Surb-Khach is an Armenian male monastery in Old Crimea. Armenian monastery Surb-Khach in the old Crimea

In Crimea there is a place where you can leave all your worries, sorrows and troubles.

Getting there is easy.

First you need to get to the town of Old Crimea along the Simferopol - Feodosia highway, then turn right. About three kilometers from the city outskirts, on the side of a mountain road, there stands a tree hung with multi-colored ribbons. You need to hang a piece of fabric on a tree branch.

That's all. According to ancient belief, along with this piece, all troubles will go away.

And now, freed from earthly sorrows and worries, you can rise a little higher.

And drink from the sources of Wisdom, Courage and Love. Both figuratively and literally.

The place where the mysterious springs flow is called ("Holy Cross"). This is an ancient monastery, the first mention of which is found in manuscripts dated 1347 and 1348. The founder of the monastery, Hovhannes Sebastatsi, saw a sign in this place - a fiery cross and decided to build a holy monastery here.

To do this, he and his brother bought 50 hectares of land from the Genoese, who at that time owned this region of Crimea. Hovhannes, Sebastatsi and the archimandrites who led the monastery after him are buried in the vestibule of the monastery Church of the Holy Sign - Surb-Nshan.

The burial place was not chosen by chance.
The fact is that Armenians have a very emotional expression: “May I fall at your feet,” which is addressed to those closest to them. It has evangelical roots. Therefore, Hovhannes Sebastatsi bequeathed to bury himself in the vestibule, literally under the feet of those who entered the temple.

Another ancient tradition is to leave pieces of fabric on a tree on the way to holy places, which was already mentioned above, and has also survived to this day.
The surroundings of the monastery amaze with their beauty.

By the way, many Armenians say that these places remind them very much of their native Armenia. And in the monastery garden there are still preserved trees, the seedlings of which were brought to the monks from their distant historical homeland.
The monastery has suffered greatly over time, even more so at the hands of men.

Here is the armory, where parishioners entering the monastery left their personal weapons.
Here is the lookout and narrow loopholes, reminiscent of those turbulent and bloody times when the monastery turned into a fortress.

Here is an inscription in the refectory in ancient Armenian, which says that the nephew of the sparapet, that is, the local military leader, carried out obedience in the monastery, atonement for the sins he had committed.

Here is the library room. The priceless manuscripts stored in it are now in the capital of Armenia, Yerevan. Here is the fraternal building with the monks' cells.

They say that during the heyday of the monastery, the souls of up to three dozen people were saved here. There was also a theological seminary in Surb-Khach and outstanding miniaturists of the 14th century Nater and his sons Stepanos, Avetis, Hovhannes and Grigor worked.
And here is the heart of the monastery - the Surb-Nshan temple, with an open altar part, according to the Armenian tradition, with a stone font for the cretzenium. The temple is active, the liturgy is served there, baptisms and weddings take place.
Unfortunately, decades of militant atheism caused more damage to the monastery than the invasions of medieval conquerors. In 1225, communist authorities closed the monastery.

IN Soviet times First a pioneer camp was located here, then a camp site for a large enterprise.

In 2002, Surb-Khach was transferred to the use of the community of the Armenian Apostolic Church. The monastery is being reborn.
Some of the unique sources have been restored and are providing water. The life of the monastery largely depended on them.

After all, the sources are not fed from springs. The monks literally drank... dew.

The fact is that the nameless engineering genius of antiquity created a very subtle, wise and thought-out water supply system. Dew in these places falls abundantly, as well as rainwater, flowing through ceramic pipes laid on the slopes, everything entered the wells, accumulated there and fed all seven springs.

The storm water drainage system was no less wisely designed.

The storage tanks here never overflowed, and excess water was removed through pipes over the ridge of the mountain and flowed down the opposite slope.

Interestingly, centuries-old oak trees in the vicinity of the monastery were also part of the unique hydraulic system. They helped maintain hydrobalance.
Today, Surb-Khach, like hundreds of years ago, remains one of the main shrines of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

And a major center of spiritual life. For big ones Religious holidays Not only Crimean Armenians, but also their compatriots from other countries come to Surb Khach.
Visit the ancient monastery too.
Touch the shrine and drink plenty from the sources of Wisdom, Courage and Love.

About 3 km from Old Crimea there is a monastery founded by Crimean Armenians in the 14th century. At that time, the Armenian population of the peninsula was large. It is reliably known that in Feodosia alone, by the end of the 17th century, up to 80 thousand Armenians lived.

According to legend, the name Surb monastery-Khach(Holy Cross) is associated with a 6th-century stone carved khachkar cross transported to Crimea from the ancient Armenian capital of Ani in the 13th century. The founder of the monastery was the monk Hovhannes, who, together with his brothers and students, built Church of Surb-Nshan (Church of the Holy Sign). Later, a gavit (narthex) with a bell tower was added to the temple, which simultaneously served as a watchtower.

Severe stone walls more reminiscent of a monastery medieval fortress than a church building. And it is quite natural that after the construction of the monastery, the small city of Kazarat arose around it. In it, the Armenian princes kept troops who, as mercenaries, defended the coast, the cities of Kafa (Feodosia) and Soldaya (Sudak).

We walk along the paving stones of the courtyard to the temple. You can get into it only by passing the porch, or in the Armenian version gavit. There were two entrances to the gavit in the southern and western walls. A guardhouse was built over the southwestern corner of the gavit. bell tower, which was climbed from the vestibule along a stone staircase. Externally, the bell tower is very different from what we are used to seeing in Christian monasteries. There are no separate or attached structures to the temple, just a small bell hanging on a bracket driven into the wall next to the window above the entrance to the gavit.

The first thing that catches your eye when entering the gavit is the stone floor made of gravestones with half-erased Armenian inscriptions, under which the abbots of the monastery are buried. Among them is the founder of Surb-Khacha, monk Hovhannes. It is believed that by walking on the slabs, those living today seem to communicate with the deceased righteous and remember them.

The internal walls of the gavit are decorated with carved crosses. All crosses are different! In the Middle Ages, it was customary to order the carving of crosses on the wall of the temple to commemorate an important family event.

Here, in the northern wall, a niche decorated in the style of a Muslim mihrab has been preserved.

Surprisingly, there is even a painting above the entrance to the temple, above which you can see stucco depicting a lamb on a throne with a cross.

It’s surprising, because the monastery was closed several times, and it turned out to be abandoned: the first time the monastery was empty in the 17th century, and then in the 20th century. After 1925 and until the end of the 1970s, either a pioneer camp or a sanatorium was located here. Later, archaeological research was carried out on the territory of Surb-Khach, and the monastery was taken under protection. In 1994, services were resumed in the temple, and in the early 2000s the monastery was returned to the Armenian Apostolic Church.

One of architectural features Total temple complex- this is its gradation. Do not forget that the monastery was built in a mountainous area in a wooded valley on the northwestern slope of Mount Grytsya (Holy Cross, Holy, Monastic). Therefore, over the course of 45 meters from the refectory to the altar, there is a height difference of 5 meters! Crimean scientists O. Dombrovsky and V. Sidorenko wrote about this in their book “Solkhat and Surb-Khach”: “This is amazing - one can call it marvelous - the stepped perspective of architectural volumes rising one above the other, and with it the gradual increase in ornamental richness - in the frames of the entrances, in the polychromy of relief patterns and in the painting that we see above the entrance from the gavit to the sanctuary.The visitor was also especially attuned by the distant twilight, which beckoned into the depths of the perspective - there, inside the temple, where a sunbeam hung in the fragrant smoke of bluishly smoking incense , penetrating through the window of the altar apse."

The sun's rays still penetrate through the window of the altar apse and make the air under the dome tremble.

Not only curious tourists come here, but also believers who want to see the gaze of Christ from the icon. This icon stands under the arch in a niche to the left of the altar. It is believed that the face from the icon looks at someone sadly, at someone firmly, and someone generally sees Christ with their eyes closed.

Leaving the temple, you find yourself in the inner monastery courtyard, surrounded by ancient cells fraternal corps. The two-story building, built in the letter “g,” consisted of eight rooms on the first floor, and above them was a balcony-gallery supported by wooden columns. The entrance to the balcony was first approached by a staircase from the eastern edge of the courtyard, and later an entrance was built from the landing of the stairs leading to the hotel above refectory.

Under the stairs to the second floor of the refectory there is a fountain for washing hands and bare feet, which is performed before entering the temple or refectory.

The cells have preserved semi-circular vaults, some of which are decorated with stone carvings. The cells were heated by fireplaces, the chimney of which was hidden in the wall.

Six-pointed stars and braided cords are traditional features of Armenian stone carving

The refectory, located to the west of the temple, is a stone structure consisting of two rectangular halls. In the northern hall there is a fireplace with a semicircular combustion arch and a stove. Under the refectory there was a basement, reached by a staircase from the southern hall. The second floor above the refectory appeared only in late XIX century and was intended as a hotel. Later, in 1906, a new one-story building was built separately from the fraternal building monastery hotel.

From the refectory, from the level of the outer open courtyard of the monastery, a staircase led to garden, located outside the monastery courtyard. The terraced garden was laid out on a gentle mountain slope, and stone stairs were laid between the platforms. In total, four terraces have been preserved in the garden and three fountains With drinking water, arranged according to a single principle - rectangular in plan with a decorated facade, blank walls and a well-cistern adjacent to it on the back side. Water was supplied to the fountains through ceramic pipes from a source located higher up the slope.

According to legend, each fountain has its own name - the source of health (upper), wisdom (middle) and beauty (lower). On the wall of the source of wisdom, a stone carving depicting the tree of life and two angels guarding it on both sides is clearly visible. Above them on both sides of the tree are the Sun and the Moon.

A little lower on the same wall, a flower of life is carved in stone, surrounded by two tall lancet trees on which birds sit, and two angels soar between the trunks. The symbolic image of the flower of life was found among the Egyptians, and now, oddly enough, we see it in an Armenian monastery of the 14th century.

Almost simultaneously with the construction of the Surb-Khach monastery, the second Surb-Stefanos monastery was built a little higher on the slope. But now all that remains is ruins. We will definitely get there, but next time. In the meantime, we were distracted from getting to know Crimean history by the aroma of gata with nuts, which is baked here and sold on a small spot under the trees. Tea, gata, conversations with other travelers... As it turned out, not only Armenians come here, but not even only Christians. The temple is open to everyone.

On the way back, we were picked up by a local Armenian who came from Old Crimea to Surb-Khach for water. All the way, together with him, they made assumptions about what the stone carving above the fountain of wisdom means, but, as usual, there was not enough time to get to the bottom of the truth. By the way, he literally waved away the money for travel: “No, no!” And we moved on.

A few kilometers from the southern outskirts of Old Crimea there is Mount Grytsya (665 meters, also called Monastyrskaya or Holy). On the slopes of this mountain is located the Armenian monastery of Surb-Khach, probably the most famous religious site of the Armenian church, along with the Church of St. Hripsime in Yalta, on the Crimean peninsula. The name of the monastery can be translated into Russian as “Holy Cross”. An architectural monument since 1963. A religious monument of the Armenian people for eight centuries.

Crimean Armenians and the Surb-Khach monastery

The appearance of Armenians in the interior of the Crimean Peninsula is associated with the religious doctrine of the Genoese authorities, who sought to bring them under one symbol of faith - in in this case Catholic - the entire motley population of their Crimean colonies. And indeed, under the Genoese flag, Jews, Greeks, Tatars, Italians and Armenians traded in port cities - all enterprising nationalities who knew their business and knew how to trade.

The influx of Armenians to Crimea in the 12th-13th centuries was associated with the mass emigration of this people from their homeland, which was subject to countless invasions of nomadic hordes, the Seljuks, the Mongols, Tokhtamysh, Tamerlane, and rival Persian and Ottoman military leaders. In the Middle Ages, Armenia was an arena for the struggle of large eastern despotic formations, succeeding each other in the flashing decades. It was not easy for Armenians to live, let alone prosper, in their homeland.

In Crimea, the Armenians founded their strong community, which, under pressure from the Genoese authorities, slowly moved in the 14th-15th centuries closer to the expanses of the Inner Range of the Crimean Mountains. However, even under the current conditions, the Armenians maintained a strong position in the flourishing Cafe (today Feodosia).

To this day, in the Topolevka area you can see two Armenian churches of this period: Surb-Sargiz and Surb-Urbat. In the area of ​​the village of Bogatoye there are the ruins of Surb-Egiya. Unlike these holy places for Armenians in Crimea, Surb-Khach, despite the destruction that wars and time brought, was restored.

History of the Surb-Khach Monastery

The founding of the Surb-Khach monastery can be dated back to the 14th century AD, to a time when the Crimean Armenian community still had significant influence and means to erect objects of this scale. Over time, Surb-Khach became the center of a diocese, whose religious authority extended to the entire Crimean peninsula and the northern Black Sea region. It is difficult to overestimate the importance of this religious center for Armenians. But with the arrival of Russian troops in Crimea, the usual way of life of all segments of the population of the peninsula collapses. The highest clergy moves to the Armenian enclave in the Caucasus - Nakhichevan. The throne of the eparch also left Surb-Khach, but despite the loss of its central position, Surb-Khach remains an important center of the cultural and spiritual life of the Armenians. In addition, the monastery owned large plots of land.

