| km from Ochamchirs in the village of Ilor there is an active ancient white-stone Ilor Temple (Elar-Nykha) patronized by St.George. The temple constructed in the 8th century, consists of one hall with the altar semicircle. The hall is covered by the stone vault on arches and is lit by five windows. This temple differs from other churches of Abkhazia with its thought-out architectural forms and artistic finishing. Ilor temple is one of the seven main sanctuaries of Abkhazians who have legends about it. One of them tells about the reasons of the temple construction: “the local prince wounded a deer during hunting. The animal disappeared in thickets so the hunter pursued it. The traces led him to the ruins of an ancient sanctuary. The prince saw the wounded deer put its head on the throne with a very tall cross above the altar and it dawned on him that the animal was under the protection of St. George. The prince spared the deer and ordered to erect a temple on that site in honor of this Saint”.
During Turkish domination Ilor Temple as well as many other temples of Abkhazia suffered heavily from fire. In the middle of the 19 th century it was repaired and covered with iron.The restoration works are still being carried out there. In the 20 th century Ilor Temple was the main pilgrimage centre for the inhabitants of western Georgia and Abkhazia. The temple remains active up to now.
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