St. Stephen of Sourozh monastery Kiziltash village (Krasnokamenka). Then Leo sent decrees throughout the city and to many surrounding places so that everyone would do the same with the holy icons, and said: “If anyone opposes me, I will torture him.”
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Saint Stephen was born at the end of the 7th century in Cappadocia into a family of pious parents. At the age of seven, Stephen was sent to study the divine scriptures.
18-year-old Stephen went to Constantinople to study “grammar and philosophy, rhetoric and sophistry.” He achieved such success in science that even his teachers were surprised at his knowledge.
Hearing about Stephen, Patriarch Herman of Constantinople summoned him to his place, and for several years he lived with the patriarch and served in the church. Then he secretly left Constantinople and came to the monastery, where he took monastic vows. Soon, striving for silence, he settled in a deserted place and lived there for several years in feats of fasting and prayer.
Around 730, a bishop reposed in Surozh (now Sudak). People of different religions lived in this large trading city. Among them there were many pagans and Muslims. The Christians of Surozh asked Patriarch Herman to send a bishop who would strengthen Orthodoxy. During prayer, an Angel appeared to the Patriarch and said that the bishop should be the holy hermit Stephen. The will of the Lord was also revealed to Stephen. He was soon ordained bishop and sailed to his diocese.
The new bishop preached not only in the church, but also in houses and on the streets. Stephen's missionary activity was not limited only to Surozh, but included the surrounding territories and villages, where the bishop appointed many presbyters and clergy. Thus, in five years, Stephen baptized the entire city and surrounding villages.
At this time, the Byzantine emperor Leo III the Isaurian ordered the icons to be confiscated and destroyed. He removed Patriarch Herman, who refused to join the iconoclasts, and put in his place Anastasius, who served as the patriarch from 730 to 753. Saint Stephen arrived in Constantinople and denounced the emperor for iconoclasm. Leo the Isaurian tried, through persuasion and threats, to persuade the saint to the iconoclastic heresy, but to no avail. Saint Stephen answered the emperor: “Even if you burn me or cut me into pieces, I am ready to endure anything for the icons and the Cross of the Lord.” For these words he was severely beaten and then imprisoned for many years.
In 741, Emperor Leo III died and his son Constantine V ascended the throne. Through her intercession, Stephen of Sourozh was rescued from prison. The Empress invited the saint to baptize her little son. After this, Stefan was put on a ship with honors and sailed to his diocese in Surozh.
The time of his death was revealed to Saint Stephen by the Lord. He appointed a successor for himself and peacefully reposed in the Lord on December 15, 750. At the tomb of the deceased saint, a man born blind named Ephraim, to whom Saint Stephen had been a benefactor during his lifetime, miraculously regained his sight.
Stephen the Confessor, Archbishop of Sourozh
Saint Stephen was from Cappadocia (Asia Minor), and at the age of 15 he came to Constantinople for higher education, which he completed successfully, so that he surpassed “all the teachers in the city.” Everyone was amazed at the zeal, outstanding abilities and humility of the young man. Stephen's good character was noticed by the holy Patriarch Germanus I of Constantinople (715–730; † 740; commemorated May 12/25). For several years Saint Stephen lived with the saint and served in the Church of Constantinople, and then secretly went to one of the monasteries and there took monastic vows. Soon, striving for silence, he settled in a deserted place, where he spent several years in feats of fasting and prayer.
Around 730, a bishop died in the city of Surozh (now the city of Sudak in Crimea). People of different religions lived in this large trading city. Among them there were many pagans and Mohammedans. The Christians of Surozh asked Patriarch Herman to send a bishop who would strengthen Orthodoxy. During prayer, an Angel appeared to the Patriarch and said that the bishop should be the holy hermit Stephen. The will of the Lord was also revealed to Stephen. He was soon ordained bishop and sailed to his diocese.
Saint Stephen spent five years in tireless pastoral labors, enlightening the people with the word of truth. As a result, many non-believers of the Sourozh diocese were annexed to the Church of Christ.
At that time, the Byzantine emperor Leo III the Isaurian (717–741) ordered the icons to be blasphemed and dishonored. He removed Patriarch Herman, who refused to join the iconoclasts, and installed in his place the Syrian Anastasius, who served as the patriarch from 730 to 753. Saint Stephen arrived in Constantinople and denounced the emperor for iconoclasm. Leo the Isaurian tried, through persuasion and threats, to persuade the saint to the iconoclastic heresy, but to no avail. Saint Stephen answered the emperor: “Even if you burn me or cut me into pieces, I am ready to endure anything for the icons and the Cross of the Lord.” For his jealousy, he was severely beaten and then imprisoned for many years.
In 741, Emperor Leo III died and his son Constantine V Copronymus (741–775) ascended the throne. He was also an iconoclast. But at the request of the emperor’s wife Irene, Saint Stephen was released and returned to his see.
Saint Stephen, already a very old man, had the time of his death revealed. He appointed cleric Philaret as his successor and peacefully reposed in the Lord.
Evidence has been preserved that at the beginning of the 9th century, the Russian prince Bravlin, during a campaign in the Crimea, was baptized, turning to the true faith under the influence of miracles at the shrine of the saint.
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Our reverend father Stephen was born in Cappadocia the Great - from Christian parents who raised him with good discipline. WITH childhood he was distinguished by good behavior, moving away from ordinary children's amusements. At the age of seven, his parents sent him to learn to read and write; He turned out to be capable of learning, and soon became well versed in the Divine Scripture. When he was fifteen years old, he left his fatherland and came to Constantinople, wanting to complete his education there. This happened under King Theodosius Adramithen and St. Patriarch Herman. There's St. Stefan continued to study diligently and, having learned philosophical sciences, surpassed many in wisdom - even the teachers themselves - so that everyone was amazed at his wisdom.
