Tickets
Hotels
Tours
Insurance
Trains
RussiaWhat to Expect and Is It Worth Visiting
The Annunciation male or Holy Annunciation Monastery, also known as the Southern Monastery is an ancient cave monastery in the rocks of the Baba-Dag mountain range, which houses one of the largest and most intriguing historical sights of the Bakhchisarai district, and possibly even the whole Crimea – the ancient cave city of Mangup-Kale.
In our opinion, this is one of the most inaccessible monasteries compared to other monasteries in the vicinity of Bakhchisarai, so we definitely recommend visiting it, and first of all we will not. However, if you have already visited Shuldan Monastery, Chelter-marmara, shelter-Koba, Holy Dormition, and if you want something new and interesting, you won't be disappointed here either. Ideally, it is worth combining his visit with a tour of Mangup-Kale, but in principle there is no difficulty in visiting it separately.
The monastery is reached by a fairly long climb along the path, but it is quite possible for any healthy person to overcome it. As in all other Crimean cave monasteries, here artificial caves are cut right into the stone. They are equipped with monks' cells, living quarters, and a temple. You can visit the temple here, walk through several caves accessible to tourists, and believers can light a candle or leave a note. Of course, there are good views from above. It is impossible to enter the caves for monks and household ones. And in general, there is a possibility that when you are here, there will be no one in the monastery. The thing is that since this place is remote and hard to reach, few believers get here and stay for a long time. Therefore, services here are rare, usually on weekends and holidays, and the rest of the time there is peace and quiet.
History of the monastery
This cave monastery appeared in the XIV–XV centuries and was part of the principality of Feodoro. It was part of a single religious complex together with the basilica on the plateau, and its hidden location in the southern cliff of the mountain created an atmosphere of solitude and prayer asceticism.
The monastery consisted of a cave church, cells for monks and utility rooms. The main church, stretched to the east, is decorated with carved cornices and was once completely covered with frescoes. The paintings in the altar part were especially impressive — their beauty was noted by medieval pilgrims. The floor of the temple preserves traces of ancient burials: the noble inhabitants of Feodoro probably rested here.
After the fall of the principality, the monastery gradually declined for centuries. It was only at the beginning of the XXI century that its revival began. Since 2002, restoration work has been carried out here, and in 2010 the monastery was officially opened to believers.
Today the Southern Monastery is not only a monument of medieval history, but also a place with a special spiritual atmosphere. Making your way through the tunnel cut into the rock, looking at the traces of ancient frescoes and imagining the life of the monks, you can feel the connection with ancient times.
🕐 Working hours
Around the clock, it is better to visit during the day.
💵 Entrance fee / ticket price
Free of charge, donations are welcome.
🚶 How to get there
The cave Monastery of the Annunciation is located in Bakhchisarai district near the village of Khoja-Sala and the famous cave town of Mangup-Kale, 25 kilometers from Bakhchisarai (Cave Monastery of the Annunciation on the map).
It is not so easy to visit it. There are two approaches: from above and from the Mangup-Kale plateau, and from below.
- If you decide to visit from above from the Mangup-Kale plateau, then you will have to pay for the entrance to the cave city (Adults – 300 rubles, children 16-18 years old and students – 200 rubles, pensioners - 200 rubles. Preschoolers – free of charge). But this is convenient if you have not seen the cave city yet, i.e. you will see two places at a time. About that, we told you how to visit Mangup-Kale here in the guidebook, read it and you'll know everything. From the plateau to the monastery there is a descent with a height difference of about 20 meters. There are signs to it on the plateau. We know that there will have to go down the rocks, there is no path as such. But we didn't go down that way ourselves, so he can't tell us the details. Share in the comments if you have had such an experience.
- The passage from below passes through the fields and a relatively gentle rise, but you will have to walk one and a half kilometers and climb 250 meters, this is a height of more than 80 floors! It will take 40-60 minutes in one direction. Take water and sun protection with you in summer. It is better to wear sports shoes.
The starting point of the ascent route from below is located at the entrance to the farm from the asphalt road, here it is on the map. There is a barrier here and a security guard of the farm is on duty. They didn't let us through by car, only on foot. But in fact, this is such a big problem, because from this barrier you need to walk less than a kilometer along a gentle dirt road, and then the ascent along the trail begins. So it will not be possible to make it easier for yourself to climb by car.
Jeep drivers who meet tourists in the village of Khoja-Sala for a trip along Mangup-Kale can help ease the way, and they can also give a ride closer to the monastery from 500 rubles / person.
You can also theoretically get here by bus. But to come here and come back one day. probably won't work. Alternatively, you can spend the night in the village of Khoja-Sala, there are houses, rooms for rent and there is a campsite. Khoja-Sal can be reached by commuter buses No. 6 from Bakhchisarai (run twice a day from the bus station), or by passing intercity buses on the route Yalta-Foros-Bakhchisarai (once or twice a day). Their schedule often changes seasonally, so you will have to check it on the spot. In the village, all buses stop on the main road, there is a stopping point.
💥 We remind you that it is much more interesting to get acquainted with the sights of Balaklava with the help of excursions, and therefore we advise you to look at online booking options on these proven search and price comparison sites: