Description of the attraction
Once upon a time in these places was located a rich and famous Greek colony, founded in the 5th century BC. NS. The city existed here until the XIV century, and then it turned out to be abandoned: life moved to Tatar villages, on the territory of one of which modern Sevastopol was founded in the XVIII century.
Ancient Chersonesos: the history of the city
Crimea was considered the granary of the ancient world; the places were rich, and the city of Chersonesos even minted its own silver coin. The colony was founded by the Dorian Greeks who came from the island of Delos. It was a typical Greek city … It was governed by a popular assembly, which was elected by the city council. Any free citizen could become a member of such a council. The test of the oath, which was pronounced by the Chersonesos when they entered adulthood, has been preserved: it affirms the principles of democracy and devotion to their native city.
In the city, the Greek gods were revered, and first of all - the virgin goddess. She was called Parthenos, and she was associated with the Greek Artemis.
Chersonesos was located on the very border of the Oycumene, known to the Greeks of the world, and almost constantly fought, so that by the 1st century AD. NS. was a powerful fortress. At these times, he either fell under the rule of the Bosporus kingdom, then gained independence: in the I-II centuries A. D. NS. here were the Roman garrisons, ready to repulse the Scythians, and then a whole legion called to fight the Huns and other barbarians. Until the 13th century, Chersonesos (at these times already Korsun) was part of the Byzantine Empire.
In 988 he was captured by the Kiev prince Vladimir, after which an alliance with Byzantium was concluded: the prince received the Byzantine princess Anna as his wife and was baptized … In the XIV century, the territory already belonged to the Genoese, and by 1398 Korsun was finally destroyed by the Lithuanian princes Olgerd and Vitovt.
Museum Chersonesos Tauride
The open area of the archaeological museum presents the cleared remains of the city. The first studies began here even at Nicholas I in 1827 and continue to this day: now about a third of the settlement has been excavated.
What has survived:
- Urban planning … The city is built according to a clear plan with intersecting streets and square, well-defined neighborhoods. Since the city life here lasted for almost a thousand years, the ruins of Greek and Roman buildings coexist with medieval ones: the old stone was used for new ones, new houses were built on the burnt remains of the previous ones, the churches were rebuilt.
- Theater building, built at the turn of the IV-III centuries BC. NS. In Christian times, when the theater was considered an unacceptable pagan entertainment, at first there was a city dump, then a church was built on the old foundation. An antique amphitheater, cleared in the middle of the 20th century, is now available for inspection.
- "Mint": large city house ser. IV century BC NS. Once it occupied half a block, was built of thick limestone slabs and, most likely, belonged to some very wealthy family. Bronze blanks for coins were found in the basement, from which it got its name - this basement is just accessible for inspection.
- "House of the Winemaker": estate of the 2nd century A. D. NS. The remnants of wine production have been preserved here: three pressing platforms for extracting grape juice, and the remains of vessels for storing wine. Once in the basement of this house there was a small temple: an altar was found surrounded by lamps and animal bones.
- Temples - pagan and christian … An interesting find from the 21st century excavations is an ancient temple complex built over a limestone cave. The altar has been preserved in it, with troughs through which sacrificial blood flowed into special vessels, as well as a well with a settling tank, which were used to wash the altar. Whole are available for inspection six christian basilicas (in fact, there were even more of them in the city). The "Basilica in the Basilica" is interesting: once there was a large temple here, built in the 6th century AD. NS. and burned down in the X. And then a smaller temple was made inside it, which stood until the XIII century.
- Public bathsbuilt during the reign of Emperor Constantine in the X century. There is a 12-meter deep cistern and the remains of baths.
The towers of the medieval fortress, parts of the ancient and medieval port, an inn, and Roman baths have been preserved. On the territory of the museum there is also open air exhibition: collected architectural fragments from ancient columns to the remains of the Vladimir Cathedral blown up by the Germans, clay amphorae and cannonballs.
Itself museum exposition new: for a long time, restoration was carried out here, and in 2017 the antique collection was finally opened to visitors.
It is also worth mentioning about “ catacombs . The territory of the ancient settlement has not been completely cleared and explored. In the vicinity of the museum, there are numerous remains of old cellars with church burials, underground passages and natural caves, they are overgrown with various mystical legends, serve as a haven for vagrants or just for drinkers. This is entertainment for extreme lovers: without special education, it is still impossible to understand the remnants of the structures of which time is in front of you, but it can be dangerous to be there.