Having heard about Stephen, St. Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, called him and, blessing him, asked what country he was from. Stefan told him everything about himself. Having fallen in love with his good behavior, wisdom and humility, the patriarch left Stefan to live with him. Blessed Stephen lived with the patriarch for several years, serving the Holy Church and living in abstinence and a clear conscience. Then, secretly from everyone, he left Constantinople and, coming to a certain monastery, took monastic vows there and labored in virtues. Then, desiring a most silent life, he left the monastery and, finding a secluded and unknown place, lived there for quite some time, working for God in fasting and prayer.
At that time, the bishop who was in the city of Surozh reposed, and so the inhabitants of Surozh came to Constantinople to His Holiness Patriarch Herman, asking for a bishop for Surozh. And when the discussion about the appointment of a bishop took place, disagreement arose, since some wanted one thing, others wanted another. The Surozhans asked the king and His Holiness Patriarch give them a bishop who can govern the church well, “For,” they said, “heresies have multiplied in our city.”
One day, when Saint Herman was standing in prayer at night, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said:
- Tomorrow we will go to that deserted place where the chosen one of God Stefan lives: appoint him as a bishop for Sourozh, for he can shepherd the flock of Christ well and lead heretics to the true faith. I was sent to him from God, with the command that he should not disobey you in anything.
“Oh, sir,” said the patriarch, “how do I find out the place where the chosen one of God Stefan lives?”
Then the Angel, taking one of the patriarch’s servants, showed him the whereabouts of the saint, and the servant, returning, told this to the patriarch.
To Saint Stephen, who at that time hidden place As he prayed to God, the same Angel of the Lord appeared in a white robe, and the saint was afraid. Stefan fell to the ground in fear.
Taking the saint by the hand, the Angel calmed him down, saying:
- I am the Angel of the Lord and was sent from Christ the Savior to proclaim joy to you and command you to go to the city of Surozh so that you teach people the faith of Christ. Tomorrow the patriarch will call you and, having consecrated you, will send you there as archbishop; do not disobey him, lest you anger God.
Then, having taught him peace, the Angel ascended to heaven.
The next day, the patriarch sent two elders with a servant to fetch Saint Stephen, and they with great honor brought him to the patriarch.
Patriarch St. greeted him with joy. Stephen, and having consecrated him, made him Archbishop of Surozh and sent him on a ship to the diocese entrusted to him.
Arriving in the city of Surozh and ascending the archbishop's throne, St. Stefan began to teach people from the Divine Scripture and over the course of five years he baptized the entire city of Surozh and all its surroundings.
At that time, Leo the Isaurian reigned in Constantinople and initiated iconoclasm, having been taught this by two Jews. First he ordered the holy icons to be placed high, saying:
- He who is clean, let him kiss them.
Then he ordered the icons to be lifted into the air, explaining that the icons should not be nailed to the wall. And many other things were undertaken by the accursed one against the veneration of St. icons The Holy Patriarch Herman admonished him a lot to abandon his evil undertaking, talking about this on the basis of the holy books. Enraged by the admonitions, the iconoclast openly revealed his poison, which he had hitherto hidden in his heart, and vigorously began to expel the holy icons, blaspheme and dishonor them.
Then Leo sent out decrees throughout the city and many surrounding places, so that everyone should do the same with the holy icons, and said:
“If anyone opposes me, I will torture him with various torments and put him to death.”
In the reigning city one could then see various torments of Orthodox Christians. The evil king sent Patriarch Herman into captivity, and in his place appointed Patriarch Anastasius, a Syrian by birth, who was like-minded with him in his heresy.
Then the king and patriarch sent their ambassadors to Surozh to St. Archbishop Stephen with an evil command not to worship icons and the cross. Saint Stephen answered the ambassadors:
- Yes, this will not happen; I will not allow my people to deviate from the law of Christ: I do not listen to the commands of either the king or the accursed patriarch.
At night he came to the ambassadors on the ship and arrived with them in Constantinople.
Having donned the robes of his priesthood, St. Stephen appeared before the king. The king asked him:
- Who are you?
The saint answered:
– I am Archbishop Stephen of Sourozh.
And the king said:
- Do you see this cathedral, sitting with me in great honor? They burned and chopped up the icons: listen to me, and you will be in the same great honor with us.
Saint Stephen answered:
- Yes, this will not happen. Even if you burned me, or cut me into pieces, or tortured me with some other torment, I am ready to endure anything for the icons and for the Cross of the Lord.
Then the saint said to the king:
“We found some prophecy in books that an evil king, an iconoclast, would appear in Constantinople, burning holy icons. But may God not do this during your reign!
-Have you found the name of that king? - asked the king.
“His name is Konop,” answered Stefan. And the king said:
- Fair enough, Stefan, you found my name, for my father and mother called me Konop.
And Stephen said:
- Oh, king! May this not happen during your reign. If you do this, you will be the forerunner of the Antichrist!
Hearing this from the saint, the accursed king beat his face, lips and teeth with an iron glove, exclaiming:
- How dare you call me the forerunner of the Antichrist?
And the king ordered that Stefan be grabbed by the hair and beard, beaten, dragged along the ground and thrown into prison. Drawn by the tormentors, the saint sent thanks to God, and was thrown into prison, where other saints were also kept. Then the king again ordered Stefan to be brought to him.
