Evening wave hit the stone and killed with hiss. And on the washythomed boulder in the rays of the setting sun, the track of the human leg was clearly fired - a slightly curved, with a pronounced thumb. According to the legend, the trace of the Crimean Chersonese departed into the coastal rock of Crimean Chersonesos is nothing like the footprint of the fabric of the Apostle Andrei First-Called. The faithful student of Jesus preached in these parts in the 50th year from the Nativity of Christ, carrying the peoples of Tavrida the light of the Christian teaching ... Guests of the Crimea are often admired by its beauty - wondrous bays, sculptural rocks, luxury of palaces. But besides the usual tourist places, there is something else that is not transmitted by the words ... a certain historical train, a hidden "insteigner", which makes the peninsula so attractive. The correspondent was able to touch the particle of this great Crimean secrecy, passing "in the footsteps" of Andrei the First Called. Of course, in a short time, the press tour was able to visit only a small part of the places, where, according to the annals, the apostle preached. But this small has become a revelation ...
The very opportunity to go through the dear first student of Christ appeared due to the fact that at the end of July, the relics of Andrei and the First Cathedral were brought to the Crimea from the Elohovsky Cathedral of Moscow. Diary of the apostle, delivered to the peninsula with the assistance of the Andrei Foundation the First-Called, for the month of staying on Earth Taurida traveled to ten temples, where tens of thousands of believers were able to attach to her. It is necessary to say that the theme of the preacher female of the student of Christ in the earth "Scythians and Tavrov" became very relevant ...
The work of the journalist is good and it is good that you can not only talk to current topics, but also see everything with your own eyes. And about what he saw. And let our journey started at all where Andrei was stopped on the Crimean land, but I will tell about the most curious places ...
According to chronicle sources, the Apostle Andrey, "Having received the North, with jealousy, with jealousy, Iverly, Savromatov, Tavrov and Scythians and Skif, all areas and cities, adjacent from the north to the south of Ponta Evkinsky." Scythians and brands at the time and inhabited Crimea. On the ground Tavrida, the student of Christ came off the ship in Bosporus (the current Kerch). And "Coszed, Welved Cross." At this place is now rebuilt the Cross-shaped Church of Andrei First Called. Further, the apostle went to Feodosia, then in Sudak, Alushta ... In memory of his stay in these places a healing source appeared. Saint Andrew's spring is located near the village of General Alushta district. According to legend, the beneficial key struck the rock just in the place where the apostle read his sermons to local residents. And according to this time, the parishioners consider the water of the source of the miraculous.
Next, the preacher proceeded to Yalta, carried the Word of Christ in the inhabitants of Mount Ayu Dag, which at that time was settled. And according to one of the versions, which we heard from the mouth of the Sevastopol Region Nikolai Merchansky, the famous rock of Ai-Petri was named Andrey and married in honor of the other student of Christ - the Apostle Peter. The name of Peter, as is known, means in an ancient Greate "rock, stone block". Jesus called so his student as a sign that faith it should be strong, like a stone. And the apostle Andrei allegedly, seeing the mighty cliff, the walling southern coast of Crimea, gave him the name of the Apostle Peter in the hope that Vera Christov would become unshakable in these places like a block.
The apostle Andrey continued his journey along the eastern springs of the Crimean Mountains, where a significant part of the population lived in the cave cities. And this part of his route is most interesting and studied.
Grapes on a rock
If we roll from the route Yalta Sevastopol toward the village of Ternovka and, not reaching the village of one and a half kilometers, deepen in the direction of the mountains, then after a while you drink to the cltery clinic. The cave monastery can be seen from the bottom. But getting to it is a difficult task. Pilgrims go there on foot, overcoming steep slopes per hour with a little. Young people prefer to drive on a plateau on quad bikes. We fell there on jeeps. Fifteen minutes SUVs with a roar tormented a dirt road, falling on one side, then on the other, made their way around the edge of the cliff. Finally, drove into the top of the cliff. And the words are stuck in the throat ... the separation from the Earth, which you feel on the plateau, is an almost physical phenomenon. Mountain ridges by waves leave the distance, gaining thick blue as the horizon approached. Far at the bottom - the squares of the fields, the rectangles of the greenhouses, the placer of the houses ... But the main thing is miracle - just below the slope. On wooden pavements, attached directly to the sheer cliff, it is necessary to accurately go down the floor for two, and here it is the Monastery of Chalter Marmar, cut down right in the quarrel rock. He appeared either in VIII, or in the XII century (versions of scientists diverge) near the cave, where, according to legend, Andrey was preached.
