A new theory of thin multilayer anisotropic elastic shells is proposed, based on the application of the asymptotic analysis over small geometric parameter to the general 3-dimensional equations of the elasticity theory for curvilinear coordinates. In deriving the equations of the shell theory no assumptions are made concerning to the distribution of displacements, deformations, or displacements trough thickness. Recurrent consequences of local problems of the elasticity theory for shells are formulated and an analytical solutions are obtained. The averaged equations of the asymptotic theory of shells that are of the same type as the classical equations of the Kirchhoff-Love theory of shells are derived. It is shown that the asymptotic theory makes it possible to obtain in explicit form the distributions of all 6 components of the stress tensor over the thickness of the shell. An example of the calculation of a cylindrical shell under axisymmetric bending is considered. The case of monoclinic shell layers, which have no more than 13 independent elastic constants, is considered. An algorithm is proposed for obtaining explicit analytical equations for calculating the distribution of components of the total stress tensor over the cylindrical shell. The effect of the geometric d imensions of the shell on the character of the distribution of displacements and stresses in the shell is analyzed.