It was really unique and beautiful church, made of bricks. The outside have been plastered for protection but some parts have been left to show the beautiful brick structure.
However, when you are inside you can see complete brick structure and you are amazed by this wonderful architectural beauty.
I am not much familiar with Christianity but I found this piece by Khrushkova on Spread of Christian Church in Black Sea Litoral. She says that "The plan of Dranda church contains its own combination of rotunda and cross, while the sanctuary includes a prothesis and a diaconicon. The interior is dominated by the broad dome, which rests on the vaults over the arms of the cross, and on parts of the walls. The bricwork is noted for the marked care with which it was constructed, particularly interior, in the brickwork of the vaults and the dome. During restoration, amphorae of various types were discovered in the vault over the narthex; in my view, they date to the end of the 6th or the first half of the 7th century. ... It is possible that the church at Dranda was the see of archbishopric of Abazgia: its dimensions and its architectural excellence closely connect it to the Byzantine architectural tradition, and all the sources affirm that this building was not an ordinary one.... At the end of the 6th century or the beginning of the 7th, the church at the village of Dranda chracterises the passage from Antiquity to the Middle Ages." Pages 35-36.
See more pictures from the Church and region here: http://picasaweb.google.com/abkhaziadiary/DrandaChurch#