Now there is a restored active cave male monastery of Rev. Savva consecrated. Monastic brethren consists of only five people, but their efforts of 50 different caves and grotts are gradually acquired by a cherished appearance. Wonderful, of course, see the monastic celle, located in the open pitche of the rocks: an iron bed, a bedside table, icons and a beautiful view of the valley. Spilled around grace leaves no doubt: it is in these places that the prayers are straightforward on the sky. The monks assure that in the summer and autumn they are not at all cold here. And for winter there are closed caves. The most equipped room of the monastery is, of course, the temple of the precharge Sava himself. Once it was also open, like all other grots. But now the monks carefully covered the chalk pillars, supporting the vaults, from the winds with a wooden wall, and it turned out quite civilized, cozy space - with the altar, iconostasis and even ficus in the tub. Introduction of brethren delivers cars to the plateau, and then descends to the monastery on the ropes. However, there is a mini-garden, and even a vineyard on the lower tier of the "5-storey" monastery. Tried to keep the goat so that his milk was. But the cattle quilted with difficulty grown grapes, so I had to send it to the valley.
Footprints on stones
Another cave, about whom they say with confidence that there was preached and lived for some time the apostle Andrei, is located on the famous Crimean Cape Fiolent. The preacher knew how to choose the most wonderful places for his stay. Cape Fiolent is known for its bay, water in which changes color depending on the time of day and weather. The spectacle is fascinating ... Our guide, Nikolai Merchasky, said that the apostle Andrei stopped at the cave of Cape Fiolent, to prepare for a meeting with the residents of Chersonesos, which is nearby. The fact is that in the rich port city, the people lived quite difficult. "Heersaki, the people of cunning and until the present day tugs on faith, liar and leaving all the wind," wrote a medieval author. Before you go to them with the word about Christ, the apostle Andrey created a miracle at Cape Fiolent. With his prayer, he destroyed the ancient pagan temple of the Virgin dedicated to the goddess Diana, which local residents brought bloody sacrifices ...
Now near the cave of the apostle is the Holy George male monastery. He originated in 891 in the place where Saint George saved Greek sailors during a storm. So this place is nice. And in that grotto, where the student of Christ lived, the cave church of the Nativity of Christ was created. Above him now, high on the mountain, a monument was established by Andrei First Called: Kosya Andreevsky Cross, who became a symbol of the Russian Marine Fleet, and a crucified apostle on it ...
The cave temples, which stayed during their Crimean Mission Andrei Varozvannaya, is in Inkerman under Sevastopol, and in other places. But the trail of the apostle, imprinted in stone, so far, or rather, two feet on the stone, two feet were imprinted, one slightly noticeable. They found under Chersonese, where the historical and archaeological museum is now located. And just in the place where, according to legend, Andrei wasporing prayed so hard that his legs entered the stone. According to another version, in this place the apostle Andrei first ascended the shore of Chersonesos. The first references to the foot Andrei of the First Called belong to the XVI century. They are mentioned in the "power book", compiled at the initiative of Metropolitan Makaria by the confessor Ivan IV Vasilyevich Grozny Andrei (future Metropolitan Athanasius). But long-century trail was hidden from human eyes. And discovered it by chance in 2011. And, oddly enough, Found was found by Sevastopol Andrei Sorokin on St. Andrew's Day.
About Nakhodka immediately told the adolescent Sevastopol District with Archpriest Sergia Halute. Later a report was drawn up to the Metropolitan of Simferopol and Crimean Lazarus. But almost almost a year of the churchmen were in no hurry to promulgate the news of the foot of Andrei and the First-Called. As Sergey Haluta told Archievers, several examinations were held before. Theological Commission invited criminals from the Office of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Ukraine in Sevastopol, and also ordered anatomical and geological expertise. "A criminalistic examination was conducted. Experts from the Ministry of Internal Affairs confirmed that this imprint may be a trace of a person of the 38th size, height 160-162 centimeters. Anatomical examination was conducted by specialists from the Simferopol Medical University named after Georgievsky. They also explored the footprint. Three professors-anatomas gave a clear anatomical conclusion that in the stone there is really a handprint of a human leg. Moreover, they reported that in the foot it is possible to make a certain conclusion that it belongs to a person who is used to walking barefoot. The geological examination notified that the stone on which the stop is printed, has an ancient volcanic nature and he "could not be in a mild state." But people believed in a miracle without any examinations, and stretched to the coastal lump of believers of believers. The stone had to urgently ware with a metal grille. But the main thing is how eyewitnesses assure, the wonders of healing really took place. Whether thanks to the miraculous strength of Andrei foot, then thanks to the power of faith.
It is not easy to get to the wonderful place: you need to ride a long time to jump on the coastal stones from the Chersonesse itself, or go through the ridge of the rock and in a narrow, winding trail down. A little effort, and you will see how a sea wave licks a rough stone and a ray of the sun highlights the trail of the human foot - a slightly curved, with a pronounced thumb. Believe it or not. And better - check.