Holy Dormition cave monastery in Bakhchisarai (Crimea)

We languish with spiritual thirst,

I dragged myself in the gloomy desert,

And the six-winged seraph

He appeared to me at the crossroads.

A. S. Pushkin

At the very entrance to the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God, Seraphim is patiently waiting for us. Artfully carved from rock, this guardian of the Divine Mystery appeared here in the most miraculous way. A carved column was supposed to be in its place, but at the most critical moment the hand of the master suddenly stopped uncertainly, and accidentally falling off rock pieces revealed the face of an angel to his astonished gaze. The only thing left for the artist to do was to slightly bring the mysterious image that appeared to him.

Each temple has its own angel, but not always and not everywhere you can see him in reality. From the very moment of the birth of the holy cave of the Assumption of the Mother of God, its richest and in many ways tragic, twelve-century history, was accompanied by unknown secrets and riddles. Seraphim - these angels of love, light and fire, occupying the highest position in the hierarchy of ranks close to God - symbolize this sacred closeness.

The Holy Dormition Cave Monastery is comfortably located 2 kilometers from the city of Bakhchisarai, in the rock of the St. Mary's Gorge (Maryam-Dare), where fragments of Tatar buildings of the 16th century are still preserved.

Located in the heart of the gorge, among the most picturesque, natural beauty of the Crimean land, surrounded by powerful and high cliffs, this snow-white, man-made miracle is in no way discordant with the surrounding mountain landscape.

The road to the monastery runs along the gully of the Maria Gorge, where mountain boulders hang fearfully on the right hand, and the steepness of the cliff on the left.Higher along the road, in smooth, worked rocks, there are cave-cells cut by the hard-working hands of monks.

Further, unexpectedly, as from a fairy tale, the white dome of the Assumption Church of the monastery appears in the height, to which a spacious, majestic staircase ascends. A journey into the depths of the centuries begins here, where, sitting down under the shade of age-old trees, you can carefully examine the wall with many images of world famous temples and monasteries.

The decoration of the temple is striking in its asceticism - it has no painted ceilings, tiled walls and rich mosaics. Nothing will distract the attention of pilgrims from the main shrine of the Lavra - the miraculous icon of the Mother of God "Three-handed".

In the main cave temple, carved into the mountain, a light, stone iconostasis separates the altar part. The floor is covered with an unpretentious mosaic ornament reminiscent of the Chersonesos creations. There is a small colonnade to the right of the entrance along the wall. On the left, from the windows, the unobtrusive rays of the southern sun penetrate into the room.

Among the columns, in the wall to the right, there is a small cave where the revered copy of the Bakhchisarai Mother of God is kept. The icon itself, which became the reason for the construction of the monastery, was transferred during the resettlement of Christians from the Crimea (18th century). For a long time, until 1918, it was kept in the Assumption Church near Mariupol, and then its trace is lost.

Behind the fence of the lavra there are several temples, monks' cells, a belfry and outbuildings. Some tourist accommodations are open.

A little below the temple of the Assumption, there is a miniature temple of Mark, carved into the rocks. Artfully finished with wood, it looks very cozy. Everyday divine services take place here, and Sunday and festive services are held in the main church.

On the main monastery square, in honor of the icon of the Mother of God, there is a "Life-giving source", and a chapel built over it in the form of a fountain. Initially, the image of the "Life-Giving Source" existed in the lists without its image. Later, a phial was included in the composition, and then images of a reservoir and a fountain appeared on the icon.

The appearance of the mosaic icon of the Mother of God "The Life-Giving Spring" is associated with the miraculous healing of the blind man by the Mother of God, which took place in the 5th century at a source not far from Constantinople. The warrior Leo Markell, who witnessed this miraculous healing, then rose to the emperor (455-473), erected a temple of the same name ("Life-Giving Spring") on the site of the source.

Since 1993, a monastery has been opened in the monastery. The Church of the Assumption of the Virgin was restored. Some of the internal buildings of the monastery are still under reconstruction.