According to legend, monk Hovhannes Sebastatsi saw at the site of the future location of the monastery, more precisely, its main cathedral church, fiery cross (hence the name Surb-Khach - “Holy Cross”). Thus, Sebastatsi became the spiritual founder of the monastery. The Surb-Nshan temple at the monastery was built in the middle of the 14th century, at the end of the 17th century XVIII centuries the refectory and cell for the brethren were completed, the entire complex is being actively rebuilt. Apparently, the Armenians found a common language with the supreme power of the Crimean Khanate - Surb-Khach is thriving.

The pause associated with the move of the throne to Nakhichevan did not have a negative impact on the monastery. It’s a pity that the same cannot be said about the 1917 revolution. Due to the fact that Crimea remained in the hands of the white army for a long time, the monastery continued to exist by inertia.

After the revolution, the Surb-Khach monastery lived out its last years as a functioning monastery. The terror was followed by famine, then numerous confiscations and, finally, the closure of the monastery in 1925. There was devastation and destruction; there were murders of members of the brethren. In the vicinity of the monastery, where, according to stories, the body of a monk killed by the new government was found, a tree is decorated in memory of the innocent victim.

Before World War II, within the walls of Surb-Khach there was a pioneer camp and a tuberculosis sanatorium. The war brought new destruction, but even after the fighting, time continued to methodically destroy the unique cultural and architectural ensemble. No one was involved in the slightest degree in preserving the monastery, albeit not out of religious zeal, but in order to preserve the rare beauty of the architectural complex. Even despite the fact that Surb-Khach became an architectural monument since 1963, and since 1979 - a state-protected object, the attention of the Crimean authorities did not turn towards the cultural monument, which was inexorably destroyed by time and people.

And only in the eighties of the last century they started talking about the restoration of the Surb-Khach monastery - and the wind of change swept through these places; We also started talking about spirituality. After gaining independence, Armenia became interested in its cultural heritage on the Crimean Peninsula. Specialists were sent here to assess the scale of restoration work. Throughout the nineties, the complex was actively rebuilt and updated. In 1994, regular services began in the main church of the Surb-Nshan monastery, which had been held sporadically since the previous year. Since 2002, the entire architectural complex of the Surb-Khach monastery has passed into the fold of the Armenian Apostolic Church.

Surb-Khach Monastery and its architecture in our time

Previously, the monastery quite resembled a fortress. High, strong walls surrounded Surb-Khach; inside the ring of walls, powerful stone buildings, so familiar to people of the Middle Ages, prevailed. After reconstruction, the spirit of the time came to life within the walls of the oldest Armenian monastery. The monastery looks austere and invites spiritual exercises.

The complex of buildings includes the oldest building of the Surb-Khach monastery - main church complex Surb-Nshan (Church of the Sign). This is the oldest building of the monastery. Based on the inscription made in 1358 on the dome of the church, it can be argued that the construction of this church can be dated at least to the mid-14th century, because the inscription on the drum holding the dome of the temple is dated 1358. At that time it was the only building of the monastery.

Adjacent to the main temple is a large rectangular vestibule (gavit in Armenian), which is quite different from the vestibules Orthodox churches- it is difficult to determine its purpose at first glance. Gavit was added to Surb-Nshan a little later - in 1401. It seemed to have swallowed up the original, carved portal with seven steps that served as the main entrance to the temple. There are two entrances to the vestibule, equipped with stone stairs - on the southern and western sides. Khachkars and images of crosses on stones are built into the walls of the gavit. Inside the vestibule on the second tier there was a bell tower, to which a stone staircase leads. The shape of the bell tower is unusual for Orthodox architecture - rectangular with a single slope roof. The church is crowned with a pyramidal shape and a dome with a cross on top. This is the highest point of the Surb-Khach monastery.

The Surb-Nshan Church faces east with a central apse, which is hidden in the thickness of the eastern wall. The refectory, built in the 17th century, faces the other direction - to the west. Researchers believe that earlier buildings existed on the site of the refectory. The beautiful arched ceilings are in keeping with the tastes of Gothic architecture. The refectory had a second floor, not used as a kitchen or dining room, apparently intended for guests, and a basement floor. In the northern part of the refectory there is a stove. There is also an inscription made by the cook and dated 1762. The gatekeeper's room adjoins the southern wall of the refectory of the Surb-Khach monastery. Between this room and the cell building there is an entrance to the monastery with two door portals. Above the entrance there is an inscription dated 1684.

