Uspensky Vtorafoon Beshtau Gorge Monastery

The Uspensky Vtoraafonsky Beshtaugorsky Monastery was founded in 1904 by Russian monks who had returned from Mount Athos, and who chose the slope of Mount Beshtau for the monastery after receiving the blessing of Saint John of Kronstadt. In January 1906, a severe fire broke out in the wooden church of the monastery, destroying the dome and the iconostasis, but the icons were saved, and a new church was built that same year. In 1999, the revival of the monastery began, and on August 28, 2001, a new church in the name of the Great Martyr George the Victorious was solemnly consecrated. Today, the monastery is a center of Orthodox life in the Caucasian Mineral Waters region, where a library and a museum operate, and the annual youth forum "Green Athos" is held.