The Svyato-Spassky Convent in
Kostomarovo is an ancient cave monastery located about 150 kilometers
south of the town of Voronezh, just 3-hours drive away. There are two
churches in these caves: a big Spassky temple with columns and a small
St. Seraphim Sarovsky church. The Spassky temple burrows deep into the
chalky cliff to form a spacious interior that can house up to 2,000
people. 16 more images after the break...
According to legend, the first
cave temples were built on the banks of the Don river, before the
adoption of Christianity in Russia. Hermits and monks would use these
ascetic cave cells to hide from persecution and it wasn’t until the 12th
century that the first monastery was built. The monastery was built
with the intention of providing parishioners a place to take refuge in
case of enemy attacks and even sustain a long-term siege. Within the
walls of the shrine were cut small cells for monks and hermits to live.
Their only contact with the outside world was through a little window
cut into the rock face.
When the communist came into
power, the Svyato-Spassky church, along with thousands of other
churches, mosques and temples across the nation was closed and the monks
executed. During the Great Patriotic War (or World War 2) the caves of
Svyato-Spassky provided shelter to Soviet soldiers and locals fighting
the German troops. After the 1943 meeting between Stalin with
Metropolitan Sergius, Orthodox churches were reopened. In 1946, the
Svyato-Spassky church was officially registered as a Holy Savior
Catholic Church.
Restoration of the shrine
progressed quickly, but in the early 60's, at the direction of NS
Khrushchev, the local authorities under the pretext that the church
premises were unfit for further use, closed the temple. All the external
building were burned and the cave flooded.
The modern church and convent was
constructed in 1993. Through the efforts of ordinary believers the
caves were cleaned out and the inside electrified. By 1997, the cave
complex had living quarters, nursing corps, refectory and a chapel.
Today the church is visited by pilgrims from all over Russia.
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