Divnogorye Monastery how to get there. Divnogorye. Big and Small Divas

Divnogorye is a nature reserve and plateau in the Liskinsky district of the Voronezh region, located in the south of the Central Russian Upland at the confluence of Tikhaya Sosna and the Don.
The famous Russian geographer V.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky considered Divnogorye an important natural monument and back in 1917 he proposed creating a reserve here. However, his idea was realized only after more than seventy years. The museum here was founded in 1988, and in 1991 it received the status of a natural historical and archaeological reserve. The area of ​​the museum-reserve is more than 11 km².

We began our exploration of the reserve here, going to the Orthodox cave Divnogorsk monastery in honor of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (XVII century).

Divnogorye is located in an area whose history goes back to the deep past. Already in the Stone Age, this region was developed by people. In ancient times, the Middle Don region was a place of international contacts, a zone of movement and settlement of many tribes.

The monastery was founded around 1640 by monks who came to this land from Ukraine along with a regiment of Cherkasy (Ukrainian Cossacks) under the command of Colonel Dzinkovsky, fleeing Polish-Catholic oppression.

Millions of years ago there was a surface of water in this place. Here, in the depths of the sea, chalk formed, forming chalk pillars - divas, thanks to which Divnogorye received its name (from divo - meaning “that which causes surprise, a miracle,” according to D.N. Ushakov). However, according to the opinion of the secretary of the Voronezh Provincial Statistical Committee, archaeologist and local historian Leonid Borisovich Weinberg (1849-1901), the chalk pillars are man-made and represent the remains of a wall that once surrounded and protected the mountain.

We only explored the monastery from the outside. We return to the car to continue exploring the reserve. We go up the hill, glad that the weather is not hot.

With the skillful hands of monks, underground monasteries of Divnogorye were created under quiet prayerful singing.
The legend about the Greek monks Xenophon and Joasaph, who came from Sicily, is still alive. It’s as if they brought to Big Diva the icon of the “Sicilian Mother of God”, ascended on a chalk pillar - the Diva. The Greeks laid the foundation for a cave church in a twenty-meter monolithic chalk rock. The cave church in Big Diva (Church of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God) was carved in accordance with the canons of above-ground church architecture and inherits the architectural traditions of ancient Athonite temples.

Since the church is located in the chalk layer inside the mountain, the temperature inside is quite stable throughout the year, and in the summer, even in great heat, the premises are cool, and in the winter, when winds blow in the surrounding steppe and snowstorms come, it is relatively warm (the air temperature stays at 12 -15 degrees C). The pearl of this temple - the icon of the Sicilian Mother of God in the middle of the 19th century was very popular among the population due to the cholera epidemic that broke out in the surrounding villages, which, according to legend, was stopped by this miraculous icon. Later, the icon was stolen while being sent for restoration to Moscow. Now in the shrine you can only see a list (copy) of this ancient image.

Taking pictures was made extremely difficult for me by a young man who climbed onto the chalk pillars, despite a completely rational and understandable prohibition. “I am sitting on top of the temple,” this man was loudly telling someone on his cell phone, sitting on top of the temple with his legs dangling. “What a fool,” I said, without lowering the pitch or strength of my voice.

I traveled along this railway, passing by the mountains of the reserve, on the Tambov-Kharkov train (now cancelled), countless times when I was the wife of a Decembrist; our family lived in two countries - Russia and Ukraine.

The weather changed very quickly, literally before our eyes. We heard thunder, we saw a wall of rain in the distance, but the weather took pity on us, allowing us to take a calm walk around the reserve. We got caught in the rain later, already in the car.

Conclusion from the trip: the place is interesting; we were most impressed by the landscapes that opened up to our eyes as we climbed the mountain. But if you want to look at the chalk mountains, then, in our opinion, it is much more interesting

Divnogorye is a fabulous name, but it really exists in Russia, in the Liskinsky district of the Voronezh region.

Geographical position

The Divnogorsk Upland is located on the right bank of the river Don 80 km from Voronezh, if you move south. In 1988, a museum was organized here, which in 1991 received the status of a museum-reserve. The area of ​​the reserve occupies 11 km², these are Cretaceous deposits, the maximum height above sea level is 181 meters.

A river flows at the foot of the plateau Quiet Pine, it merges with the Don at an altitude of 78 m above sea level, and this affects the microclimate of the hill. The amount of precipitation here is 1.5 - 2 times less than on the plain. The top layer of soil contains 15–20% chalk, and if you go down 80 m, then chalk is already there in its pure form.

