The church of St. Simon the Canaanite stands near Sokhumi, on the territory of modern Akhali Atoni (New Athos), on Iveria Mountain. Its original construction dates to the 7th–8th centuries, while the present building is a 9th–10th-century example of Georgian architecture. According to old Georgian and foreign chroniclers, St. Simon the Canaanite, together with the Apostle Andrew, was the first to preach Christianity in southern and western Georgia, including Abkhazia.