Add a review about St. Elijah's Temple in Solnechnaya Dolina

In the vicinity of Sudak, in the heart of the village of Solnechnaya Dolina, is the oldest of all active cathedrals of the Crimean peninsula - the church of St. . Ilia . It was built between the 9th and 11th centuries . It is believed that the Greeks were the builders and the first parishioners of the church, after their relocation the care for the temple was transferred to the local residents . In 1904 ., after considerable repairs the church of St. . Elijah was again consecrated and opened for worship . In those days near the temple there was a huge picturesque lake, the banks of which grew mulberry . main relic of the temple of St. Elijah was . marble font 4-5 centuries, which was brought into the solar valley from Constantinople .

In the Soviet years, the church was still operational for a couple of decades, but in 1939 it was closed, and the church premises were first used as an electric booth, installing a diesel engine in the altar, and then as a granary.

In the vicinity of Sudak, in the center of the village of Solnechnaya Dolina, is the oldest of all the active cathedrals of the Crimean peninsula - St. Elijah's Church.

After the Great Patriotic War, St. Elijah's Church and the territory near it finally came to desolation: the lake was dried up, the hill was cut off, the fence was demolished. The cathedral itself was also planned to be destroyed, but thanks to the enthusiasm of archaeologists who were engaged in research here, he narrowly escaped the bitter fate. At the same time, a church shrine was stolen-the marble font.

The new life of the church

The revival of the church of St. Elijah began in 1998, when the Orthodox community was rebuilt in Solnechnaya Dolina. The temple was restored, the ancient font was returned, and even the grave of the martyr Peter was found, sacked during the Soviet era.

At present, the repair work is not finished, much has been done, but there is still a lot of work to be done. Parishioners believe that their temple will live, because it has support from above. As a confirmation of this, every year August 2 - the day of the prophet Elijah - a miracle comes to the Sun Valley. The sky lights up with flashes of lightning, and across the valley there are peals of thunder. It is said that the fire chariot of the prophet is passing by, which sometimes nurtures the valley with a blessed rain.

External appearance

The architectural decision of the cathedral is very unusual. God's throne of this temple, consisting of three plates, is adjacent to the eastern wall, so it is impossible to circle it. The door in the south wall is so tiny that visitors have to bend over to enter. By the way, in many respects for this reason the believers called it "the door of humility". The windows in the church are also miniature, so it's rather gloomy inside. Above the entrance there is a stone adorned with Greek crosses, which, however, are practically not distinguishable.

Near the St. Elijah temple archaeological excavations were carried out repeatedly, during which fragments of clay masonry were found. On the basis of these findings, it has been assumed that before the 10th century an even more ancient temple was located on this site.

How to get here

Address: Solnechnaya Dolina, ul. Chernomorskaya, 2.

Coordinates: 44 ° 52'31 "N, 35 ° 06'03" E.

Finding the temple of St. Elijah is not difficult at all. Focus on the bus stop, the temple is located next to it.