Shuldan Cave Monastery of Christ the Savior

Shuldansky cave monastery is open to all visitors. The temple is active. Monks and novices live on its territory. Guests are always welcome in the Shuldansky monastery. If there is no urgent matter, the inhabitants will be happy to conduct a short tour and tell many amazing stories about both the monastery and the sights that are in its vicinity. Visiting the monastery is free. Shuldansky cave monastery is located on the outskirts of the village of Ternovka, Balaklava district. The monastery chapel is located on the top of Mount Shuldan-Burun, almost above the very cliff, at an altitude of 515 meters. The monastery itself and living quarters are located a little lower, in the rock under the chapel. In the 8th century, small cells were carved out of the rock, located in two tiers. Today, in the rock, there are about 20 technical and utility rooms and two churches. The height of the ceilings inside the church is 3.6 meters. Monks live on the territory of the monastery all year round. They also provide assistance to drug addicts and alcoholics.The name Shuldan is translated from the Turkic language as an impregnable fortress, or as a place that reflects an echo. When this name appeared, historians cannot answer unequivocally, presumably by the middle of the 16th or early 17th centuries. The history of the Shuldan cave monastery began in the middle of the 8th century, from the moment monks from the Athos monasteries arrived in these places. In search of a monastery, the Greek monks found a small cave and settled in it.The reason for the monks' flight from Greece was the iconoclasm started by the Byzantine Emperor Leo III the Isaurian. It was Leo III who declared in 730 all priests who worshiped icons to be pagans, and icons to be idols. Thus began the merciless destruction of ancient icons, monks, many basilicas, and frescoes. By 750, the struggle was in full swing. Monks from Greece, Italy and even from the capital of Byzantium - Constantinople, fled to Crimea, Georgia and Armenia, hiding in the mountains, and saving icons.With the appearance of monks on Shuldan, merchants began to visit these places. The monks settled in these places quite quickly, planted vineyards and began to produce wonderful wines. In addition to winemaking, agriculture and cattle breeding were well developed, cheese production was established, warehouses were allocated for millet. Until the 15th century, the Shuldan Monastery was one of the largest in Crimea.