Bedia Cathedral

Bedia Cathedral
ბედიის მონასტერი
Bedia Cathedral ; ბედიის მონასტერი
	Bedia Cathedral and the Caucasus Mountains in the background.
Religion
Affiliation	Georgian Orthodox Church
District	Tkvarcheli District
Region	Caucasus
Location
Location	Bedia, Tkvarcheli District, Abkhazia /; Agubedia, Ochamchire Municipality, Georgia
	Shown within Georgia Bedia Cathedral (Abkhazia)
Geographic coordinates	42°46′02″N 41°40′08″E / 42.7672°N 41.6689°E
Architecture
Architect(s)	Avtandil Shulavreli
Type	Domed cruciform plan
Style	Georgian; Cathedral
Groundbreaking	Late 10th century
Completed	999, during the reign of King Bagrat II of Abkhazia
Dome(s)	1; the dome and drum are collapsed
Immovable Cultural Monument of National Significance of Georgia
Official name	Bedia. Monastery
Designated	November 7, 2006
Reference no.	3542
Item Number in Cultural Heritage Portal	9683
Date of entry in the registry	October 3, 2007

Bedia Cathedral (Georgian: ბედიის მონასტერი) is a medieval Georgian Orthodox cathedral located in Bedia, in the Tkvarcheli district of Abkhazia (or Ochamchire Municipality according to the Georgia's subdivision), a disputed region on the Black Sea coast.

Bedia Cathedral was originally built at the close of the 10th century and consecrated in 999 on the behest of King Bagrat II of Abkhazia, who would go on to become the first King of the Georgia as Bagrat III and who was interred at the church after his death. The extant edifices, however, date back to the 13th-14th centuries and include a domed cruciform church, a belltower resting upon the northern narthex and the ruins of an old palace. The southern wall of the main church contains fragments of contemporary murals, including the portraits of Bagrat II and the representatives of the Dadiani noble family of Georgia.

In the Catholicate of Abkhazia, Bedia was the centre of a diocese and the seat of a bishop. In the 17th century, services were ceased, but resumed from the second half of the 19th century onwards.

^ The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Georgia in 1992, Abkhazia is formally recognised as an independent state by 5 UN member states (two other states previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it as de jure Georgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it as Russian-occupied territory.

[1] The political status of Abkhazia is disputed. Having unilaterally declared independence from Georgia in 1992, Abkhazia is formally recognised as an independent state by 5 UN member states (two other states previously recognised it but then withdrew their recognition), while the remainder of the international community recognizes it as de jure Georgian territory. Georgia continues to claim the area as its own territory, designating it as Russian-occupied territory.

[1]