All about the Beaded Temple in Bakhchisarai (Crimea)

The coast of Crimea has always attracted vacationers with its clean sea, medicinal beaches, healing air and an abundance of historical sights. But, in addition to the well-known tourist points, there are a lot of wonders hidden from the eyes in Crimea. For example, such as the Beaded Temple in Bakhchisarai.

A small hermitage, which was named in honor of the Holy Great Martyr Anastasia the Patterner (also known as the Beaded Temple), is currently tied to the Holy Dormition Monastery in Bakhchisarai.

The decoration of the skete is very different from the generally known ones. The first thing that catches your eye at the entrance is the light from lighted candles and icon lamps, multi-colored reflections from the walls and ceiling. Everything here is decorated and finished with colored beads, beads and stones. Further, you can see the icon of St. Anastasia with many tied cloth bags. As it turns out later, here parishioners and pilgrims leave their deepest desires and prayers for help.

If you go further, you can get into the adit where the services are held.

History is silent about the exact date of the origin of the shrine. But according to the drawings on the walls of the caves, one can speak of the VIII century, the times of church persecutions and active migrations of orthodox Byzantine monks.

Persecuted Christians who fled from Constantinople settled here and built the first monastery in the gorge of the rock. They brought here a miraculous icon with the face of the Great Martyr Anastasia, who, according to legend, helped the prisoners and persecuted believers in Christ.

There is a version that Saint Anastasia was born in Rome, in the family of a pagan father and a secret Christian mother. After her mother died, her father forcibly gave her in marriage to a pagan. By citing non-existent diseases, she managed to maintain her innocence in the name of Christ.

All her life she devoted to helping prisoners imprisoned, persecuted for their faith in Christ. She went through many trials and tortures, saved many innocent souls and died crucified over a fire. Her remains, not damaged by fire, were buried. And in the 5th century, her relics were moved to Constantinople, where a temple was erected, named after her. Later, the head and right hand were sent to the monastery of St. Anastasia the Patterner, built near Mount Athos.

The period of 1778 is associated with the active resettlement of Orthodox Christians from the territory of the Crimean peninsula. Leaving the walls of the monastery, the believers took away the icon - the symbol of this place. The monastery remained abandoned for many years, until the 19th century, when the efforts of Saint Innocent initiated the restoration of Orthodox monasteries on the Crimean peninsula. So, the monastery was restored, the surrounding areas were ennobled, a new church of St. Anastasia the Patterned Lady was erected, a road was laid.

During the Soviet era, all the property of the shrine was confiscated, the monks and novices were dismissed, and the temple was turned into a quarry. Soon it was also covered after the earthquake and landslides, and the shrine was given the status of a reserve, forbidding to carry out work. So the holy monastery was empty until the beginning of 2005.

After the blessing of the abbot of the Holy Dormition Monastery in Bakhchisarai, Hieromonk Dorotheus, the reconstruction of the holy monastery begins for a good cause.

After dismantling the rubble, having received a refusal from the government to restore the old cave monastery of St. Anastasia, they decided to build a new one on the site of the adit. This unique temple was named Biserny.

The name of the temple also has its own history. It all began with the decoration of the temple with lamps with pendants in the likeness of the Athos. Each lamp is unique and made with prayers by Father Dorotheus himself from beads, earrings and fabric elements brought by believers.

Due to the high humidity in the church, ordinary icons and paintings on the walls quickly fell into disrepair. Therefore, we decided to create panels and decorate all surfaces of the sanctuary with beads, beads and pebbles.

Starting the restoration of the skete, Father Dorofey and his assistants faced many difficulties. But thanks to prayer and diligence, the temple grew, becoming more and more ennobled every year.

The Great Martyr Anastasia reacted favorably to the actions of the brethren and endowed the hermitage with a source of healing water (before that, we had to travel several kilometers with tanks). It was illuminated with the name of Sophia.

Every year the number of helpers and novices grows, which, together with the prayer and support of St. Anastasia, contributes to the revival of this mysterious place.

After the shock suffered, the novices and pilgrims took up with renewed vigor to restore the holy monastery. Aid came from different cities, but Bakhchisarai made a huge contribution to the restoration.

Now on the territory of the temple there are:

• own garden and vegetable garden, where novices grow a variety of vegetables and fruits, unusually beautiful flowers;
• stockyard (they are engaged in breeding cows and goats);
• mini-hotel for pilgrims;
• workshops where unique panel icons, lamps and other souvenir products are created;
• warehouses;
• dining room and kitchen;
• monastic cells;
• souvenir shops where everyone can buy a piece of this wonderful holy place (handmade soap, yeast-free bread, sbiten and grape kvass, sour cream and cheeses, and, of course, various bead products - the symbol of this place).

Visitors are offered to buy souvenir white cardboard bricks to help build the temple.

The sanctuary of Anastasia the Patterner is located next to the ancient wine making center and the valley of the Kachi-Kalion grottoes at a distance of 8 kilometers from Bakhchisarai. It is located in the Tash-Air cleft on the Fytski mountain slope. Outwardly, the rock resembles an ark ship, on one side of which there are natural cracks, similar to a cross. Hence the name of the place "cruciform ship" - Kachi-Kalion.

Along the entire perimeter of the rock, you can count 5 natural grottoes and several artificially created caves (on the walls of which you can also find drawings of crosses), which served the ancient settlers as wineries and warehouses. In the fourth largest grotto is the source of St. Anastasia, which feeds a century-old cherry tree at the entrance.

In one of the caves, carved in limestone, at an altitude of 150 m above sea level, is located the skete of St. Anastasia the Patterner.

And you can get to the shrine in several ways.

• By public transport. From the Zapadnaya station of the city of Simferopol you need to take a bus going to Bakhchisarai (hourly departure). After about 2 hours in Bakhchisarai, change to a fixed-route taxi going to the village. Synapnoe. On the road section from the village. Bashtanovka to the village. The ultimate must get off at the Kachi-Kalion stop. This is the end point. Next, you should make your way up the steep paths lined with tires from cars, about 20-30 minutes. This road is called the "path of sinners", which must be traversed slowly and with prayers.
• By car. Passing Bakhchisarai, drive towards the Preduschelnoe village. Then there are two options: to get to the foot of Kachi-Kalion and climb to the temple, or, after passing the village of Preduschelnoe, along country roads, along the edge of the canyon, enjoying an unforgettable view of the Kachinsky valley, get to the very entrance.
• Sightseeing bus tour (many of them also include a visit to Kachi-Kalion itself).
• By ordering a taxi (a little more expensive, but fast and comfortable).

In addition to beach recreation, the Crimean peninsula is rich in mysterious historical sites and monuments. While enjoying physical relaxation, the spiritual realm is often forgotten. But it is here, in the Crimea, that ancient temples, hermitages and monastic complexes are hidden. Having spent one day of vacation, having visited such a place, you can recharge with beneficial energy for the rest of the year.

All about the Beaded Temple, see the next video.