“How dare the Bishop of Sourozh call me that!” - he said. “Bring him here with beatings.”
The saint appeared before the king with seven bishops. Holding in his hands the icon of the Lord, the Mother of God and John the Baptist, the king said to the saint:
– Why did you call me the forerunner of the Antichrist?
The saint answered:
- Because you do his works; I have already said this and I repeat the same to you again.
Then the king spat on the icon, began to trample on it and said to Stefan:
- Do the same with this icon.
The saint, shedding tears, said:
- The enemy of God, unworthy of the kingdom! How are your crazy eyes not blinded and your lawless hands withered? May God soon take away your kingdom and end your life.
Hearing this, the king in anger ordered to beat Saint Stephen. Then they tied him to the tail of the horse and dragged him to prison; The saint gave thanks to God. All the prisoners in prison prayed to God, and, through the prayer of the saints, the wicked king soon died and his son Constantine Copronymus reigned. His wife, hearing about the virtues and miracles of Saint Stephen, asked her husband, Tsar Constantine, to let the saint take his throne. At the same time, a son was born to the king, and Saint Stephen baptized him. Having rewarded Stephen with gifts, the king with great honor released him to his flock. Got it again good shepherd his throne and for a long time he kindly shepherded the flock of Christ entrusted to him. Then, foreseeing his departure to God, he appointed his cleric Philaret as archbishop for Surozh in his place and reposed to God into eternal life, on the 15th day of December.
There was one man in Surozh, named Ephraim, blind from his mother’s womb, whom Saint Stephen helped with food, drink and clothing. Hearing about the death of his benefactor, he began to cry, saying:
– Who will take care of me now? Lead me so that I can kiss his holy feet.
And when he was brought to the body of the deceased Saint Stephen, he fell at his feet weeping and sobbing - and immediately received his sight. By this miracle, God informed about His saint that he was numbered among the saints as wonderworkers and confessors. His holy body was honorably buried by the saints and the entire Sourozh people with many tears, to the glory of the glorified and exalted God forever. Amen.
Troparion, tone 4:
As a saint who lived together with the incorporeal, Hieromartyr Stephen: let us take the cross as a weapon, and stood firmly against the iconoclaster and the Doukhobors, who do not worship the most pure image of Christ our God, and cut off all heresies of the evil ones. For the sake of receiving the crown of torment, you delivered your city Surozh from all hostility. And now we pray to you, holy, to deliver us from all evil temptations, troubles, and eternal torment.
Kontakion, tone 3:
Having strengthened yourself sacredly by the power of the Most High, you brought down the Tsar’s iconoclastic vacillation. Today, to Surozh and to us faithful, glory and wealth, your holy relics are presented: they are given from above by the ranks of angels, with songs and singing they glorify you, the great sacred Stephen.
Saint Stephen of Sourozh, Archbishop! December 28th. Our reverend father Stephen was born in Cappadocia the Great - from Christian parents who raised him in good discipline. From childhood, he was distinguished by good behavior, moving away from ordinary children's amusements. At the age of seven, his parents sent him to learn to read and write; He turned out to be capable of learning, and soon became well versed in the Divine Scripture. When he was fifteen years old, he left his fatherland and came to Constantinople, wanting to complete his education there. This happened during the reign of King Theodosius Adramitene1 and St. Patriarch German2. There's St. Stefan continued to study diligently and, having learned the philosophical sciences, surpassed many in wisdom - even the teachers themselves - so that everyone was amazed at his wisdom. Having heard about Stephen, St. Herman, Patriarch of Constantinople, called him and, blessing him, asked what country he was from. Stefan told him everything about himself. Having fallen in love with his good behavior, wisdom and humility, the patriarch left Stefan to live with him. Blessed Stephen lived with the patriarch for several years, serving the Holy Church and living in abstinence and a clear conscience. Then, secretly from everyone, he left Constantinople and, coming to a certain monastery, took monastic vows there and labored in virtues. Then, desiring a most silent life, he left the monastery and, finding a secluded and unknown place, lived there for quite some time, working for God in fasting and prayer. At that time, the bishop who was in the city of Surozh3 died, and so the inhabitants of Surozh came to Constantinople to His Holiness Patriarch German, asking for a bishop for Surozh. And when the discussion about the appointment of a bishop took place, disagreement arose, since some wanted one thing, others wanted another. The residents of Surozhan asked the king and the holy patriarch to give them a bishop who could govern the church well, “for,” they said, “heresies have multiplied in our city.” One day, when Saint Herman was standing in prayer at night, an Angel of the Lord appeared to him and said: “Tomorrow let’s go to that deserted place where God’s chosen one Stefan lives: make him a bishop for Surozh, for he can shepherd the flock of Christ well and lead heretics to the true faith.” . I was sent to him from God, with the command that he should not disobey you in anything. “Oh, sir,” said the patriarch, “how do I find out the place where the chosen one of God Stefan lives?” Then the Angel, taking one of the patriarch’s servants, showed him the whereabouts of the saint, and the servant, returning, told this to the patriarch. The same Angel of the Lord in white clothing appeared to Saint Stephen, who at that time was praying to God in a hidden place, and the saint was afraid. Stefan fell to the ground in fear. Taking the saint by the hand, the Angel reassured him, saying: “I am the Angel of the Lord and was sent from Christ the Savior to announce joy to you and command you to go to the city of Surozh, so that you teach people the faith of Christ.” Tomorrow the patriarch will call you and, having consecrated you, will send you there as archbishop; do not disobey him, lest you anger God. Then, having taught him peace, the Angel ascended to heaven. The next day, the patriarch sent two presbyters with a servant to fetch Saint Stephen, and they with great honor brought him to the patriarch. Patriarch St. greeted him with