St. Vladimir's Cathedral
According to legend, the Vladimir Cathedral stands exactly in the place where once baptized Prince. Vladimir in 987-988 … The remains of an ancient Christian church were found during excavations in 1827 in the central city square. Since the "Tale of Bygone Years" mentions just the church "in Korsun at the auction", it was decided that this one is the same one, and it is imperative to immortalize the baptism of Russia by rebuilding the church anew.
In 1850, a small St. Vladimir monastery was founded here. But everything that was built turned into ruins after 5 years during the siege of Sevastopol in the Crimean War in 1855. But after the war, when the city was revived and rebuilt, it was decided to build a two-story stone cathedral. The foundation stone of this temple was attended by a young emperor Alexander II with the empress.
The construction of the cathedral lasted 30 years, and by the 900th anniversary of the Baptism of Rus it was not yet finally ready. The main altar was consecrated only in 1891. The temple was built on the model of the Byzantine basilicas - with one central dome designed by the architect D. Grimm.
In 1924 the temple was closed and was taken over by the museum. During the Great Patriotic War, it was first hit by a shell, and then the Germans, leaving the city, blew it up. Almost nothing is left of the historic interior decoration. The restoration of the temple continued from the nineties and was finally completed on Easter 2004.
Even before the start of construction, a particle of the relics of St. Equal to the Apostles Prince. Vladimir, in a precious ark in the form of a binding of the Gospel. The most revered icon of the temple is the "Korsun" icon of the Mother of God … This is a copy of the icon, which was once taken from Korsun to Russia by Prince Vladimir. In the summer of 1861, the imperial couple donated a precious salary for this icon when laying the foundation for the church. The salary has not survived, but the icon itself has survived.
Misty bell
The photographs of the sea against the background of the "foggy" bell are a symbolic view of Chersonesos. The bell was installed on the shore of the Karantinnaya Bay in 1925 as a beacon for passing ships. Now it has turned into a romantic attraction: the ships are equipped with special equipment and will not stumble on the shore.
The bell was cast in 1778 from captured Turkish cannons and was in Sevastopol, in the church of St. Nicholas. St. Nicholas is considered the patron saint of sailors, and the bell is decorated with the image of the saint. After the Crimean War, as a trophy, he ended up in France, and not just anywhere - but right in the Notre Dame Cathedral. French vice-consul in Sevastopol L. A. Ge proposed to the then President of France R. Poincaré to return the bell to Russia, and as a sign of friendship and strengthening of international relations, the bell was solemnly returned in 1913. Initially, it was not a signal bell: it is an ordinary church bell, and it was raised to the belfry of St. Vladimir's Cathedral. It became a lighthouse after the church was closed.
After the war, for some time he was without a language, and sounded again already in the early 2000s: together with the restoration of the cathedral, they again gave a voice and a bell. However, now the “tongue” is locked - it’s impossible to just come up and call it.
Lighthouse
Another iconic sight of Chersonesos is the lighthouse. The lighthouse has existed here since 1816 at the extreme point of Cape Chersonesos … This is a working lighthouse, its modern building was built of reinforced concrete in 1951 and faced with white local limestone, which is mined in the vicinity of Inkerman.
In pre-revolutionary times, an oil lamp with several wicks and reflectors was installed at the lighthouse, then they switched to kerosene. Now the lighthouse has a 1 kW signal lamp, as well as a radio beacon (which just replaced the fog bell).
Interesting Facts
- Itself the word "Chersonese" in Greek simply means "peninsula" … There are more than a dozen Chersonesos in the world: there are settlements with such names in Greece, Crete, Sicily. Even in the Crimea itself, Chersonesos is not alone - this is the name of another ancient settlement, not far from Kerch.
- Prince Vladimir, who was baptized here, changed his pagan name to a Christian one. He became Vasily. However, over the centuries he remained Saint Vladimir, and his Slavic name was included in the Orthodox calendar.
- Both the bell and the lighthouse have twin brothers … Exactly the same lighthouse is installed at Cape Tarkhankut in the Crimea. Exactly the same bell was cast for Taganrog at the beginning of the 21st century.
On a note
- Location: Sevastopol, st. Ancient, 1.
- How to get there: minibuses No. 4, 107, 109, 110 or buses No. 22, No. 77 to the stop "Dmitry Ulyanov Street", then on foot.
- Official site: www.chersonesos.org
- Opening hours: the museum is open from May 1 to October 1 - from 9.00 to 19.00 seven days a week, from October 1 to May 1 - from 9.00 to 17.00 seven days a week. The entrance to the settlement is daily from 08.00 to 21.00. The entrance to St. Vladimir's Cathedral during the service is free.
- Tickets: adult - 100 rubles, student - 70 rubles, discount and children - 50 rubles.