The Divnogorye region is a steppe zone, and today you can see more than 250 plant species there, 40% of which are classified by botanists as chalk-loving plants (calcephytes).

Historical reference

The history of the reserve begins in 1991, when a museum was organized here, however, at the very beginning of the twentieth century, the famous Russian geographer and traveler V.P. Semenov-Tyan-Shansky spoke about the possibility and necessity of creating a reserve in this amazing place.

The first mention of Divnogorye was made in his notes by Ignatius Smolyanin, who accompanied Metropolitan Pimen on a trip to the Don in 1389. Until the 16th century, this was the patrimony of nomadic peoples, and only then, in the process of developing new territories, the Moscow state included the Voronezh Divnogorye into its structure. By the way, not “miracle” in the sense of “miracle”, but “divas” - unique chalk pillars were the basis for the name of this area. Although it is also impossible to call it anything other than a miracle.

Read the article on the website about the amazing monument of ancient civilization, and also pay attention to the Ruskeala Marble Canyon, an unforgettably beautiful joint creation of nature and man.

Divnogorsk Holy Dormition Monastery

Cave monastery, male, active. Its foundation date is 1650, founded by Ukrainian Cossacks. However, there is a version that the monastery existed here almost from the time of the first Christians, and, in support of this version, there are niches in the caves, similar to the cells of monasteries of antiquity, as well as drawings on the walls, similar to those found in the catacombs of ancient Rome from the beginning of Christianity.

According to legend, the monastery was founded by Greek monks Joasaph And Xenophon who fled persecution of Catholics. They brought with them icon of the Mother of God. However, historical science does not confirm the existence of a monastery here until the 17th century, since these places were the scene of constant clashes between Russians and Tatars. A version has been put forward that it could just be a monastery.

As a matter of fact, the first 80 people were sent here from Ostrogozhsk and Korotoyak to build fortifications against the Tatars on the defensive Belgorod line. The first monastery building was a wooden church in honor of John the Wonderworker in 1653. At that time there were only 15 monks in the monastery.

The wooden church was destroyed by fire, in 1658 the Assumption Church was built in its place, and at the same time a cave church was created.

It was assumed that the monks would live in caves, but it was very difficult to live in lime-soaked rooms, so it was decided to cut off part of the mountain and build cell buildings there. The passages and caves inside the mountain continued to be expanded and developed. Within the Don it was the first cave monastery.

The place on the trade route from Crimea to Russia turned out to be quite dangerous. The Tatars often raided the monastery, so part of the brethren went west in 1671 and founded a monastery above the Psel River. And a year before, on September 26, an important battle of troops took place near the walls of the Divnogorsk Monastery Stepan Razin with the king's troops, where the ataman was defeated.

The monks began to stock up on means of defense against uninvited guests, cannons appeared in the bell tower in the monastery, and caves with several exits and entrances could serve as good shelter.

Gradually the monastery acquired a household. He was granted mills, a rich village that paid rent, and the right to trade salt. The monastery had a rich library; it was not only an economic, but also a spiritual center. And in 1693, “free peasants” received permission to settle on the lands of the monastery. People from Russia and Ukraine flocked there, it is surprising that even now in the settlement of Selyavna, that 2 kilometers from the monastery, Ukrainians and Russians live, each preserving their own language and traditions.

In May 1699, the young king visited the monastery Peter I. The monastery developed, grew rich, built stone churches, but with the coming to power of Catherine II, the situation changed dramatically - the monastery was deprived of serfs and land plots, and the remaining brethren were transferred to other monasteries. Under Catherine II, many monasteries suffered this fate, and only after her death some of them began to be restored.

It was not easy to obtain permission for restoration, but in 1828 the Korotoyaksky Monastery was transferred to the territory of the Divnogorsk Monastery. Active construction resumed, and at this time an architectural complex was created, including both above-ground buildings and cave structures.

In Soviet times, the monastery suffered the fate of most similar organizations - in 1924 the monastery was plundered and the monks were drowned in the Don. The monastery library was thrown into the water. Those who managed to escape from the massacre were shot in 1930. A rest home was located in the monastery, and during the occupation there was a German hospital here. In the 1960s, the rest house was reorganized into a sanatorium for tuberculosis patients.

In 1988, a decision was made to preserve and restore the unique complex, and for this purpose a State Museum-Reserve “Divnogorye”, spread over an area of ​​1100 hectares. Extensive restoration work was carried out.