joy. Stephen, and having consecrated him, made him Archbishop of Surozh and sent him on a ship to the diocese entrusted to him. Arriving in the city of Surozh and ascending the archbishop's throne, St. Stefan began to teach people from the Divine Scripture and over the course of five years he baptized the entire city of Surozh and all its surroundings. At that time, Leo the Isaurian reigned in Constantinople and initiated iconoclasm,4 having been taught this by two Jews. First, he ordered the holy icons to be placed high, saying: “Whoever is clean, let him kiss them.” Then he ordered the icons to be lifted into the air, explaining that the icons should not be nailed to the wall. And many other things were undertaken by the accursed one against the veneration of St. icons The Holy Patriarch Herman admonished him a lot to abandon his evil undertaking, talking about this on the basis of the holy books5. Enraged by the admonitions, the iconoclast openly revealed his poison, which he had hitherto hidden in his heart, and vigorously began to expel the holy icons, blaspheme and dishonor them. Then Leo sent decrees throughout the city and to many surrounding places so that everyone would do the same with the holy icons, and said: “If anyone opposes me, I will torture him with various torments and put him to death.” In the reigning city one could then see various torments of Orthodox Christians. The evil king sent Patriarch Herman into captivity, and in his place appointed Patriarch Anastasius, a Syrian by birth, who was like-minded with him in his heresy. Then the king and patriarch sent their ambassadors to Surozh to St. Archbishop Stephen with an evil command not to worship icons and the cross. Saint Stephen answered the ambassadors: “Let this not happen; I will not allow my people to deviate from the law of Christ: I do not listen to the commands of either the king or the accursed patriarch. At night he came to the ambassadors on the ship and arrived with them in Constantinople. Having donned the robes of his priesthood, St. Stephen appeared before the king. The king asked him: “Who are you?” The saint answered: “I am Archbishop Stephen of Sourozh.” And the king said: “Do you see this cathedral, sitting with me in great honor?” They burned and chopped up the icons: listen to me, and you will be in the same great honor with us. Saint Stephen answered: “Let this not happen.” Even if you burned me, or cut me into pieces, or tortured me with some other torment, I am ready to endure anything for the icons and for the Cross of the Lord. Then the saint said to the king: “We found some prophecy in the books that an evil king, an iconoclast, would appear in Constantinople, burning holy icons.” But may God not do this during your reign! -Have you found the name of that king? - asked the king. “His name is Konop,” answered Stefan. And the king said: “It’s fair, Stefan, you found my name, for my father and mother called me Konop.” And Stefan said: “Oh, king!” May this not happen during your reign. If you do this, you will be the forerunner of the Antichrist! Hearing this from the saint, the accursed king beat his face, lips and teeth with an iron glove, exclaiming: “How dare you call me the forerunner of the Antichrist?” And the king ordered that Stefan be grabbed by the hair and beard, beaten, dragged along the ground and thrown into prison. Drawn by the tormentors, the saint sent thanks to God, and was thrown into prison, where other saints were also kept. Then the king again ordered Stefan to be brought to him. - How dare the Bishop of Sourozh call me that! - he said. - Drag him here with beatings. The saint appeared before the king with seven bishops. Holding in his hands the icon of the Lord, the Mother of God and John the Baptist, the king said to the saint: “Why did you call me the forerunner of the Antichrist?” The saint answered: “Because you do his deeds; I have already said this and I repeat the same to you again. Then the king spat on the icon, began to trample on it and said to Stefan: “Do the same with this icon.” The saint, shedding tears, said: “The enemy of God, unworthy of the kingdom!” How are your crazy eyes not blinded and your lawless hands withered? May God soon take away your kingdom and end your life. Hearing this, the king in anger ordered to beat Saint Stephen. Then they tied him to the tail of the horse and dragged him to prison; The saint gave thanks to God. All the prisoners in prison prayed to God, and, through the prayer of the saints, the wicked king soon died and his son Constantine Copronymus reigned. His wife, hearing about the virtues and miracles of Saint Stephen, asked her husband, Tsar Constantine, to let the saint take his throne. At the same time, a son was born to the king, and Saint Stephen baptized him. Having rewarded Stephen with gifts, the king with great honor released him to his flock. The good shepherd again received his throne and for a long time well shepherded the flock of Christ entrusted to him. Then, foreseeing his departure to God, he appointed his cleric Philaret as archbishop for Surozh in his place and reposed before God into eternal life, on the 15th day of December. There was one man in Surozh, named Ephraim, blind from his mother’s womb, whom Saint Stephen helped with food, drink and clothing. Hearing about the death of his benefactor, he cried, saying: “Who will take care of me now?” Lead me so that I can kiss his holy feet. And when he was brought to the body of the reposed Saint Stephen, with weeping and sobbing he fell at his feet - and immediately received his sight. By this miracle, God informed about His saint that he was numbered among the saints as wonderworkers and confessors. His holy body was honorably buried by the saints and the entire Sourozh people with many tears, to the glory of the glorified and exalted God forever. Amen. Troparion, tone 4: As the saint became one with the incorporeal, the Hieromartyr Stephen: let us take the cross as a weapon, and stood firmly against the icon-reproacher and the Doukhobors, who do not worship the most pure image of Christ our God, and cut off all heresy of the evil ones. For the sake of receiving the crown of torment, you delivered your city Surozh from all hostility. And now we pray to you, holy, to deliver us from all evil temptations, troubles, and eternal torment. Kontakion, voice 3: Having been strengthened sacredly by the power of the Most High, you have overthrown the king of iconoclasts. Today, Sourozh and us faithful are presented with glory and wealth, your holy relics: from above they are given by ranks of angels, with songs and singing they glorify you, the great sacred Stephen.
