Evpatoria is a small resort town,located on the shore of the Kalamitsky Gulf. Its length is 37 km, if you count from Cape Lukull in the south and Evpatoria in the north. The bay is similar in shape to the arc, but the guides prefer to call it "Scythian onion".
One of the main attractions inEvpatoria - the Cathedral of St. Nicholas. He is considered the patron saint of seafarers and traders, it is forbidden to mention it with bad words, according to unwritten maritime law. Even pirates, no matter what happens in the sea, never insulted a saint. His image, on the contrary, seamen often stored together with a photograph of a loved one. For the merchant and port city, the tradition of honoring this saint is inseparable from the history of the resort.
Description of the Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker
This is a majestic building in the Byzantine styleis located on the embankment of Tereshkova and immediately attracts the attention of tourists. It is believed to be similar to the Church of Constantinople of St. Sophia. The building itself is painted white, and the domes are blue. Before the restoration they were dark blue. The central dome is made of concrete. Its weight is 156.6 tons, and its diameter is 18 meters. The vaults, domes and walls of the cathedral were painted by V. Sokolovsky and Sergey Stroev. The iconostasis was made by a carver from Florence Vannuki. The cross was created by artist B. V. Edwards.
The history of the cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Evpatoria
The Greek community in the city repeatedly put forwarda proposal to build a church and even allocated a land for this. This was done as a token of gratitude for the contribution of the Russian Empire to the acquisition of independence by Greece in 1878. The cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Evpatoria was designed by the architect Alexei Osipovich Bernardazzi, who was the chairman of the Odessa Technical Society. The temple was built on the site of the Greek church in memory of the liberation of the resort from Anglo-French-Turkish troops during the Crimean War. As a basis for the architectural composition of the cathedral, Byzantine architecture was chosen. The first stone in the foundation of the future monument of architecture was laid on July 11, 1893. The premise was consecrated in 1899 according to the old style by Bishop Volsky, Nikon. Inside the building can simultaneously accommodate about two thousand Orthodox believers.
The beginning of the construction of the temple: the work of Archpriest Yakov Chepurin
The initiator of the construction was Archpriest YakovChepurin. Without the participation of this priest, who became the first rector, the cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Yevpatoria (Crimea) would never have been built. He collected money for the temple and donated his personal funds, pawned his family values and property, took loans in the bank. This man dedicated the construction of the temple all his life, but he did not see the consecration with his own eyes. Prior to this event, the archpriest did not live out just a few months.
Memory of Archpriest Chepurin
Information about this selfless and modestvery little has been preserved. But there is a legend that he died on the threshold of the temple, when he learned that the painting on the walls of his offspring flowed because of the stoves in the basement. His heart could not stand this news. Archpriest Yakov Chepurin was buried under the walls of the cathedral, and later a church school was named in his part and the street adjacent to the cathedral was renamed. Nearby is the grave of Dr. NA Ozhe, who initiated the development of mud therapy in the city, which became one of the incentives for health tourism.
The fundraising took two years. It involved various religious communities: Muslim, Karaite, Jewish, which is not uncommon for Evpatoria.
Features of the location of the churches in Evpatoria
The city is famous for its tolerant attitude towards variousreligions. A short distance away is the Greek church, a synagogue, a mosque and an Orthodox church. All of them do not interfere with each other, but provide support. Most of the temples are located along the Tereshkova embankment, because this place is the religious center of the city. The Cathedral of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Evpatoria is located on the territory of the "Old City" and is included in the tourist route "Lesser Jerusalem".
Restoration of the cathedral and its consequences
This temple occupies a leading place in terms of capacity andSquare in the Crimea and second only to Kherson Vladimir Cathedral, which is currently being restored. The Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Evpatoria was also restored in 2014. But many local residents such a renovation of the temple was perceived negatively. The fact is that the ancient painting, habitual and revered by many townspeople from childhood, was not preserved. Several layers of plaster, including those with more ancient images, were removed from the walls and taken to the street in garbage bags, and in their place more vivid but less natural modern drawings were located. The grace of the decor in this style is no longer felt. Believers note that the temple became attractive only for tourists, but along with the ancient images on the walls, the sensations of the sanctity of this place also left.
Initially, in terms of construction of the cathedral was notmural, planned white walls and the figure of Jesus, revealing embraces to the parishioners against the cloudless sky. Even during the war, the temple was not destroyed, miraculously avoided destruction. But in 1955 the Soviet authorities closed the church on a false protocol, demolished the domes, and afterwards organized warehouses and art workshops in it. But then the building was rebuilt.
Address of the Cathedral of St. Nicholas in Yevpatoria: Tuchina street, 2.
