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RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
The Hermitage of Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa The male Dormition cave monastery in Bakhchisarai or the hermitage of St. Anastasia is sometimes also found under the name – Bead Temple. He received such a "nickname" for being richly decorated with beaded weaving made by parishioners and monks. It is believed that this is the only such temple in the world.
The hermitage is located near one of the unique attractions of the Crimea – Kachi-Kalion cave complex and we recommend visiting both places at once. Moreover, the Hermitage is actually a historical continuation and revival of the Kachi-Kalon cave monastery. The fact is that earlier the source of St. Anastasia, which was one of the reasons for the foundation of the monastery, was located in the fourth grotto of Kachi-Kalon, but eventually dried up. After the closure of the old cave monastery in the Soviet years, it was decided not to revive it in the same place in the rock, but to build a new one nearby. Therefore, it is now in the active stage of construction, but this does not prevent its visit at all.
In fact, the Hermitage is the territory belonging to the male Assumption cave monastery of Bakhchisarai, on which there are several monastic buildings for various purposes. A special place among them is occupied by an active cave temple cut into the rock. By itself, this temple is small and of no historical value, as it was built in 2005, but the decoration of the temple is impressive. Inside and outside it is decorated with a diverse and bright ornament of beads, beads, stones and colored glass. In addition to the temple itself, there is an original decoration with stones and beads on the local buildings. This undoubtedly attracts the eyes and deserves the attention of visitors. The road to the temple also runs along beautiful flower beds arranged in the form of tiers.
In addition, there is a church shop on the territory of the skete, where you can buy icons, candles, souvenirs with unique beaded decoration, and try monastery kvass. There is a holy spring nearby, but there is almost no water in it. The hermitage is still under construction, although the main part has already been erected.
One of the tips for visiting the Bead Temple! In the shop you can buy a red bag in which to put a note with the most cherished desire, and hang this bag on one side or the other from the entrance to the temple. It will not be possible to make a mistake with the entrance side, since there are many such bags hanging there.
🕐 Working hours
open to tourists from 09:00 to 18:00, seven days a week.
💵Entrance fee / ticket price
free of charge, donations and shopping in shops are welcome.
🚶 How to get there
Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa Skete is located 8 kilometers from Bakhchisarai (Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa Skete on the map). You can get here by your own transport or taxi, as well as by regular commuter buses from Bakhchisarai. Here's more details:
To the Hermitage of Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa by car
There are two ways to get to the Hermitage: along the asphalt highway and along the primer. We recommend asphalt if you want to visit Kachi-Kalion and Skete together. If you are only interested in Skete, then it is better to go on a dirt road, because so you do not have to climb high up the mountain on foot.
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On asphalt
You need to follow the navigator in the direction of Mashino or Shtanovka villages, and in front of Shtanovka you will see a sign and a stop near Kachi-Kalon, and there will be a cluster of parked cars on the side of the road. There is no separate parking here, but you can safely drive off the road away to the side of the road. Further up the trail to the ticket office in the Kachi-Kalon complex, and even further to the Hermitage. Go back to the car the same way.
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According to the primer
The dirt road to the Hermitage starts from the village of Preduschelnoe, you will have to drive three and a half kilometers along the gravel primer. Sometimes the road is blocked by a barrier at the entrance. Then you will need to park the car on the side of the road and walk a hundred meters to the monastery grounds.
To the Hermitage of Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa by bus
From the Bakhchisarai bus station, you can get to Kachi-Kalon by commuter bus to the village of Sinapskoye, departs every 30-60 minutes according to the schedule, it takes 30 minutes to go, see route on the map. When you arrive at the stop "Kachi Kalon", from where you walk up the path to the ticket office in the complex, and then to the Hermitage.
To the Hermitage of Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa with an excursion
Excursions for tourists are not organized specifically to the beaded temple, but you can buy an individual jeep tour from private traders in the tourist district of Bakhchisarai. As a rule, women do not go to Anastasia's Hermitage separately, but visit several places in the vicinity of the city at once. The price is negotiable, starts from 4 tr. for a car up to 6 people. You can also book online an individual tour to Anastasia Uzoreshitelnitsa Skete on Sputnik8.ru or Tripster.ru
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Balaclava with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites:
- 📷 Search for excursions in Bakhchisarai on Sputnik8.com
- 📷 Search for excursions in Bakhchisarai on Tripster.ru