Description of the attraction
A few kilometers from the resort town of Yalta, in the village of Livadia, there is one of the most famous Crimean places - the Livadia Palace, which was the summer residence of the Russian tsars. During excursions, visitors are shown the palace Church of the Exaltation of the Cross, in which three generations of Russian emperors once prayed: Alexander II, Alexander III, Nicholas II.
In 1860, the department acquired the estate of Count L. Pototsky in Livadia for the construction of a palace here. The Russian Emperor Alexander II presented Livadia as a gift to his wife, Empress Maria Alexandrovna, who, due to illness, had to be treated in the south every year. The architectural complex, represented by two palaces, service premises, a greenhouse, swimming pools, and, of course, a palace church, was built by the court architect I. Monighetti. The church was made in the Byzantine style. The temple is small, since it was designed only for the royal family. In the design of the church, Monighetti applied an ornament in the style of the architecture of the Caucasus.
The interior of the temple was also created in the Byzantine style. The iconostasis made of snow-white carved marble became a special decoration of the shrine. The richness of the decoration was also emphasized by the cast bronze royal gates and altar doors, chandeliers and expensive carpets. On both sides of the iconostasis there were two walnut analogions: one of which was occupied by a temple icon, and the other - in an ancient way with particles of holy relics. This image was presented as a gift by the Romanovs by the descendants of the Georgian kings.
Next to the churches, according to the project of D. Grimm, an elegant belfry with six bells was built, decorated with ornaments carved from stone by the talented peasant of the Oryol province T. Kostikov. During the reconstruction of the palace in 1910-1911. the architect N. Krasnov preserved the building of the temple, making minor changes.
After the coming of Soviet power, a sanatorium was opened in the village of Livadia. The temple was closed, for all the years of desolation it was used as a club, warehouse and museum premises. Divine services in the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross of the Livadia Palace were resumed in 1991.