Last Wednesday in Crimea, in the area of Mount Klimentyev near Koktebel, a light-engine Cessna plane crashed. The pilot and three passengers on board were killed. Among the victims are the 42-year-old abbot of the St. Stephen of Sourozh Monastery in Kiziltash and the rector of the Holy Protection Church in Sudak, Abbot Nikon (Demjanjuk).
According to Sudak residents, it was Fr. Nikon revived St. Stephen of Sourozh monastery in the village of Krasnokamenka (Kiziltash) and in Sudak, the Holy Protection Church, on the basis of which he created an Orthodox educational center with a Sunday school and a library.
From a young age, Nikolai (this was the name of the abbot in the world) was interested in aviation, flying gliders in the Simferopol flying club. And in the future, Father Nikon did not give up his passion for aviation for many years, heading the hang gliding and aircraft modeling circle at the Holy Protection Church of Sudak.
I was lucky enough to be at the service that he led. He spoke a wonderful sermon about love. Bright memory!
For many years I wanted to visit this monastery. But it was not so easy. The monastery is located on the territory military base. Entrance to it for pilgrims was previously limited... And last year the opportunity arose to visit this beautiful monastery in the Kizil-Tasha mountains.
We go to the monastery from Sudak. 30 minutes of travel and we are approaching the picturesque Kiziltash valley. Here you can see rocky cliffs, jagged mountain peaks and gorges. It was in one of these valleys, located near the rocky ridge Kizil-Tash (in Tatar “red stone”), not far from the village of Krasnokamenka, that a monastery in honor of St. Stephen of Sourozh was founded in the 1850s.
KIZILTASH
Silent under the silken rain
The hardened ridge
And sleeps in gray legends
Monastery Kiziltash.
Abandoned old monastery –
Not a cell around,
Where the ancient Psalter was sung
And the Cross rose.
Where at the monastic graves
And in temples among the mountains
Offered prayers to the Savior
Reverent choir.
Centuries have passed a long time ago
Tsargradov and Sugdei,
But the melancholy thickens again
And it tortures people.
They are to heaven from earth
Raise their gaze -
And altars arise
In the wilderness of harsh mountains.
And, thank God, there are hearts
In our inert restlessness,
Which is dear to the end
The sacred world is different.
And that means Kiziltash will rise
In the greatness of the past,
And the monk will crown the ridge
The Salvation Cross! 
The Christian history of this place began one thousand hundred years before this event - in the 8th century after the Nativity of Christ. And it is most closely connected with the name of the holy saint of God - St. Stephen of Sourozh... I will tell you about this holy saint later.
Road to the monastery 
It is steep and rocky in places. 
And now a beautiful view of the valley and Mount Chakyl-Kaya opened before us (the monastery is already visible in the distance). 
Path to the monastery. 
The monastery is located under Mount Chakyl-Kaya. The surviving legend says that it was in these places, at the foot of the red rocks, that Stefan of Sourozh loved to retire and pray. 
To the left of the monastery there is a military unit. 
And our path winds along the mountainside. 
View of the military base. 
On the tops of the mountains above the monastery we see crosses. 
The monastery is already visible in the distance. 
The monastery is located on the territory of a military unit (hence the fence with wire). Previously, entry for pilgrims was through a checkpoint. 
View of the monastery. 
One of the Crosses over the monastery was placed by order of the commander of the military unit - “The seven-meter cross was consecrated below, and then the soldiers, with great difficulty, dragged it to the top of the mountain. They installed it, working conscientiously. And at night in the apartment of Father Nikon (Hegumen of the monastery) a sound was heard phone call. The unit commander himself called: “Father, come to us urgently! This is happening here!” Out of excitement, the unit commander could not even really explain what the matter was. He just said into the phone: “Miracle!” And then there were frequent beeps...
The miracle was that the cross that had just been installed on the top of the mountain glowed all night. Yes, with such an extraordinary light that all the military personnel and members of their families who went out into the street to look at the miracle took their breath away!” 
We cross the bed of a dry stream. 
HISTORY OF THE FOUNDATION OF THE MONASTERY.
Pilgrim pilgrims Andronim and Panteleimon actually became the first monks of the future monastery. With their own efforts, they built themselves a very modest dwelling not far from the source and a clay church there.
In 1856, Saint Innocent of Kherson and Tauride visited Kiziltash. He consecrated this small church in the name of St. Stephen of Sourozh. At the same time, eminent and wealthy citizens of Feodosia and Sudak turned to Vladyka Innocent with a request to open a cenobitic monastery in Kiziltash.
Their request was granted: soon, by decision of the Holy Synod, a male cenobitic monastery was created in Kiziltash. The first abbot of the newly formed cenovia was hegumen Arseny, who arrived here from St. George's Monastery. Under his leadership, eleven monks gathered and began the arrangement of the monastery. They built small house and four dugouts.