In 1997, the monastery was returned to the church. It is gradually being restored and becoming a place of pilgrimage for believers. Every day, divine services are held in the revived churches. There is a pilgrimage excursion center.

Church of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God (Great Divas)

On the outskirts of the village of Divnogorye there are chalk cliffs Big Divas. Here are the caves that became known in 1831, when during the plague epidemic icon of Our Lady of Sicily. Allegedly, one elderly woman dreamed of the Mother of God and ordered her to take the icon and pray in front of it. The plague receded, the icon also helped with other ailments; people even called it “Healing”.

According to legend, this icon was brought by the monks Josaph and Xenophon; by the way, they are quite mythical personalities.

The chalk mountain-remnant once served as a stopover for steppe nomadic peoples; both the Polovtsians and the Pechenegs visited here. Centuries later, in the pliable rock of the mountain, hermit monks carved out caves and a temple, where they installed the icon brought by the monks.

The temple supposedly dates back to the 15th, or even the 10th century (in this range, different sources describe the time of the appearance of pious monks here). Probably, in the old days, hermits who came from different countries lived here.

In 1856, the cave complex was transferred to the monastery.

Today it is part of the museum-reserve, where you can see residential, utility rooms and the temple itself, in which a service is held once a year. The temple is located on the first floor, it is cool there in summer and quite warm in winter, the air temperature is +12 - +15°C.

Tourists (excursion groups) can visit from May to October, except Mondays and Tuesdays from 9.00 to 18.00.

Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist (Little Divas)

2 km down the valley are Malye Divy. These are also chalk pillars, the first mention of them was noted by Ptolemy, back in the 2nd century. True, the caves were not mentioned then. It is known that in the 16th century there were 5 Small Divas; by that time the caves had existed for a long time. With the establishment of the Assumption Monastery, the Small Divas came under its jurisdiction.

At an altitude of 85 meters, the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist is carved into a chalk pillar. The austere facade is lined with chalk slabs, the altar and steps are carved from stone. It is believed that this church was founded by Joseph and Xenophon, and they are buried here. The modern architectural ensemble was formed in the 19th century.

One of the caves leads from the church to the territory of the monastery. There was also an underground passage connecting it to the river.

This is a complex of monuments. It is located at the confluence of the Tikhaya Sosna River with the Don. The first archaeological finds in this area date back to the beginning of the 20th century. However, the main work was carried out in the 1960s - 1970s. Was excavated fortress, surrounded by a moat, but no buildings were found inside it. It is assumed that its defenders lived in yurts.

Around the fortress - settlement, where about 50 buildings for various purposes were studied, as well as household items, allowing us to get an idea of ​​the life of our distant ancestors.
On the slope of the ravine there is a burial ground, 151 burials of which have already been explored.

Cave Casemate

A kilometer from the village of Selyavnoye there is a chalk cave, very small in size, with a platform in front of the entrance. Most likely, it was once knocked out by a hermit monk, but it could also be a good observation point for the early detection of numerous “adversaries” encroaching on the monastery. Therefore, the cave was named Casemate.

Photos of Divnogorye

Excursions around the reserve

This is an open-air architectural and archaeological museum, where you can get acquainted with architectural monuments of the 17th - 19th centuries, as well as the complex of the Mayatsky settlement, dating back to the 9th - 10th centuries, where you can see a settlement, a center of handicraft production, a necropolis and the remains of a medieval fortress. In addition, tourists will be shown sites of ancient man and unique natural monuments, including relict plants and insects.

The following excursions are offered to visitors:
Divnogorskoye metochion, Faces of chalk temples, Roads of millennia, “From nomads to cities”, “Divnogorye - the pearl of the steppes”, Reserved Divnogorye, Chronicle of Divnogorye.

How to get from Moscow to the museum-reserve

• By personal vehicle: Moscow - hut. Divnogorye. Along the M highway – 4.660 km.

The closest settlement to Divnogorye is the city of Liski, which has a railway and bus station.

• By train 83 Moscow-Liski from Paveletsky station; departure at 19.05.
  Station address: Voronezh region, Liski, st. Privokzalnaya, 16.
• Shuttle Buses to Liski go from various bus stations and bus stations in Moscow.
  Bus station in Liski. Address: Voronezh region, Liskinsky district, Liski city, st. Kommunisticheskaya, 18. From here there is intercity communication with Moscow.
• Liski - Divnogorie
  By bus Liski - Kovalevo to the village of Divnogorie.
  Departure from the station square in Liski.
  Departure time: 11.15

Hotels closest to Divnogorye.

