| Bedia Cathedral | |
|---|---|
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Bedia Cathedral with Caucasus in the background |
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| Basic information | |
| Location | Agubedia, Tkvarcheli district, Abkhazia (Georgia) |
| Affiliation | Georgian Orthodox |
| Ecclesiastical or organizational status | Cathedral |
| Architectural description | |
| Completed | 999, during the reign of King Bagrat II of Abkhazia |
| Specifications | |
Bedia Cathedral (Georgian: ბედიის მონასტერი) is a medieval Georgian Orthodox cathedral located in Agubedia, in the Tkvarcheli district of Abkhazia, 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 Abkhazians, who would go on to become King of the Georgians 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. Currently, the cathedral is being renovated.