The fate of the first settlers of Kinovia turned out differently. Andronik left for Mount Athos in 1857; no more detailed information has been preserved about his life. But Panteleimon remained in the Kiziltash monastery, took monastic vows with the name Pachomius and lived here for twenty-five years. He died in 1874, having adopted the schema two years before his death.
The monastery temple was consecrated in honor of the Kiev-Pechersk saints, the founders of monasticism in Rus'. 
HOLY REVEREND MARTYR PARTHENIOUS OF KIZILTASH
The construction of the monastery really began with the appointment of Hieromonk Parthenius as abbot here. He was transferred to the Kiziltash monastery on August 20, 1858. Being an excellent organizer, he managed to organize the construction of buildings and stone terraces in the monastery; the subsidiary farm under his leadership provided everything necessary for the life of monks and pilgrims.
Courageous and always cheerful, Father Parfeniy was not suppressed by the unsightly situation of complete disorder, but dominated over it. Not agreeing with immorality and baseness in any of their manifestations, he, unselfish, caring like a father, was loved and respected, his authority steadily grew and strengthened. 
This is what he enthusiastically wrote about the abbot of Parthenia in his “Essays on Crimea” famous writer, teacher and traveler E. A. Markov: “He was a courageous and active owner of the Kiziltash forests. He strove to turn the desert into a homely, abundant economy, and had already almost achieved his goal. He was the first to work from dawn to dusk in his factories and on his plantations. A handful of monks helped him; there was nothing to hire workers for. In Kiziltash cinnovia before Parthenius there was only a cave with a healing spring and two or three wicker huts. Parthenius got everything else. He cut roads, broke stone, sawed boards, burned lime and bricks, planted cuttings in forest pear trees, planted vineyards, dug wells... From a cave in the rock a whole monastery became, with two hotels, a church, cells and various services. Parthenius's energy, enterprise and economic experience made him in some way the leader of the surrounding owners. He was a master in everything: an architect, an engineer, a carpenter, a stove maker, a gardener, a cattle breeder, whatever you want... People turned to him for advice, he was entrusted with tasks. Those who visited Kiziltash returned from the desert enchanted by its forest beauties and the simple-hearted hospitality of its intelligent owner.”
In those days, Sudak was a large village inhabited mainly by gardeners. Owners of large estates did not manage their gardens and vineyards themselves, usually hiring managers from the Taraktash Tatars. The landowners themselves came to Sudak only in the summer to relax by the sea and sell their harvest. Unfortunately, it sometimes happened that the managers did not care about the estates entrusted to them, but about their own well-being. But this was not enough for them. The time came when they, having lost their conscience, began to use the monastery property as their own. Father Parthenius was unable to communicate with them either at the everyday or at the administrative level. Possessing a surprisingly direct and integral character, he acted as his Christian conscience told him.
In May 1863, having caught the Tatar managers stealing the monastery forest once again, the abbot was severely beaten. But it didn’t end there: on August 22, 1866, the abbot of the Kiziltash monastery was brutally murdered. His corpse was burned. The investigators managed to find the remains only in October 1866. A special coffin was arranged for them, in which Abbot Parthenius was buried on December 2, 1866. At the expense of the Sudak landowner Rudneva, a cast-iron monument and an oak cross were erected at the site of the martyr’s death.
In 2000, the Jubilee Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church Hegumen Parthenius was canonized as a holy martyr. His memorial day is celebrated every year on September 17th.
The monastery garden is located not far from the temple. 
MONASTERY AT THE END OF THE 19TH CENTURY
After the death of Abbot Parthenius, a new abbot was appointed to the monastery - Abbot Nikolai. He turned out to be a worthy successor to Father Parthenius and ruled the city for more than twenty years. In 1870, the monastery was built stone church with a bell tower, covered with iron. It was consecrated in 1871 in the name of the Dormition of the Mother of God. An icon was installed in it above the Royal Doors Holy Mother of God, found more than forty years ago in the source. But the temple was not heated in winter time, so services were held here only in the summer. In 1885, on the site of the first adobe church, a winter church was built in honor of St. Stephen of Sourozh. At this church there was a sacristy, cells for the sexton and novices. The monastery continued to gradually settle down and become more beautiful. On the territory of the monastery were built stone house for the abbot, a refectory for thirty people with a kitchen and prosphora, a hotel for twenty places for pilgrims, five fraternal wings with separate cells, a workshop and outbuildings. Huge crosses were erected on the tops of the surrounding mountains, showing the way for pilgrims. The number of brethren in the monastery was small at first. In 1857 it consisted of twelve people, including the rector. In 1875, there were seventeen people here: five hieromonks, two hierodeacons, four monks and six novices. In 1877 there were twelve people here: two hieromonks, two hierodeacons, five monks and three novices. By 1894 the number of monastics and novices had increased to sixty-five. The Kiziltash kinovia was maintained at its own expense. Her land holdings were also small. In 1856, they amounted to 157 dessiatines, purchased from the landowner Kashkadamov with money donated by St. Innocent of Kherson and Tauride. In 1894, the monastery's land expanded to 227 acres. By 1886, seven acres of land had been cleared of bushes by the monks and used for hayfields, gardens and vegetable gardens. The vegetables were used not only to support the brothers, but also for sale. The six longitudinal terraces on which the monastery buildings were located were also planted fruit trees. By this time, there were 35 head of cattle in the kenobia. Carp were bred in the artificial monastery pond. Kinovia, located in one of the the most beautiful places Crimea was often visited by pilgrims. Everyone wanted to visit the healing springs of the monastery. An oak staircase led to the spring of St. Stephen in the cave. A glass pavilion was built near the cave, where icons of Saints Stephen of Sourozh and Nicholas the Wonderworker were installed. Not far from the monastery, another spring came out of the ground. His water contained sulfur. Healing mud was gradually deposited here, which also attracted people suffering from various ailments.