• Hotel "Three Stars". Address: Liski, Svobody 1B (main building), Bolshaya Donetskaya, 118
• Private hotel "Rainbow". Address: Liski, pr. Lenina, 3 and st. Mayakovsky 1
• Hotel "Don". Address: Liski, Kommunisticheskaya, 7
• Hotel on the territory of the mezei-reserve

Great Russia! Getting to know its amazing nature, sights and history, we begin to better understand it, and perhaps ourselves.

This is not the first time that the town of Divnogorye has been mentioned in my blog. However, mainly in the context of describing the Big Divas area, but today I will show the Small Divas for the first time. Links to previous photo reports, as usual, are at the bottom of the post.

It was winter. During the summer, there are too many tourists and pilgrims in these parts. At least for my understanding of comfort. In general, in company with Zhekoy , in agreement with the administration of the Divnogorye Museum-Reserve, I came and filmed a virtual tour of the Church of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God. During the filming process, a sincere conversation ensued with the security guard of the museum complex, Nikolai Stepanovich. I asked if it was possible to somehow arrange filming in the monastery caves in Malye Divy? Nikolai Stepanovich called someone and then said that for this he needed to get the blessing of the abbot of the monastery himself. In 15 minutes the evening service begins and we can try to intercept Father Maxim before it starts and try to get permission and the key to the cave temple.

02 . There was little time left before the start of the service, and Nikolai Stepanovich decided to show us the shortest route to the monastery along dirt roads. He got into his “classic” and drove so hard that I barely had time to follow him. Having reached the maximum point possible for travel by car, he said goodbye to us and said: “I went back, and you should go down there.” We thanked him and left. Well, let's say let's go... We slipped or something like that. If there was more snow, it would be possible to descend at the fifth point.

03 . Gradually we made our way onto the path.
There was very little time left before the start of the service, so we were almost running, clicking fleeting shots.

04 . This is our goal - the cave church of the Nativity of John the Baptist.
Services are not held there, so for now we run past further - to the stone cathedral church of the Assumption of the Mother of God.

05 . Archival pre-revolutionary photo taken from approximately the same point.

06 . The wooden Assumption Church appeared in the monastery a few years after its foundation; its consecration took place in 1659. It stood for a little less than a century, and in 1751 (according to other sources in 1755), it, dilapidated, was dismantled. On the site of the old temple, a new one was erected, this time a stone one. This temple stood in the monastery until the end of the 1870s, when it was decided not to repair it, but to build another one in the Byzantine style so beloved at that time. Kremenetsky reports: " The main or cathedral church in honor of the feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary occupies a central place in the monastery, built in the Byzantine style, in the shape of a cross, single-altar, construction began, with the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Seraphim (Aretinsky), in 1880, completed in 1886; it is made of good brick and is durable - the thick walls and proportionality of its parts promise its long existence. The windows are made in the dome, following the example of ancient churches."

07 . But when he prophesied a long existence for the temple, the author was mistaken. After the revolution, in 1918, as was then customary, the global destruction of the monastery began. Newspapers described the event as follows: " Recently, news arrived that the Divnogorsk Monastery was robbed by a passing detachment of Red Army soldiers. As it turned out later from inquiries on the spot, there was no robbery in the monastery. There was, quite simply, a requisition of the extra beds available in the monastery". "In 1924, the monastery was closed and looted, some buildings were destroyed. Almost all the monks were drowned in. Elderly women (then little girls) said that they were standing under the bridge at that time and listening to the last chant of the monks. The Red Army soldiers pushed the monks off the bridge into the river with a stone around his neck. The richest library of the Divnogorsk Monastery in the Voronezh region was drowned in Tikhaya Sosna (flows into the Don nearby). The Red Army soldiers dumped all the icons in a heap in the courtyard, including the shrine of the monastery - a copy of the Sicilian Mother of God. Burning "religious trash "they decided in the morning. But at night, local residents began to slowly take away the shrines and hide them. Interestingly, the Bolsheviks still understood the beauty and unusualness of this place and the Divnogorsk monastery did not become ruins or a warehouse, like many monasteries and churches - a little later they placed a house here rest, and then an anti-tuberculosis sanatorium.

