The ancient city of Tauric Chersonesos is a historical and archaeological reserve of national importance. It is located on the territory of Sevastopol and is the place from which Orthodoxy spread throughout Russia. The adoption of Christianity by Prince Vladimir took place in the cathedral, the ruins of which were found by archaeologists at excavations in Chersonesos (Korsun).
Excavations
Archaeological research in the Akhtiar bay began back in the time of Prince Potemkin, who first brought the Russian squadron into it. By his decree, the Sevastopol fortress, which he called Akhtiar, was immediately erected. The ruins on the peninsula aroused keen interest both among historians and romantics, and among practical builders. Some examined the ancient ruins, the second dismantled the stone walls for new buildings.
In 1799, Pavel Sumarokov wrote: “... marble, stones, pillars, cornices were taken from it. Sevastopol was lent to everyone to the last pebble to the ancient Chersonesos ... In Chersonesos, Akhtiar dug up all his jewelry. " Travelers, statesmen, writers lamented the destruction of the ancient city, which was perhaps the first example of the pressure of public opinion on state structures. In 1805, Emperor Alexander I issued a decree in which he ordered to protect the antiquities of Tauris from plunder. This did not completely stop all thefts, but significantly reduced their scale.
Collect and systematize the antiquities of Chersonesus began in 1803. On the initiative of the Marquis de Traverse, a small museum was opened under the auspices of the state, where artifacts from all over the world flocked, including from the Black Sea. Later, in 1839, the Odessa Society of History and Antiquities was created, whose members actively searched for traces of Orthodox churches throughout the Black Sea region.
The activity of the participants in the archaeological research of ancient Tauris attracted the attention of church ministers, and in 1850, Tsar Nicholas I agreed to the restoration of ancient temples. As a result, a monastery was opened on the territory of the settlement. Checking the manuscripts, the monks conducted leisurely excavations, and enthusiastic people made discoveries. One of them was Count Uvarov, with his works the largest ancient basilica with a perfectly preserved mosaic was found. Further work was hindered by the Russo-Turkish and Crimean wars that started one after another.
Cathedral Bookmark
During the first defense of the city of Sevastopol (1854-1855), the French monastery occupied the monastery, having established its fighting positions here. By the time of liberation, all buildings were destroyed as a result of shelling. Inspection of the rest of Chersonesos after all military operations showed that the destruction is not as great as expected.
The restoration of the monastery took place only after the Crimean War, the rector of the monastery was Archimandrite Eugene. Two churches, a refectory, a hotel, a rector’s building, and outbuildings were built by his cares. Archimandrite managed to interest the royal family in the further development of the monastery.
In 1861, Emperor Alexander II donated to the monastery a particle of the relics of St. Prince Vladimir, made a large donation for the casting of the bell, and arrived to lay the first stone in the building of the future Vladimir Cathedral (Tauric Chersonesos). The construction was started on the site of the old basilica discovered by Count Uvarov, where, according to assumptions, the baptism of St. Rus took place.
Construction
Vladimir Cathedral in Tauric Chersonesos was erected by the architect D.I. Grimm. He chose the strict Byzantine style for the temple as a symbol of the continuity of two cultures and one religion. Construction progressed rather slowly. Money for the cathedral was collected by subscription throughout Russia for thirty years. The beginning of work began in 1861, and they lasted until 1892.
The walls of the cathedral were erected around the ruins of an ancient temple. The entire floor was covered with valuable dark gray Carrara marble, hiding an ancient base underneath. In the place where the font was discovered, in which, according to legend, the Russian emperor was baptized, they were decorated with white stone inserts, placing it in the form of an Orthodox cross. In front of the font was installed lectern, intended for the laying on of the relics of the Holy Blessed Prince Vladimir. The font and the lectern were fenced with a carved grill of white marble.
By the time the work was completed, Vladimir Cathedral (Tauric Chersonesos) was one of the largest churches in Russia, and in importance for spiritual life it exceeded many shrines.