At the end of the 17th century, a two-story cell for the monks was built perpendicular to the refectory. Its eastern wing abutted the southern façade of the gavit, and its western wing abutted the refectory. Thus, it was formed patio monastery The cells on the second floor had access to an open gallery, which has not been preserved, but the stones that served as the basis for the wooden supports of the gallery, which opened onto the courtyard, have been preserved. From the cells on the first floor you can get an idea of ​​them - very small rooms equipped with a fireplace and chimney. To the south of the cells is the monastery hotel, built to accommodate the increased flow of pilgrims in the 19th century. It was completely destroyed during the war, but was rebuilt at the end of the last century during reconstruction.

Fountains of the Surb-Khach monastery

At one time, the Surb-Khach monastery was completely surrounded by gardens where the brethren worked. Nowadays, in the southwest of the monastery complex you can also see a garden, the main decoration of which is two beautiful old fountains. They, like the garden, are located on terraces descending from the refectory, along which a staircase runs. The fountains are rectangular captages covered in stone, the façade of which is decorated with architectural details. Water is collected in cisterns hidden behind the fountains, to which ceramic pipes in turn lead from springs located in the mountains.

The upper fountain was built at the turn of the 18th and 19th centuries in a typical Armenian style. In the seventies of the last century, a marble slab decorated with the image of angels carrying a ritual vessel and a cross disappeared from the fountain forever. The second fountain is located below. It is also richly decorated and bordered at the top with an arch. In the center of the composition you can see the Armenian cross.

How to get to the Surb-Khach monastery

The most natural way to get to the Surb-Khach monastery is from Old Crimea, and walking along beautiful places It will not be long or tiring (about three and a half kilometers with a slight increase in terrain). But if you still want to come there with your own transport, then, if you are driving from Simferopol, you need to, before reaching Old Crimea, turn at the sign “Surb-Khach 3 km”. An asphalt road will lead you through the forest to the monastery, where you can find a parking lot, after which you can begin sightseeing of this beautiful monastery, unusual for the Orthodox eye. When driving from Feodosia, you need to drive through Old Crimea along the Feodosia-Simferopol highway and turn left at the turn described above.

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Monastery complex Surb-Khach- a monument of national significance in Ukraine, has been registered with the state since 1963. Located in a wooded valley on the northwestern slope of Mount Grytsya (Holy Cross, Holy, Monastic), 3.5 km southwest of the city of Stary Krym, Kirov region of Crimea.

Story

The forest is tall and shady,
There are mountains and wasteland everywhere.
What's happened? The walls of the building!
A! So here it is, the monastery!
But what? Where are the people?
Everything around is quiet. Only murmuring
In the arch of the white fountain
A stream of light flows...
...
Surp-Khach.

The foundation of the monastery and the establishment of the Diocesan See of the Armenian Apostolic Church in it dates back to the middle of the 14th century. Researchers associate this event with the mass migration of the Armenian population from indigenous Armenia to Crimea and the religious policy of the Genoese, aimed at Catholicizing the subjects of Genoese Gazaria, of which Armenians made up a significant part. According to the remark of academician V. A. Mikaelyan, “the Armenians, as a sign of passive struggle, left Caffa to join their compatriots in other parts of Crimea. This probably necessitated the founding in that period... of the Surb Khach monastery.”

At the end of the 18th century, through the efforts of the clergy of the Armenian Church, the monastery was revived. Although the diocesan throne in the Surb-Khach monastery was not renewed, the monastery traditionally retains its significance as the largest spiritual center of the Crimean Armenians. Until the beginning of the 20th century, restoration work was carried out repeatedly in the monastery. Before the 1917 revolution, the monastery owned vast plots of land in the mountainous and steppe parts of the peninsula, a total of more than 4,000 acres.

Notes

Monuments Monuments of Sevastopol Plant Massandra Magarach New World Inkerman Red stone Sunny Valley Artek Big Yalta Foros Simeiz Gurzuf Alushta Alupka Koktebel Sudak Feodosia Kerch Sevastopol Evpatoria Saki Swallow's Nest Fountain Night Turkish Wall

How to find yourself in the old Crimea? After all, the past cannot be returned without a time machine. There is an exit! In mountainous Taurida you find yourself in Old Crimea. The Armenian monastery will point the way to the pretty old town. The religious complex is the pride of the Armenian communities of Sudak and it is located between these resorts, if you drive along R-23. The beauty of the church is visible in many photos.

