Russia, a vast and amazing country, and we often do not realize how many unique places and monuments of ancient architecture it holds. One of the true masterpieces of ancient Russian churches is the church at the Lower Arkhyz settlement, where the capital of ancient Alania once stood. The exact year or even century of its construction remains unknown, but there are suggestions that it was founded even before the baptism of Rus. It is known that Christianity was accepted in these places in 916, and perhaps the church was built around that time. In any case, the temple at the Lower Arkhyz settlement, one of the oldest Orthodox churches, impresses with its beauty and is a true gem of the North Caucasus.

The temple is built of sandstone, and its roof is covered with thin stone slabs. It is named after the ancient Patriarch of Constantinople, Nicholas Mystikos. Unfortunately, the unique frescoes of the church were lost, as much was painted over by the Russian artist-restorer Dmitry Strukov in the 19th century. Nevertheless, it is pleasing that the walls of the church have never been rebuilt, and today we can see it in the same form it was a thousand years ago.