Lower temple
After the construction was completed, many years passed before the work on the interior decoration of the Vladimir Cathedral (Tauric Chersonesos) began. The history of the final stage of building the temple began only on the eve of the 900th anniversary of the celebration of the Baptism of Russia. By the beginning of the festivities, the wall painting was not finished, for this reason in 1888 only the lower church dedicated to the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin was consecrated, where all the work was completed and a carved wooden iconostasis by the famous carver V. Koretsky was installed.
The crown of the work of stone-cutters was a monument to Prince Vladimir, made of marble and installed in the lower church. Masters spared no strength and the remains of Carrara marble faced the ruins of an ancient temple located in the lower church.
Works in the cathedral
The central temple was entrusted to the concerns of architect N. Chagin. The paintings were performed by a team of artists, among which A. Korzukhin, Prokofiev, Makin and others. The interior was decorated with the work of artists of the 19th century - F.N. Riesz, T.A. Neff, Levitan and others. The icons of the cathedral were painted by E. Sorokin, N. Maykov and others.
Finishing with stone was performed by Italian masters, the brothers Baskarini and J. Skeppi. They laid out the mosaic floor in the cathedral, assembled an iconostasis and arranged a marble balustrade along the salt and did many other stone works. For decoration, they spared no effort and money, they used Carrara marble, laying it according to the special technology of mosaic laying from multi-colored parts. According to eyewitnesses, the beauty was extraordinary.
The consecration of the upper temple took place in 1891, but the final completion of the entire interior decoration was completed only after three years - in 1894. The right border of the cathedral was consecrated in honor of Alexander Nevsky in 1892, the left - in honor of St. Andrew the First-Called. A large number of pilgrims rushed to the new Vladimir Cathedral in Tauric Chersonesos. The relics of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir arrived even at the time of laying the cornerstone in the base of the altar, later particles of 115 saints were transferred to the temple.
By the time all the work was completed, Vladimir Cathedral was an impressive building. It shot up to a height of 36 meters, its external volume was 20.5 cubic meters. meters, the area occupied about 1.7 square meters, the diameter of the main dome was 1.5 meters, the height of the cross was almost 3 meters. Up to 1 thousand parishioners could fit in the cathedral for joint prayer.
After the revolution
The fight against religion after 1917 destroyed many ancient temples and monasteries. The fate of the Vladimir Cathedral in Khersones was also not simple. In 1923, the monastery ceased operations, and the premises were handed over to the city administration. The authorities decided to arrange a branch of the Kherson Museum in the cathedral. Adapting the temple for new tasks, it housed part of the exposition dedicated to church architecture from antiquity to the Middle Ages, and in the lower part they created a storehouse for museum funds.
The outbreak of World War II placed Khersones and Sevastopol in the center of hostilities. Already on June 22, German troops bombed strategic targets. The museum exposition was hastily taken to the Caucasus. In 1942, during the street battles held with the support of enemy artillery, the dome of Vladimir Cathedral was badly damaged. Museum workers did not have time to evacuate part of the exposition; the occupation began. The Germans planned to take out the remains of the exposition and even packed them in boxes for transportation, but the plans were not realized.
During the retreat, the invaders committed an act of vandalism - they mined and blew up the cathedral. The dome collapsed, completely destroying all the ceilings, priceless murals were badly damaged, and construction seams broke. The degree of destruction was very high, and for a long time the issue of restoring a cultural object was decided. His fate was decided only in 1961: the commission came to the conclusion that the temple is not subject to restoration, and it must be completely dismantled. Professor of Moscow Aviation Institute K. N. Afanasyev spoke in defense - he proposed to conserve the object and create a museum in it. Debate and sluggish work continued until the 80s.
Time of Troubles
By the beginning of perestroika, discussions intensified, but an important date was approaching - the Millennium of the Baptism of Russia, and it was decided to begin the active restoration of the shrine. The project was carried out by the Ukrainian Institute Ukrproektrestavratsiya, the leader of the group was E. I. Osadchiy. According to the idea and plan, the cathedral was subject to complete restoration with the possibility of holding church services in it.
By the date of the holiday, nothing has changed, but the project was approved. Construction and restoration work was entrusted to one of the first commercial building structures - the Khersones cooperative, but the plan did not work out - the collapse of the USSR began. The temple went to Ukraine, and the Cabinet’s decree, timed to the 2000th anniversary of the Nativity of Christ, among other things, decided to allocate funds for the restoration of St. Vladimir’s Cathedral in Khersones.
