Seven sanctuaries of Abkhazia (Абжьныха in Abkhaz) - seven locations on the territory of the Republic, revered by the Abkhazian traditional religion as sacred. Each sanctuary has its own priest, who can only be a representative of a certain priestly family. Sanctuaries were created on the hills.
Dydrypsh-nykha is located in the village of Achandara, Gudauta district. The priestly family of Chichba serves this sanctuary. It was on Mount Dydrypsh-nykha that the head of Abkhazia, Vladislav Ardzinba, prayed, asking for protection of the country during the Patriotic War of the people of Abkhazia.
Lykh-nykha - a sanctuary that is adjacent to the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It is located in the village of Lykhny, Gudauta district, in the meadow of Lykhnashta. On holidays, a service is held in the temple, and after that, a prayer is held at Lykh-nykha, which, according to the old custom, is conducted by the keepers of the shrine - villagers, men of the Shakryl surname. The historical glade of Lykhnashta in the village of Lykhny has been a place for centuries where thousands of people from all over Abkhazia gathered to discuss important problems for the country and make the necessary decisions.
Elyr-nykha is another sanctuary that is adjacent to the Orthodox Church of St. George. It is located in the village of Elyr, Ochamchira district. The priestly surname of the Elyr-nykha sanctuary is Shinkuba. The sanctuary itself is very ancient and existed long before the Ilor temple built in the XI century.
Mount Inal Kuba is located high in the mountains 5 kilometers from the village of Pskhu. It is strictly forbidden to hunt here. Moreover, one cannot make noise here, behave inappropriately. There is an Abkhazian belief that if you kill an animal on Inal Kuba, then trouble will surely happen in your house.
Ldzaa-nykha is located near the village of Ldzaa in the Pitsunda region in the Gagra district. The ministers of the sanctuary are representatives of the Gochua clan. Ldzaa-nykha is located in a grove of sacred ancient oaks, stands on a hill. According to tradition, it is forbidden to cut down oaks, even a tree that has fallen by itself remains untouched at the place of its fall.
The Adagua-nykha sanctuary is located about three kilometers from the village of Tsabal in the Gulrypsh district. The mountain has another name - Sugar Loaf.
Lashkyndar-nykha is located on the mountain of the same name near the town of Tkuarchal. A dog (Alyshkyntyr) personifies the local deity. In Tkuarchal, which was founded in Soviet times as a mining town, there was no church, and people went with their problems to the sanctuary.
In addition to the seven sanctuaries, historically common to Abkhazia, almost every Abkhazian clan has its own small sanctuary (ажьира in Abkhaz), as a rule, this is the place for tribal prayers.
On August 3, 2012, the Council of Priests of Abkhazia was recreated at the constituent assembly in Sukhum.
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