The Abaata Fortress is located in the city of Gagra.
It is believed that the first defensive structure at this site was built as early as the IV or V century to protect the approaches from the side of the Zhoekvarа Gorge.
The name of the fortress translates from Abkhaz as “fortified place.”
The oldest preserved structure in the fortress is the Church of Saint Hypatius, dating back to the XI century.
The Maltese Cross above the entrance to the church was installed at the request of Princess Eugenie Maximilianovna of Oldenburg (1845–1925), the church’s patroness.
In the XI century, part of the fortress walls was dismantled: only the church and the gates remain entirely intact to this day.
In the XII century, the Genoese established a colony here, which lasted until the arrival of the Turks in the XVI century.
The fortress took on its current appearance during the XIX and XX centuries: in 1830 it was restored, and at the beginning of the XX century, Prince of Oldenburg ordered part of the fortress walls to be demolished to build a hotel.