In the village of Gonio in Ajara 15 km from Batumi is the oldest fortress in Georgia – Gonio Fortress or Gonio-apsaros Fortress. The history of the fortress dates back several millennia. The earliest archaeological strata excavated by archaeologists in the fortress belong to the XV-XVII centuries BC.There is a legend that the name Apsaros comes from Greek myth of the Argonauts. According to legend, in this place was buried son of the king of the Aetes – Apsyrtus, killed by Jason.
Gonio-apsaros fortress is linked to many legends and myths. At the fortress there is a tomb, which is today considered to be the tomb of the Apostle Matthew – one of the twelve apostles of Jesus Christ, the Savior who took in the circle instead of Judas Iscariot. According to one version the Apostle Matthew, after the death of Christ came in the Gonio fortress and stayed here to preach.
Today Gonio-apsaros fortress is a monument of the history of the Roman period Ajara. Planning, fortress architecture has not changed throughout the centuries of its existence. Despite the fact that the front tomb of the mosque was built by St. Matthew and Roman thermae have been remodeled in the eastern baths, the general architecture of the fortress remained the same as it was two thousand years ago as in the period of Romans.
The total length of the fortress walls is 900 meters, and height – 5 meters. Initially, around the perimeter of the fortress of 22 towers were built – 7 meters, but some of them were eventually destroyed the fortress and today has a total of 18 towers. The fortress had 4 inputs and outputs, today only the western entrance has been retained.
The history of Gonio fortress still harbors many secrets. There are still ongoing archaeological excavations, and scientists are doing a lot of new discoveries, such as found near the southern wall in 1974 a treasure dated V century BC Based on the huge historical and cultural value of Gonio fortress, government of Georgia announced it in 1994. As Museum-Reserve.