The Icon of Christ at the Alan settlement in the village of Lower Arkhyz can be seen by climbing the stairs to the mountain slope. This icon was painted with tempera on a flat stone slab, at a height of about 100 meters. It was discovered in 1999, and the time of painting most likely dates back to the 10th century. Then the Byzantines built Christian churches in the valley of the river.
The Alan settlement is located 25 kilometers from the Arkhyz ski resort. Many tourists, heading to the resort, make a stop here to see three ancient temples built by Byzantine architects. These are some of the oldest Christian churches in Russia. Archaeologists and historians suggest that in the 10th century the capital of the Alan state, the ancient city of Magas (Maas), was located here.
The baptism of Alanya according to the Byzantine rite took place in 916. The date of the baptism of Alanya is known from the letters of the Patriarch of Constantinople, Nicholas the Mystic. The Alans became the first people to convert to Christianity in the North Caucasus. Christianity was adopted in Russia in 988, 72 years after Alanya.
Alan Settlement with temples in Arkhyz in Arkhyz are located on the right bank of the Big Zelenchuk River, and the Icon of Christ is on the left. This icon is painted in egg tempera on a flat rock slab under a stone ledge. It is a natural protection of the icon from precipitation and wind. Historians suggest that in the 10th century there were not so many trees on the slope of Mount Mycesti, so Byzantine icon painters painted the Icon of Christ right above the temples. It was visible from below and was a talisman of an ancient Christian city.
After the destruction of the Alan state in the 13th century, the mountainside was overgrown with trees and the Icon of Christ was forgotten. According to local legend, at the end of the 20th century, a man appeared in Arkhyz who said the locals that there was a miraculous icon of Christ in the mountains and later they found it. But the icon was difficult to access, not everyone could climb the steep slope for 100 meters.
In 2011, the Church of the Savior was built on the road at the foot of the mountain in Lower Arkhyz. A staircase of 526 steps has been built near it, which allows people to climb the mountain slope. At the end of the stairs, the Icon of Christ is visible, painted on a stone slab under a natural canopy. The tempera paint is faintly visible in bright light, but in the evening the Icon of Christ is clearly visible.
