The Ancha Monastery, nestled near the village of Anaçlı in Turkey's Artvin Province, stands as a haunting remnant of Georgia's medieval Christian heritage. Built in the early 9th century, this cross-in-square church flourished as a spiritual hub of the Klarjeti principality until Ottoman conquest in the 1550s. By the 17th century, it was abandoned, its sacred relics like the famed Savior icon relocated to Tbilisi.
Today, visitors find only fragments of its former glory - a section of northwestern walls, part of the northern wall, and the altar apse with a cupola fragment. The site's melancholy atmosphere is amplified by its scenic mountain surroundings. While little remains structurally, history buffs will appreciate its significance in Georgian-Byzantine religious history. Wear sturdy shoes for uneven terrain, and combine your visit with other Artvin Georgian church ruins like Khakhuli for context.