Yenirabati (Akhaldabi/Longotkhevi) Church

The Yenirabat (Akhaldaba/Longotkhevi) Church is located in Turkey, in the historical Klarjeti region, in the village of the same name. Yenirabat means New Rabat in Georgian. In the 19th century, the Armenians who settled in this area called this place Norashen, which means New Place in Georgian and, according to T. Zhordania, corresponds to the toponym Akhaldaba found in historical sources. This settlement was in the area of Artanuj: Synod. In the Kantor's Gujri, a document 349 is found, which is a 15th-century document from Old Gujri, written in 1392 in the name of King Alexander [King Alexander of Imer]. This is a list of the ecclesiastical estates of Mtskheta, which reads: "...Artanuj Fortress and its entrance; the same village Tsikhis-dziri; Akhal-daba; Botso-jvari and Agara". It is assumed that this is Akhaldaba Eni-Rabat and the church located there is also the Akhaldaba church. Before the First World War, Gregorian Armenians lived in Eni-Rabat and the church was also occupied by them. They took care of the building and even partially restored it – as N. Mari informs us, some 40 years before his trip, in the 1860s. The repair, which most affected the western wing, disfigured the building, but saved it from rapid destruction. Currently, it is in better condition compared to other churches, but it could not escape damage.

The church is located 18 kilometers south of Artanuj, on the right bank of the Artanujistskali River, on the southeast side of the straight platform, at the end of a steep one-kilometer path. The church is a cross-domed building. The temple is quite well preserved, although it does not have any inscriptions.

Enirabat was mistakenly considered to be Shatberda. However, the plan and layout of the temple, its architecture, which differs from the architectural traditions of the region, indicate otherwise.