# Gonio: the Roman fort at the end of the empire

> gtour.ge — G Tour, Gateway to Georgia. Cite as: GTour desk, gtour.ge.

- Canonical: https://gtour.ge/gonio-the-roman-fort-at-the-end-of-the-empire/
- Author: Prof. Giorgi Pkhakadze (GTour desk, Tbilisi)
- Published: 2026-09-15
- Updated: 2026-10-17
- Language: en
- Russian edition: https://gtour.ge/ru/gonio-the-roman-fort-at-the-end-of-the-empire/

The Black Sea coast south of Batumi is a strip of beach, road and subtropical green between the water and the Ajara hills, and it ends at Sarpi, where the Turkish border crosses the sand. A few kilometres before the border, set back from the beach among orchards, stands a fortress of grey stone: 900 metres of curtain wall, eighteen towers, four gates, laid out in a neat rectangle that could only be Roman. It is called Gonio, and it is the oldest fortification in Georgia still standing to its full height.

### Apsaros

The Romans called it Apsaros and built it in the first century AD, at the far eastern edge of their world, to hold the coast road into Colchis and watch the mountain passes into Persia. Pliny the Elder mentions the garrison; Arrian, governor of Cappadocia, inspected it in 131 AD and reported five cohorts, a bathhouse and a theatre. Under the walls archaeologists have found the barracks, the baths with their hypocaust, mosaic floors, water pipes, and a hoard of gold jewellery — the Gonio treasure, now in Batumi’s museum — that suggests officers lived well at the end of the empire.

Byzantium held it after Rome; the Genoese traded from it; the Ottomans took it in the 16th century and kept it for three hundred years, rebuilding the towers, adding a mosque and turning the fortress into the administrative centre of their Ajara. Russia took it in 1878 and let it go quiet. What you walk through is Roman plan, Byzantine and Ottoman walls, and a century of grass.

### The apostle

In the north-west corner of the enclosure, under a small canopy, is a grave marked as the tomb of Saint Matthias — the disciple chosen to replace Judas, who, in one tradition, preached in Colchis and was buried at Apsaros. The Georgian church holds the tradition; the site has never been excavated, by agreement; pilgrims leave flowers. It gives a Roman military base an unexpectedly quiet centre.

### Visiting

Walk the circuit of the walls — half an hour, with views over the orchards to the sea and back to the hills — and the excavated Roman quarter inside, where the baths and the principia are laid out. A small museum by the gate shows finds and a model. The village of Gonio around it is famous for its mandarins, sold from stalls in November, and its beach is quieter than Batumi’s. Sarpi, five minutes on, has the clearest water on the Georgian coast and the strange experience of swimming with Turkey on the other side of a buoy.

### See it with GTour

Gonio and Sarpi are the first afternoon of the [Batumi & the Ajara mountains tour](/tour/batumi-the-ajara-mountains-2-days/), after the botanical garden and before the mountains.

This story in Georgian — ქართულად: [shenidasveneba.ge](https://shenidasveneba.ge/gonio-the-roman-fort-at-the-end-of-the-empire-ka/)

### Quick answers

**What is Gonio and why is it significant?** Gonio is a Roman fortress near Batumi on Georgia's Black Sea coast, close to the Turkish border at Sarpi. It is the oldest fortification in Georgia still standing to its full height, featuring 900 metres of curtain wall, eighteen towers and four gates laid out in a classic Roman rectangular plan.

**Who built Gonio and what was its original purpose?** The Romans built it in the first century AD and called it Apsaros, placing it at the eastern edge of their empire to guard the coast road into Colchis and watch the mountain passes into Persia. Ancient writers Pliny the Elder and Arrian recorded its garrison, with Arrian noting five cohorts, a bathhouse and a theatre during his 131 AD inspection.

**What have archaeologists found inside the fortress?** Excavations have uncovered Roman barracks, baths with a hypocaust heating system, mosaic floors and water pipes. They also found the Gonio treasure, a hoard of gold jewellery suggesting officers lived well there, now on display in Batumi's museum.

**Which civilizations controlled Gonio after the Romans?** After Rome, Byzantium held the fortress, followed by Genoese traders. The Ottomans took it in the 16th century and ruled for three hundred years, rebuilding towers, adding a mosque, and making it the administrative centre of their Ajara region, before Russia took control in 1878.

**What religious site is located within Gonio fortress?** In the north-west corner of the fortress is a grave marked as the tomb of Saint Matthias, the apostle chosen to replace Judas Iscariot. Georgian church tradition holds that he preached in Colchis and was buried at Apsaros, and the site remains unexcavated by agreement while pilgrims leave flowers there.

**What can visitors do at Gonio today?** Visitors can walk the full circuit of the walls in about half an hour, enjoying views over orchards to the sea and hills, and explore the excavated Roman quarter with its baths and principia. A small museum near the gate displays finds and a model, while the surrounding village is known for its mandarins sold in November.

**What is nearby Sarpi known for?** Sarpi is a village just five minutes from Gonio, located right at the Turkish border crossing on the beach. It is known for having the clearest water on the Georgian coast, offering swimmers the unusual experience of being separated from Turkey by only a buoy.

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