type, with three apses, a narthex and three forechurches. Among the original features are the vaulted burial space under the narthex and the well which is to the south of the narthex. The domes appear to have been supported by columns not piers, which is not typical of the other churches in the region.