Novy Afon

The Novy Afon area has been inhabited since ancient times. A Neolithic settlement (500-400 BC) has been discovered on the southern slope of Mt. Apsara (better known as Mt. Iverskaya). A village was located here from 400-200 BC, and starting in 500s AD, there are mentions of New Athos in historical documents as Anacopia, the second most important administrative and cultural center of Abkhazia.

Anacopia had a period of fruitful growth in the 1000s through 1300s. In the 10th century, the church of St. Simon the Zealot was built here and later became the cathedral church of Sukhum. During the feudal disunion in the 1300s through 1600s, Anacopia had lost its political and economic significance. It was completely deserted during the Turkish invasion.

During the Caucasian War, the residents of Abkhazia fled to Turkey, deserting the area. By the late 1700s, Anacopia had ceased to exist as a town, and consisted of ruins grown over with trees. The area began to be known as Psyrdzkha (meaning "fir spring" in Abkhaz). It was the property of Abkhazian feudal lords of the Maan clan.
After Abkhazia was annexed by the Russian Empire in 1810, new settlements began sprouting up on the coast, and Psyrdzkha became inhabited once again. In 1875, monks had arrived from Greek Athos to build a monastery on top of Mt. Afon, and in 1879, Russia's ruler Alexander II approved Novy Afon Monastery's Charter. The monastery was named Novy Afon after the Greek Athos. Soon enough Novy Afon became a major religious hub for the Black Sea Coast area of the Caucasus. In Soviet days, Novy Afon was mainly developed as a resort, becoming one of the most beautiful and popular resorts in the USSR.