French
DeutschBakhchysarai Cave Monastery
| Bakhchysarai Cave Monastery | |
|---|---|
Ukrainian: Успенський монастир (Бахчисарай) | |
 Uspensky Cave Monastery | |
.jpg)  Bakhchysarai Cave Monastery  Bakhchysarai Cave Monastery | |
| General information | |
| Location | Bakhchysarai, Ukraine |
| Country |  Ukraine |
| Coordinates | 44°44′40.75″N 33°54′35.60″E / 44.7446528°N 33.9098889°E |
| Owner | Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) |
| Official name | Комплекс Успенського печерного монастиря (Complex of the Assumption Cave Monastery) |
| Type | Archaeology |
| Reference no. | 010006-Н |
 | |
The Assumption Monastery of the Caves (Russian: Успенский пещерный монастырь, Ukrainian: Успенський печерний монастир), otherwise known as Bakhchysarai Cave Monastery, or Uspensky Cave Monastery is located in Crimea, near the town of Bakhchysarai. It is a cave monastery carved out of a cliff, thought to have been founded in the 8th century.[1]
History
[edit]
The date of the monastery's foundation is disputed, although local monks assert that it originated as early as the 8th century but was abandoned when Byzantium lost its hold on the region.[1] The current monastic establishment dates back to the 15th century, founded by monks from the monastery at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.[2] The monastery has been built by carving out the building into the walls of the cliffs themselves. The buildings are whitewashed with golden domes.[3]
The monastery became an important hub of Eastern Orthodox Christianity between the 15th and 18th centuries, accommodating those fleeing from Muslim persecution in Greece.[1] The monastery fell into a period of decline around 1778, due to Eviction of Christians from the Crimea. The idol of the Mother of God was taken by the Greeks from the church to another church Mariupol, where it remained until 1918, at which point all trace of it was lost.[1][4]
In 1921 the monastery was closed by the Soviet government due to laws against religion. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian independence the monastery was restored, monks returned and it was reopened to the public in 1993.[3][5]
See also
[edit]- Inkerman Cave Monastery - another cave monastery in Crimea
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d "Subterranea of Russia: Uspensky Cave Monastery". Show Caves of the World. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "Bakhchisaray Cave Monastery - Cave monastery in Bakhchysarai, Crimea". aroundus.com. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ a b "Yalta - Sevastopol Private Tour Guides with historian Sergey Tsarapora". March 30, 2014. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "Crimean Lavra: on the border of two worlds". Culture. Voice of Crimea. 14 July 2020. Retrieved 25 June 2025.
- ^ "Uspensky Monastery | Attractions". Lonely Planet. Retrieved 25 June 2025.