Gonio ( ka, გონიო) is a settlement south of

Batumi Batumi (; ka, ბათუმი ), historically Batum or Batoum, is the List of cities and towns in Georgia (country), second-largest city of Georgia (country), Georgia and the capital of the Autonomous Republic of Adjara, located on the coast ...

, in the Gonio-Kvariati district of the city. It is located on the left side of the river Chorokhi. Gonio is one of the popular

Black Sea The Black Sea is a marginal sea, marginal Mediterranean sea (oceanography), mediterranean sea lying between Europe and Asia, east of the Balkans, south of the East European Plain, west of the Caucasus, and north of Anatolia. It is bound ...

resorts in

Georgia Georgia most commonly refers to: * Georgia (country), a country in the South Caucasus * Georgia (U.S. state), a state in the southeastern United States Georgia may also refer to: People and fictional characters * Georgia (name), a list of pe ...

. A radar station is located in Gonio. According to the data of 2002, 2,886 people live in the settlement.

History

According to the archaeological data, the oldest settlement in Gonio dates back 8-7 BC. In the first century AD, the fortress Apsarunti was built in Gonio. After the 12th century it was called Gonio Fortress. From 1547 to 1878 Gonio was occupied by

Ottomans Ottoman may refer to: * Osman I, historically known in English as "Ottoman I", founder of the Ottoman Empire * Osman II, historically known in English as "Ottoman II" * Ottoman Empire The Ottoman Empire (), also called the Turkish Empir ...

. After the Russian-Turkish war of 1877-1878 Gonio became Georgian again. According to the

Treaty of San Stefano The 1878 Preliminary Treaty of San Stefano (; Peace of San-Stefano, ; Peace treaty of San-Stefano, or ) was a treaty between the Russian and Ottoman empires at the conclusion of the Russo-Turkish War of 1877–1878. It was signed at San Ste ...

Gonio, as well as the whole

Adjara Adjara ( ka, აჭარა ''Ach’ara'' ) or Achara, officially known as the Autonomous Republic of Adjara ( ka, აჭარის ავტონომიური რესპუბლიკა ''Ach’aris Avt’onomiuri Resp’ublik’a ...

, was given to

Russian Empire The Russian Empire was an empire that spanned most of northern Eurasia from its establishment in November 1721 until the proclamation of the Russian Republic in September 1917. At its height in the late 19th century, it covered about , roughl ...

. Gonio, as village became the part of

district. At the same time it was the center of Gonio police. From 1930 Gonio was a part of

Khelvachauri Khelvachauri ( ka, ხელვაჩაური ) is a neighborhood of Batumi in the Autonomous Republic of Adjara in the southwest of Georgia, southeast of the regional capital Batumi and situated on the right bank of the Chorokhi River. Bet ...

region. In 2011, after Batumi expanded borders, it got into the administrative boundaries of the city.

Gonio fortress

Gonio fortress is a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of Roman civilization *Epistle to the Romans, shortened to Romans, a letter w ...

fortification in

, Georgia. The fortress is located 15 km south of Batumi, at the mouth of the Chorokhi river. Plinius II was the first to mention Apsirtus in the first century AD and this is the oldest reference about fortress. There is also a reference to the ancient name of the site in Appian’s Mithridatic Wars (second century AD). In the second century AD it was a well-fortified Roman city within Colchis. The grave of

Saint Matthias Matthias (; Koine Greek: , , from Hebrew ; ; died ) was, according to the Acts of the Apostles, chosen by God through the apostles to replace Judas Iscariot following the latter's betrayal of Jesus and his subsequent death. His calling as ...

, one of the 12

apostles An apostle (), in its literal sense, is an emissary. The word is derived from Ancient Greek ἀπόστολος (''apóstolos''), literally "one who is sent off", itself derived from the verb ἀποστέλλειν (''apostéllein''), "to se ...

, is believed to be inside the Gonio fortress. However, this is unverifiable version as the Georgian government currently prohibits digging near the supposed gravesite. Other archaeological excavations are however taking place on the grounds of the fortress, focusing on Roman layers. There are still some fundaments inside, but no signs giving information.

Gonio today

Nowadays, Gonio is experiencing a tourism boom. Most tourists come from Tbilisi in the summer months. Gonio’s beaches are cleaner than Batumi's beaches (located 10 km to the north).

References

External links

* http://pop-stat.mashke.org/georgia-census.htm * http://geostat.ge/cms/site_images/_files/georgian/census/2002/II%20tomi%20.pdf {{Authority control Populated places in Adjara Batumi

History

Gonio fortress

Gonio today

See also

References

External links