On the other side of the valley you can see unusual outbuildings, similar to large Ukrainian huts, with typical roofs for them. However, these are not roofs, but protruding rocks, to which inventive monks have attached only walls, having received comfortable utility rooms. They contain various animals and vegetables for food.

Now, in addition to two restored cave temples, a considerable number of ground structures have been erected: among them fraternal buildings, a pilgrim hotel, and workshops. New buildings are being actively built in the valley and old buildings are being restored.

At the exit from the monastery - the road further up the mountain, to Chufut-Kale.

Almost nothing is known about the time of construction, the founders and creators of the Holy Dormition Monastery. On this occasion, there are various versions, confirmed only by legends and ancient beliefs. We can only say with certainty that this Orthodox monastery is the most ancient of the Crimean monasteries. The versions put forward about the origin of the monastery have a wide spread of time - from the 8th to the 13th century.

A number of experts attribute the emergence of the monastery to the period between the 11th and 15th centuries. However, it is quite possible that the monks appeared in the Gorge of Mary in the 8th century, during the period of their expulsion by the iconoclasts.

It is likely that initially the monks cut out the building of the temple from the rocks, and the monastery itself was formed somewhat later.

Since the 17th century, the monastery has been the residence of the Metropolitans of Gotha (Patriarchate of Constantinople). They led the spiritual path of the Greeks and representatives of other nationalities who had once adopted Orthodoxy.

At the end of the war with the Turks in 1774, Prince A.A.Prozorovsky arrived on the peninsula with troops. He informs the sovereign that not far from Bakhchisarai there is an ancient Greek church, cut down in the mountain, and its higher clergy intend to build a new temple. But, despite the fact that the local throne was headed by a pro-Russian-minded khan, instead of renovating the monastery, its desolation takes place.

The revival of the monastery is associated with the name of Saint Innocent, who occupied the Kherson cathedra in 1948. In 1850, the church was solemnly opened, and Archimandrite Polycarp became its rector. The opening was attended by the supreme clergy and many Crimean pilgrims, including the Tatars, who enthusiastically accepted this event.

In the XX century, in the vicinity of the temple, the skete of Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa was built. Erected on the site of an old house church, it is located 8 km from the monastery.

The Soviet government did not favor believers, and in 1921 the monastery was closed, and a colony for the disabled was organized in its premises. From 1929 the monastery gradually faded away. Since 1970, it has housed a neuropsychiatric institution.

The active revival of the monastery began in 1991, with the light hand of Archbishop Lazar of Simferopol. In 1993, when the monastery was opened, four monastery churches, cell buildings, the abbot's house, a bell tower were reconstructed, the water source and the main staircase were restored. Today, in terms of the number of employees, the monastery is the largest in the Crimea.

Pilgrims and tourists arriving at the monastery are imbued with the sublime spiritual atmosphere of the monastery even on the way to it. The high ancient staircase and the special architecture of the monastery, proximity to pristine nature and something mysterious - all this creates an unusual, lasting impression.

In addition to rock and rock art, the architectural features of the monastery are emphasized by the following buildings.

• Bell tower. One-tiered, built in the form of a figured portico, neat columns of the Tuscan order are clearly visible on a very high plinth. All this sparkles with a gilded roof in the form of a beautiful tent. Above the main temple is a particularly revered icon of the Mother of God, located in a recess with a twisted image.
• Fountain, closer to the foot of the stairs, inspired by the sculpture of an angel. To the left of the fountain is the cozy house of the abbot of the monastery, built in the 19th century.
• Observation decklocated in front of the main entrance to the temple, offers a wonderful view of the gorge and the ancient ruins of a Greek town.
• Utility rooms cloisters with roof-like rocks hanging from them.