Where is Surb-Khach in Old Crimea?

Old Crimea is located on the territory of the Kirov region of the republic - at the foot of the Holy Cross Mountain (Monastyrskaya). The Churuk-Su river runs down from it. At the top of the same wooded hill, the tourist will notice the silhouette of the Apostolic Church. To the north of the sacred place, in Kozya Balka, you can also visit.

Monastery on the map of Crimea

History of the formation of the monastery

In the 13th century, with the permission of the Horde, Armenians came to Taurida from the city of Ani, destroyed by an earthquake. They settled the Mongol-Tatar headquarters on the peninsula - the city of Kyrym (formed on the site of the Byzantine city of Karsan).

The first mention of the temple erected here dates back to the 14th century. One day, the leader of the migrant community (Hovhannes Sebastatsi) received a sign: a huge fiery cross. Like all Orthodox Monophysites (always observing this sign), members of the Soldaya diaspora immediately named the monastery Surb-Khach. From the Armenian language this is translated accordingly - “holy cross”. They placed their relic on the roof - a cross from the main temple of the city of Ani, built in the 4th century.

Thus began the history of another Church of the Holy Cross. For a long time it was associated with constant destruction - Genoese, Tatar, Turkish. The fraternal corps was quickly rebuilt. Even more cells appeared. The monastery became a temporary home for all those suffering who were persecuted for Monophysitism and Christianity in general.

The above-mentioned historical monument has been on the state register of Ukraine since 1963. Today, any vandalism against its buildings is prosecuted under the law of the Russian Federation.

What is the Armenian monastery interesting for tourists?

The Armenian monastery of Surb-Khach is a functioning monastery. Accordingly, women are prohibited from entering its new buildings and utility rooms. Only the perfectly preserved remains of the ancient building are open for viewing - the fraternal building (cells), the refectory, the courtyard and fountains.

But the area in front of the architectural landmark of Old Crimea is the place where Monophysite Christians of any gender celebrate Vardar (the Armenian equivalent of the holiday dedicated to Ivan Kupala) in mid-July.
At the beautiful portal, on the “red” days of the Armenian Apostolic calendar, exhibitions of masterpieces of folk crafts and even concerts of folk groups are held.

To the sound of the duduk, Armenians from all over the CIS, and sometimes from foreign countries, gather in the parking lot. Often, the organizers of events at this religious complex are residents of the city district. Moreover, any guest of the celebration, regardless of nationality and religion, can attend every part of the ritual celebration, including dousing.

To remember their visit to Surb Khach, tourists usually fill a bottle with water blessed by the local Catholicos. She escapes through a conduit coming straight from the wall of the religious building. The Armenian monastery in Old Crimea at the entrance is decorated with steles with ritual Armenian carvings. In the surrounding monastery garden you can see the plan of the entire complex. The music of worship services can be heard from here.

How to get to Surb-Khach?

Mount Monastyrskaya (Ukrainian name - Grytsa) - a fragment of the northern slope Crimean mountains. From other Tauride cities you can get to it along the P-29 or P-23 road. Travelers moving from the villages of the Kirov region get here along the narrow Privetnoye - Stary Krym highway.

Having got off at the Old Crimea bus station, they get to the temple in the following way. We need to continue moving along the highway to the west. Where Lenin Street flows into it, you need to turn towards the mountain and exit the village along the nearest lane (walk 700 m). After crossing the Churuk-Su River, the path will continue with a special road that takes you to the spiritual treasure of the Armenian people. The ascent will take 3.3 km.

By car you can get to the monastery from Sudak like this:

From Feodosia, to get to the monastery, you need to overcome the following path:

Note to tourists

• Address: Old Crimea, Kirovsky district, Crimea, Russia.
• Coordinates: 45°0′2″N (45.000459), 35°3′45″E (35.062593).
• Phone: +7-36555-5-13-50.

The Armenian monastery of Surb-Khach is a place of pilgrimage for adherents of the Armenian Apostolic Church from all over the world. But he collected quite a lot warm reviews and at international forums. Their authors are not only Armenians. Many vacationers and history buffs only remembered the names of nearby villages thanks to this monastery. Let's note - main feature Surb-Khach is a good observation deck (the temple is at the “upstream” of a deep ravine). From the prevailing height there is a view of the entire Old Crimea and some parts of the northern slope of the Tauride Mountains. Thousands of visitors took photographs from here. Finally, look short video about this attraction.