Entrance to the temple. 
WAR... REVOLUTION...
During the First World War, the inhabitants of the Kiziltash Monastery provided assistance to the front with medicines, dressings, and collected gifts for the soldiers. During civil war the monastery was robbed.
With the Bolsheviks coming to power, the monks and novices of the Kinovia organized a labor community and turned to the commission for the separation of church and state at the Feodosian Revolutionary Committee with a request to transfer to them the property of the Assumption and Seraphim churches for performing divine services. In 1921, the monastery churches were transferred to the community. In the same year, the authorities created a children's labor colony in the monastery. The monks were offered to supervise agricultural work there. But soon, in 1923, a decision was made to close the Kiziltash Monastery. In all its churches, services were stopped. Believers from the villages of Koktebel, Otuzy, Izyumovka, Karagoz repeatedly asked to transfer the monastery church to them, but each time they were refused.
In 1924, instead of a children's colony, a labor colony named after Kalinin was established in the monastery. The building of one of the churches was converted into a club. But work in the colony did not go well: relations between its members were difficult, quarrels often broke out, and they worked extremely poorly. As a result of these troubles, the colony was liquidated. Instead, three years later, an agricultural artel was created here. This time, the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary became a hostel for members of the artel. But the artel did not take root here either: in 1930, on the territory of the former monastery, a rest house for the Moscow Military District was built, which existed until the beginning of the Great Patriotic War.
In the temple. 
SECRET TERRITORY
After the war, in 1950, it was decided to build one of the secret arsenals here, in which nuclear warheads of ships of the Black Sea Fleet were stored. All remaining buildings of the monastery were blown up. A village appeared, which, being an absolutely secret object under the name “ Mailbox No. 105" (in the 1960s - "Feodosia-13"), by 1956 it had expanded: it had its own kindergarten, school, shops. However, the village was closed and strictly guarded, and the territory of the former monastery turned out to be inaccessible to believers, archaeologists, researchers and just tourists. In 1991, after the collapse of the USSR, the nuclear stockpile was removed, but military unit The Armed Forces of Ukraine remained here. But this is another story; those who wish to get acquainted with it are advised to visit the Kiziltash website
REVIVAL
On April 15, 1997, at an extended meeting of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, chaired by His Beatitude Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, a report was heard from Bishop Lazar on the opening of the Kiziltash Monastery in the name of St. Stefan Sourozhsky. Holy Synod decided: to bless the opening of the monastery, to approve Priest Nikolai Demjanjuk as its vicar and to tonsure him into monasticism.
Then the revival of the monastery began, which has not yet been completed. First, the cave with the source of St. Stephen of Sourozh was restored. They also built a church in honor of the Kiev-Pechersk saints - the founders of monasticism in Rus'. From many churches of the Crimean peninsula, pieces of the relics of the holy saints of God were transferred to it: St. Innocent of Kherson and Tauride, St. Luke of Simferopol and Crimea, St. Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Rus', the holy great martyr and healer Panteleimon, the holy Venerable Agapit of Pechersk, the holy noble prince Alexander Nevsky, Holy Great Martyr George the Victorious and others.
Model of the monastery. This is how it was before the revolution. 
Old lithograph with a view of the monastery. 
The Royal Doors, Solea and Pulpit. 
HOLY STEPHAN OF SOUROZH
Down by the sea in a picturesque bay in those days the rich and beautiful city and the port of Surozh (now Sudak), in which they were already operating Christian churches. There was also an episcopal see here. In 724, the ruling bishop of Sourozh reposed in the Lord. Then the inhabitants of the city came to Constantinople to Patriarch German with a request to appoint a bishop for them. During the selection of candidates, disagreements arose among the petitioners: some wanted one thing, others another. But everyone agreed that a bishop was needed who could skillfully govern the Church, since all kinds of heresies had arisen and were multiplying in their city.
While Patriarch Herman was thinking about who to appoint to the Sourozh see, an angel of the Lord appeared to him and ordered him to find the pious monk Stefan for this purpose - good-natured, humble, and also very literate and wise man. It should also be said that Stefan, desiring a silent life, long before these events left the monastery in which he took monastic vows, and, finding an unknown secluded place, lived there for quite a long time in fasting and prayer.
The angel also appeared to Stephen. As the Life of the Saint says, he said to the hermit: “I am an angel of the Lord and sent from Christ the Savior to announce joy to you and command you to go to the city of Surozh so that you teach people the faith of Christ. Tomorrow the Patriarch will call you and, having consecrated you, will send you there as an archbishop; do not disobey him, lest you anger God.”
In the center of the temple is a proskintarium with an icon of St. Stephen of Sourozh. 
Soon the new Archbishop of Sourozh, Stefan, set off on a ship to the shores of Taurida. Not only with sermons, but also with his righteous life During the five years of his archpastoral activity, the saint was able to convince almost all the inhabitants of Surozh and its environs to accept baptism.
But at that time, the iconoclastic heresy, led by Emperor Leo the Isaurian, gained strength in Byzantium. Many of those who venerated the icons were exiled or even killed. Holy Patriarch Germanus tried to exhort Leo the Isaurian, but his efforts were in vain: soon he, too, was imprisoned by order of the emperor.