Exaltation
Services in the church were resumed in 1992, the first donation from individuals came from the family of the second president of Ukraine L. Kuchma in 1988, and he took personal supervision of all the work. The active phase began in the second half of 2000. During restoration work, modern technologies were applied, which in many respects helped to eliminate the main problem of the temple - the unstable roof arch. This time the arches were poured from reinforced concrete. The roof was covered with copper tiles, repeating the Byzantine tradition of decoration.
After the restoration, a ceremonial erection of the cross over the dome of the main temple took place. The ceremony and consecration of the cross was conducted by His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine. The celebrations were attended by the first persons of two states - L. D. Kuchma and V. V. Putin. The rite of consecration of the restored Cathedral of St. Vladimir was completed in 2004.
Bell
For the first time after a 77-year break, Easter service in the cathedral was performed in May 2005. The event was marked by the voice of a large coastal bell. He also has his own story. He was cast from captured heavy weapons of the Russian-Turkish war in 1776 and installed in a monastery.
During the Crimean War, the French captured the monastery, in addition to all the loot, they took the bell to Paris. After many years, he was found at the belfry of Notre Dame. In 1913, as a sign of good relations between peoples, the bell was returned to Russia, where it was installed on the belfry of the Vladimir Cathedral in Tauric Chersonesos.
While the monastery was operating, it served not only parishioners of the church, but also was a sound beacon for ships at sea. Hearing his ringing, the sailors realized that they were near a dangerous coast full of sharp stones. In 1925, when the monastery was closed, all the bells were removed, and one of them was installed on special supports near the shore, where it still sounded in inclement weather. Later it turned out that this is the same bell poured in the 18th century.
Traces of two wars were preserved on his body, his tongue was removed in the 60s, and the bell lost its powerful saving voice. Hearing his sound was possible only with the help of pebbles, which was done by the local children. On the side of the bell and now you can distinguish an ancient inscription made by Old Russian script.
A sign on one of the supporting pylons briefly tells its story from its creation to its return from Paris. On the Easter holiday, not only the monastery, the cathedral was revived, but also the bell, which announced the beginning of a new life.
Reviews
Reviews about the Vladimir Cathedral (Tauric Chersonesos), the hillfort and the entire reserve are left only positive. Tourists talk about the extraordinary beauty of the area, the abundance of historical and archaeological sites, many of which are beautifully preserved. The cathedral is amazing with the severity of external architecture and the sophistication of rich interior decoration.
Visitors who attend church services talk about the inner spiritual atmosphere of involvement in history, a sense of connection with generations of ancestors. There are no negative reviews, some indicated only a large number of visitors during the high holiday season who wished to see the reserve and Vladimir Cathedral (Tauric Chersonesos). Photos of ancient ruins and a temple adorn the albums of many tourists.
Helpful information
The temple and reserve can be visited at any time of the year. In the Vladimir Cathedral (Tauric Chersonesos), the schedule of services is as follows:
- Evening service starts at 17:00 (Mon, Tue, Thu).
- Morning liturgy at 07:30 (Wed, Fri).
- Saturday services: the liturgy begins at 08:00, the all-night vigil at 16:00.
- Sunday Liturgy: early at 06:00, late at 09:00, evening service begins at 17:00.
Where exactly should you look for Vladimir Cathedral in Tauric Chersonesos? Address of the shrine: Ancient Street, Building 1.
To get to your destination, you need to drive to the Khersones peninsula in the city of Sevastopol. You can do this by taxi, the cost of a trip from the center to the reserve will be from 150 to 200 rubles.
How to get to Vladimir Cathedral (Tauric Chersonesos) by public transport? There are two options:
- From the railway station by trolleybus No. 6 or 10 to the stop "Dmitry Ulyanov Street".
- By shuttle taxi No. 112, 107, 110 or 109 to the stop "Dmitry Ulyanov Street".
From the stop you need to go towards the sea to the intersection with the street "Ancient", where the reserve is located with a monastery and a temple. You can additionally find out reference information about the Vladimir Cathedral in Tauric Chersonesos. Phone for communication is on the official website of the object.