08 . Above the entrance to the former monastery courtyard hangs a portrait of Maxim Gorky and the inscription: " A person has the right to study, rest and work.". To the right of the entrance is another epic slogan: " Stalin raised us - he inspired us to be loyal to the people, to work and to heroism!"

09 . The photo, dated April 1941, shows that the dome was still intact by this time. However, in the 1950s, the Assumption Cathedral acquired the features of a barracks. The authorities justified the demolition of the dome by the serious damage it allegedly received during the war. But, for example, N. S. Anidalov, who lived his entire life in these parts and closely monitored the condition of the abolished monastery for several decades, noted: “ During the 1941-45 war, the main dome of the summer church had only a shell hole and could easily be restored, but in 1950 and 1951 this part of the church with the dome, altar and choirs were dismantled supposedly for building materials, but the monolith of the walls was only turned into crushed stone".

10 . Thus, the historical building was completely distorted, and after the return of the monastery to the Russian Orthodox Church, it took several years to restore the cathedral church. We went inside, but didn’t take any photographs, and on the flash drive there was only an indistinct random shot taken in the vestibule where we were waiting for the rector. However, it also gives an idea that, in essence, this is no longer a restored temple, but a typical remake. At least as far as the interior decoration is concerned. However, of course, this is better than nothing, although I will repeatedly touch upon the adequacy of the restoration work carried out here since 1992 below.

11 . And now, after a conversation with Father Maxim, together with the novice (or Bali?) named Alexander accompanying us, we go to the entrance to the cave church of the Nativity of John the Baptist. And since we have already gone a little deeper into the historical jungle, while Alexander is trying to open the frozen castle, I will briefly tell you the history of this church. Although the Divnogorsk Monastery has been documented since the 17th century, there is a version about the existence of a monastery here at an earlier time. Almost in the first centuries of Christianity. Basically, these hypotheses are based on some architectural features of the caves. In addition, mentions of Divnogorye in medieval Russian manuscripts are quite interesting. The first mention of Divnogorye is found in the description of the trip of Metropolitan Pimen to Constantinople in 1389: " We sailed to Quiet Pine and saw the pillars of white stones, standing red for a long time, like the pillars were small, but they were white and bright, above the river above Pine"In the 16th century, under Ivan the Terrible, the legend about the march to Constantinople was included in the Facial Chronicle and illustrated: one of the drawings depicted the Small Divas with five pillars, and each of the pillars is depicted with doors, and on one of them there is an icon case for an icon. Church tradition names the founders of the monastery as the Greek schema-monks Xenophon and Joasaph, immigrants from Sicily, who, due to persecution by Catholics, sought refuge in Russian lands. According to legend, the monks brought with them the icon of the Mother of God and equipped the first caves. However, not There is no written or oral evidence of when Xenophon and Joasaph settled in Divnogorye and what the monastery originally looked like. Even if we assume the ancient origin of the monastery, the existence of an active monastery here in the 14th-16th centuries is doubtful: from the end of the 14th century to the middle of the 17th century, the region of the middle Don was a place of constant confrontation between the Russian state and the Tatars. Most likely, the schemamonks built a monastery, and a monastery was formed later in its place.

12 . In 1653, due to its location on the defensive line, more than 80 people were sent to the monastery from and for the construction of ground structures and fortifications against Tatar raids. The territory was surrounded by a wooden wall, cells and the first wooden church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker were built, which later burned down and was replaced by the Assumption Church. Next, as for the above-ground churches of the monastery, we should return to the description of photo 06. So, 1653 is considered to be the official founding date of the monastery. It was difficult to live in caves soaked in lime, so the monks cut off part of the mountain and built cells in a new place, and erected a fence around the monastery. By expanding old and digging new underground passages, the founders of the monastery created the first cave monastery within the Don. In 1692, free men were allowed to settle on the monastery lands. The flow of Ukrainian settlers rushing here laid the foundation for the settlement of Selyavna, located two kilometers from the monastery, and led to the formation of a specific situation in this area, when, while preserving their language and traditions, Russians and Ukrainians lived side by side.

13 . In 1696, General Patrick Gordon, sailing with a squadron from Voronezh to Azov, visited the Divnogorsk Monastery and left the following entries in his diary: " This small monastery stands right next to the river, is armed with several cannons and arquebuses and is surrounded by a moat and a wooden wall erected for protection from the Tatars". In Patrick Gordon's diary there is also an interesting entry that the abbot of the monastery led him to a chapel carved into the chalk rock. And above the chapel the ruins of the monastery could be seen. Gordon's mention of the ruins of the monastery may testify in favor of the hypothesis of the restoration of the monastery in 1653 on place that previously existed.

