On the left bank of the Mzymta River, in the village of Akhtyra, founded by Cossack settlers in the third quarter of the 19th century, one can find the ruins of an ancient church. Fragments of the dome, foundation, part of the walls, and the front staircase have survived here.

Analyzing the architecture of the church, it can be assumed that it dates back to the 11th-13th centuries and is comparable to the churches of Sevastopolis (Sukhumi), Dranda (Abkhazia), and Archeopolis (Nokalakevi) in Western Georgia. The Middle Ages for the Sochi coast was a time of active trade and the spread of Christianity, when dissenters fleeing from the Roman Empire brought their faith here. According to some sources, it was in the area of modern Sochi that the apostle Andrew the First-Called completed his journey (1st century AD). The influence of the Byzantine Empire contributed to the development of church architecture along the coast.

The church in Akhtyra is a single-nave and single-apsed structure built of limestone slabs and is located on an elevation overlooking the valley of the Mzymta River. Historical sources indicate that the church stood at the crossroads, and every traveler could enter its arches for prayer. However, by the time the Russians arrived, the walls of the church had deteriorated. The first residents of Akhtyra, upon seeing the ruins in 1865, began its restoration. The extensions from the late 19th century were made of sandstone, and the slabs were bonded with lime mortar. In 1913, the church was consecrated in honor of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker.

During the Soviet era, the church met a sad fate: it was blown up in 1937. For a long time, this place was used as a warehouse and pasture.

The revival of the shrine began in 2002. The residents of Akhtyra cleared the area and removed the ivy that was wrapping around the walls. Currently, next to the ancient church, the construction of a village church and the ethnographic complex "Cossack Courtyard" is underway under the guidance of historian and tour guide Alexander Sudakov. The project has been approved by the ataman of the Cossack army of the Adler district, Vladislav Lavrinenko.

Work on the restoration of the church continues. Alexander Sudakov has mastered the technique of 17th-century icon painting. The icons for the new church are being made from wax, to later be cast in gold at the only factory in Southern Russia that works in the technique of gold casting.