The strictest imperial command was also sent to Surozh not to worship icons and the cross. To which Stephen of Sourozh firmly replied that he would not allow his people to deviate from the law of Christ. Stephen was captured, tortured, and then thrown into prison. Only a few years later, the son of the deceased Leo, Konstantin Kopronymus, freed Stephen from captivity. He not only freed and rewarded him for everything that he had to endure, but again appointed him archbishop of Surozh, where he then managed the affairs of the believers until his death in 750.
Saint Stephen of Sourozh was buried in St. Sophia Cathedral city of Surozh. Near his holy relics the Lord performed miracles: many people were healed of their mental and physical ailments. 
Temple painting. 
ICON OF NICHOLAS II, EMPEROR, PASSION-BEARER. 
I see an unusual cloud above the monastery. If you look closely, you can see a cross above the cloud. 
Monastic territory. 
We are heading to the monastery chapel with a well. 
The blue dome of the chapel is already visible in the distance. 
Not far from the well we meet such a miracle - an old spreading oak tree, which has probably been living on the territory of the monastery for 300 years. I saw this oak tree and Archbishop Innocent, and Abbot Parthenius and members of the royal Romanov dynasty. In 1906, I visited Kiziltash royal family, and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna treated her feet with the waters of a sulfur spring. Artists I.K. Aivazovsky and K.F. Bogaevsky loved these picturesque places. 
The chapel over the well was recently built. 
The Andronikov Icon of the Mother of God above the entrance to the chapel. 
The blue dome of the chapel shines brightly over the surrounding area. 
Icon of the Sourozh Archbishop St. Stefan 
Entrance to the chapel. 
Monastery well. 
And then my path lies to a very sad place. To the place where I stood old temple monastery... This place is located not far from the chapel. 
And here in front of me are the preserved foundation stones of the monastery walls and the temple. 
My soul is sad from the landscape that opened up to me... 
In 1950, by order of L. Beria, all the buildings of the monastery were blown up, tunnels were built in the rocks, and the nuclear arsenal of the Black Sea Fleet was located on the territory of the monastery... 
Apparently the altar part of the temple was located here... 
Entrance to the temple?... 
And not far from the destroyed temple there is a new wooden temple. The temple in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov was built in May 2008 on the site where there was a chapel in the name of St. Seraphim of Sarov, and consecrated in 2010. It is one of the few wooden churches in Crimea!
It was a weekday and the temple was closed. Services are held here on holidays. 
On the temple there is a carved icon of Our Lady of Tenderness. 
The icon of the Mother of God was the cell image of St. Seraphim of Sarov. We oil ourselves from the lamp that burned in front of the cell icon, Venerable Seraphim anointed the sick, and they received healing. In front of such an icon, the monk departed to the Lord. Another name for the icon is “The Joy of All Joys.” This is how St. Seraphim himself often called the icon of Tenderness. 
Above the entrance there is a wooden icon of St. Ave. Seraphim of Sarov. 
Not far from the temple there is a stone staircase with figured balusters and a preserved ancient stone cross at the foot... 
The stone staircase and balusters somehow remind me of the entrance to noble estates 18-19 centuries. 
We pass by the old monastery cemetery. Old moss-covered slabs on the graves of the monastery brethren who have passed into eternity... 
Next, we slowly begin to climb the Chakyl-Kaya mountain. Somewhere here there was a Robber Cave, which is formed by two fallen rocks. According to legend, the name of the cave was given in honor of the national Robin Hood of the Crimean Tatars. Hiding in this cave... 
And our path lies to the monastery grottoes. 
The path passes under a blocky rubble and leads along a rock ledge to a staircase leading to the holy cave. 
We pass through the through cavities under stone blocks, collapsed to the foot of the slopes... 
We went out to the area near the main grottoes. In front of us there is a stone well at the bottom, there is even some water. 
These grottoes also served as a place of retreat for solitary prayers to the monks of the monastery. 
Grotto caves. 
These are the picturesque landscapes of the Kiziltash valley that open up to us on the way to the cave of St. Stephen of Sourozh. 
Grottoes and cavities on the slopes of the mountain. 
The monks made a staircase leading to the cave.
Climbing the steep slope to the holy cave has now become easier. 
And here is the holy cave ahead (in 2010, the monks equipped it, inserted windows and installed a door.) 
Sacred Cave - the name is given in honor of the miracle of finding the icon of the Mother of God. 
This cave has been known since ancient times with the source of St. Stephen of Sourozh, which was considered healing among peoples of different religions. Obviously, in the Middle Ages it was a church. The remains of a foundation made of untreated stone have survived to this day. lime mortar. In 1825, an icon appeared in a cave, in the waters of a spring. Mother of God. She was found by a Tatar shepherd who was fleeing in a cave from inclement weather. He gave the icon, written on the board, to the Greek merchant Plastar, and he took it to Archpriest Joseph of Theodosius. Ancient icon in a silver robe was transferred to the church of St. Stephen. The discovery of the icon attracted many Christians to the cave with the spring, who began to gather for divine services on August 15, the day of the Dormition of the Mother of God, and May 9, the day of St. Nicholas.
In the depths of the cave near the source on the rock we see the Iveron Icon of the Mother of God. 
In the spring, practically no water oozes out from an oblique crack in the depths of the grotto. During dry summers the spring often dries up. 
We were accompanied all the way back by a cute monastery cat with a tail like a lynx. 
Then we went along the path down to the village of Krasnokamenka to the monastery courtyard. 
Here you can buy fresh, delicious monastery bread, several types of monastery kvass, hand-made sweets, nuts, and honey! 