The cave premises of the monastery have wonderful acoustic qualities. On the site in front of the cave church, the voices of visitors are noisy, but it is worth taking a couple of steps to the north and this noise disappears almost completely. So limestone with its porous structure absorbs noise intensively.Knowing this, the builders of the temple increased the size of the premises of the temple of Saints Constantine and Helena, the walls of which reflected sound.

Thanks to this, the altar was in the center of the volumetric resonator, and the sounds of prayers reached Chufut-Kale, where, falling into the cave horns, were reflected and re-emerged in the monastery. Due to this effect, praying Christians got the impression that nearby rocks also produce prayer with them.

There are several beautiful legends about the appearance of the temple. So, a young shepherd, leading the flock past one of the caves, noticed a bright light in it. Inside the cave, he was surprised to find an icon of the Most Holy Theotokos, lit by a candle flame, floating in the air. His admiration knew no bounds, especially since the episode took place on August 15 - exactly on the Day of the Dormition of the Theotokos. Taking the icon home, in the morning the shepherd discovered that it was not there.

But, following to pasture, near the same cave, he again saw the light and the icon. The shepherd took the icon home again, but history repeated itself. The villagers, having learned about this event, guessed that the Virgin Mary wants a temple in her honor to be built on this place.

The Holy Dormition Monastery was visited by crowned persons: Emperors Alexander I and II, Nicholas I. The miraculous events and phenomena taking place here have constantly attracted and are still attracting both Christians and simply inquisitive people who believe in miracles.

The main shrines of the monastery.

• Icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God in a silver robe - the donation of the commandant Bakhchisarai Totovich. Believers receive from this gift the healing of mental and physical diseases. Evidence of this is the many pendants of gold and silver, as gifts for getting rid of unknown ailments.
• Duplicate of the icon of the Mother of God in a robe made of silver, with jewels... Donation of the wife of General Martynov in 1856
• Duplicate of the icon of the Mother of God of Kiev-Pechersk, in a gilded robe - a gift from Metropolitan Filaret on the occasion of the celebration of the opening of the skete.
• Icon of the Savior with 84 fragments of the relics of saints - the gift of the Korsunsky Mother of God Monastery.
• Cross with the image of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ... Composition of three valuable wood species. Gift of Old Athos in 1850
• The image of the Mother of God and the Child... Displayed on rocks.

You can quickly and easily get to the monastery by bus # 2, which follows from the Bakhchisarai railway station to the "Staroselye" stop. Then it will remain for a little walk.

It is better to go to the monastery by personal transport from the ring road that passes in front of Bakhchisarai (if you move from Simferopol). There is a conspicuous sign on the track showing the way to the destination. Further, bypassing the most beautiful rocks, we reach Staroselya and, having parked in the parking lot, we move to the monastery on foot.

We follow the ancient Takhtaly-Jami mosque, built in the 18th century, where you can quench your thirst in the fountain located there, bearing in mind the upcoming ascent to the monastery.

Mountain monasteries are a special historical space of the spiritual culture of Crimea. Some of them were founded by Byzantine masters in the 8th-9th centuries and did not interrupt their activities, being under the Tatar yoke. The same are the mountain structures of Kachi-Kalion and the Beaded Temple.

The Holy Dormition Monastery is a stronghold of Orthodoxy in the Crimean region. Excursions to this monastery are often combined with a visit to the Karaite mountain settlement Chufut-Kale with its kenassas, mausoleums and grottoes, which is explained by the proximity of tourism facilities.

It is convenient to order such excursions as part of tours on sites where you can familiarize yourself with the rules in advance, with the corresponding preliminary acquaintance with the registers of services, prices and other nuances. Here you can find out prices for excursions in various directions and find suitable options.

To visit a Christian shrine, women must have a headscarf and closed clothes on their heads. The entrance to the monastery is open at any time of the year, however, tourists can visit only a few rocky premises.

There are several such complex excursions (with various objects of display) from Bakhchisarai. Their cost varies from 500 to 1500 rubles.

About the Holy Dormition Cave Monastery in Bakhchisarai, see the next video.