Diocese of Crimea and Simferopol. Peter and Paul Cathedral in Simferopol

More recently, the Diocese of Crimea and Simferopol included the entire territory of the Crimea, but the decision of the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate since November 2008, its territory has significantly decreased. From it, the Razdolnenskaya and Dzhankoi dioceses were withdrawn and received an independent status. Somewhat later, the Diocese of Krymskaya was further reduced, as territories separated from it became known as the Kerch and Feodosia dioceses.

The emergence of Christianity in the Crimea

Very interesting is the history of Christianization of this vast Black Sea peninsula. As is evident from the Holy Scripture, where the Crimean Diocese of the Moscow Patriarchate is located today, the Apostle Andrew the First-Called preached the Word of God, and later the holy brothers Cyril and Methodius carried light of enlightenment. When in 96 BC St. Clement of Rome was exiled to the Crimea, then, according to his testimony, Christian communities there included more than 2 thousand people.

The light of the Christian faith was irresistibly shining over the peninsula, even during periods of severe historical collisions, for example, the capture of its northern part by the Tatar-Mongols that occurred in the 13th century, or the annexation of the southern coast by the Genoese invading a century later. When in 1784 the territory of the Crimean Khanate was annexed to Russia, it became part of the Kherson and Slavic diocese, the department of which was then in Poltava.

Further development of the spiritual life of the peninsula

In 1859, according to the highest decree of Emperor Alexander II, an independent Crimean Orthodox eparchy was established, separated from the Kherson. This administrative act had the most beneficial effect on the religious life of the whole region. Suffice it to say that only in the next ten years about a hundred new parishes appeared on the peninsula, the monastic life became noticeably more active, and several religious educational institutions were opened. A special role in the matter of religious education was played by Simferopol, where at that time a Tavricheskaya Theological Seminary, known throughout the country and revived today, appeared.

Decline and the subsequent revival of the diocese

After the seizure of power by the Bolsheviks throughout the country, a large-scale anti-religious campaign was launched. In Crimea, it began in 1920, immediately after the defeat of the army of PN. Wrangel and was deployed so intensively that by the end of the decade on the territory of the peninsula there were only a few dozen existing parishes, which were also threatened with closure. It is sad to admit, but a number of churches were able to resume their work only during the period of the fascist occupation.

The Diocese of Crimea and Simferopol received an impetus for its revival in the late 1980s, when democratic processes began to gain strength throughout the country. At that time, it extended to the entire territory of the peninsula, and continued until 2008, after which, as mentioned above, two independent dioceses were singled out of its composition.

Currently, the Diocese of Crimea and Simferopol unites monasteries and parishes located in the territory of Yalta, Alushta, Simferopol, Sevastopol and Evpatoria. It also includes such areas: Saki, Belogorsky, Bakhchisaray and Simferopol. Its center is the city of Simferopol, and the cathedral, located in it, Peter and Paul Cathedral. The diocese has been headed since 1992 by the Metropolitan of Simferopol and the Crimea Lazar (Shvets).

Organization of pilgrimage trips

Today in the Diocese of Crimea, revived after decades of total atheism, religious life once again gained its former strength. Among the many departments of diocesan administration a special place is occupied by the pilgrimage service. Its employees organize trips, the program of which includes visiting temples, monasteries and various ancient Christian monuments, with which this fertile land is so rich.

In addition, the proposed travel routes make it possible to combine visiting holy places with rest by the sea in the most picturesque corners of the peninsula. The Pilgrimage Service accepts advance orders from individuals as well as from numerous groups. In this case, the starting point of the trip can be any city in the Crimea. All interested information can be obtained from the diocesan Internet site.

Construction of the main cathedral of the diocese

The Peter and Paul Cathedral, which is a significant historical and artistic value, deserves special attention. According to archival data, it was laid in 1866 on the site of a wooden church, which came to an extreme dilapidation, the churches of St. Helen and Constantine. The author of the project and the head of the work was the Simferopol architect K.P. Lazarev.

The construction and decoration of the cathedral took about four years, after which it was solemnly consecrated, and regular services began there. It should be noted that long before this, in 1668, two schools were opened at the church - male and female. They existed until the beginning of the Bolshevik persecution of the church.

Further decoration and improvement of the cathedral

In 1890, for money collected from the donations of local residents, the cathedral was surrounded by an openwork cast-iron fence, and landscaped adjacent to it, which became the site of various city events. In the same year, a decree was issued, according to which the construction of the surrounding area was authorized only by buildings, the size of which did not exceed the height of the cathedral.

At the very beginning of the new XX century, the decoration of the temple made significant changes. The donations of the church elder were hired by master painters who painted the dome with the image of the figure of God of Sabaoth surrounded by the Celestial Powers, and in the lower part of the drum, placed twelve medallions with the faces of the holy apostles. Complemented the picture of a floral ornament that covered the walls.

The period of barbarism and desolation

In 1924 the new authorities closed the cathedral, and at the same time renamed the leading to him Peter and Paul Street, giving it the name of October. Soon began its re-equipment, or rather, the barbaric destruction. The dome and the cathedral bell tower were completely destroyed, and the inner room was used as a warehouse, which resulted in the construction of a concrete ramp for the entry of trucks into it. Old residents of the city remember the pitiful sight that this, once revered by everyone, shrine - without a dome, with the dirty walls scraped off and growing on the roof by a tree, had during the Soviet period.

Returning "in circles"

The revival of the church, as of the whole diocese in general, began in the years of perestroika. Thanks to the works of the architect OI Sergeeva, in the archives of the Holy Synod it was possible to find those very drawings on which once lost the lost elements of the cathedral - the dome and the bell tower. This finding allowed restorers to restore them with the utmost precision.

Upon completion of the work, the church was re-consecrated, and divine services resumed in its walls. In 2003, the Peter and Paul Cathedral was given the status of a cathedral. It should be noted that new trends also affected the surrounding area - in 2008, the decision of the city authorities of the cathedral square and the street leading to it were returned to their historical names. From now on they are called Peter and Paul.