14 . Peter the Great visited the monastery in May 1699. By the time Peter arrived, the number of brethren had been increased to 40 people, since the tsar considered monasticism to be an idle class and fought for the closure of small-brotherhood monasteries. Vice Admiral Cornelius Cruys describes it this way: " These people live very reverently and eat nothing but fish. His Majesty deigned to eat like this with all the available gentlemen; at which time there was considerable cannon fire from the ships. But each time the monks walked away and covered their ears with their hands."They say that Peter the Great stood on a chalk hill at the site of the erected worship cross and admired the views.

15 . And Russian ships were sailing along the Don towards Azov. Now it is quite shallow here, there are almost no warning signs left, and individual barges here can only be navigated by those experienced river fleet captains who have worked here all their lives and know the fairway firsthand.

16 . During the reign of Catherine II, during the secularization of church lands in 1764, the Divnogorsk monastery was subject to abolition. However, the history of the origin of the monastery was taken into account, and it was included in the Little Russian monasteries, which made it possible for the monastery to exist for more than 20 years. However, in 1786, the Divnogorsk monastery was closed, and its brethren were transferred to other monasteries. In 1828, a decree of the Synod followed on the transfer of the brethren of the Korotoyak monastery to Diva with the restoration of the Divnogorsk Assumption Monastery. The fact is that the Korotoyaksky monastery, located nearby, was flooded every year by floods from the Don and the monastery suffered major losses and destruction. As a result, after forty years of neglect, the monastery was restored again, vigorous construction activity began, as a result of which an original architectural complex was created, including cave structures and above-ground buildings of the second half of the 18th - first half of the 19th centuries. Meanwhile, during the liquidation of the monastery in 1786, the icon of the Mother of God, which Xenophon and Joasaph allegedly brought with them, disappeared. The local clergy “remembered” the disappearance only 45 years later, right in 1831, when a cholera epidemic began in the Voronezh region. According to legend, the icon appeared in a dream to Elder Catherine, a resident of the city. The Lady ordered to take her icon from the Divnogorsk Monastery and perform a prayer service with it. The icon was found just on a chalk pillar 3 km from the monastery. After the prayer service, the residents of Korotoyak walked around the entire city with the icon in procession, and after 2-3 days the epidemic stopped.

17 . At the base of the Diva, where the icon was discovered, they found the entrance to a cave, where another cave church was later opened, consecrated later, naturally, in honor of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God. Several copies were made from the icon. One of them has survived to this day and is now an exhibit of the temple in Bolshaya Diva. There is even a sealed display case with lighting for it. All this, I repeat, can be seen by looking at mine.

18 . By the way, there were once more chalk remains (divas). Some of them were destroyed during the construction of the railway back in the 19th century, and with the expansion of the gauge in the mid-20th century, the process was continued.

19 .Modern view from approximately the same point.

20 . It should be noted that the proletariat vacationing in the Divnogorye rest house loved Diva.

21 . They don't take group photos like that anymore. Pay attention to the girls posing in the empty window opening and imagine how many autographs were left by vacationers on the walls of the cave temple.

22 . But let's finally go inside and look around. We see traces of obvious restoration and the first thing that catches your eye is that the walls and columns in the temple are not chalk, but plastered with something.

23 . Let's figure it out. The master plan for museumification and functional use of the territory of the Divnogorye museum-reserve in 1991 provided for several options for using the complex in Malye Dvy, subject to the mandatory removal of the sanatorium from the premises of the former monastery. The Shatrishche tourist center that existed at that time was to be included in the infrastructure of the museum-reserve to accommodate targeted tourists arriving for several days. Naturally, the architectural objects were supposed to be restored and museumified, and the museumification plans included not only the churches in Big and Small Diva, but also the “Ear” cave nearby. Stairs had to be built to each of them, the temples had to be equipped with lighting and the areas in front of the entrance had been landscaped. But not all of these plans were destined to come true. In 1992-1993 specialists of the Estonian branch of the Institute of Mining named after. A.A. Skochinsky, at the invitation of the museum, supports were made to restore two lost eastern columns of the cave temple in the name of the Nativity of John the Baptist.

24 . In 1996, the gallery was cleared of rubble, and in 1998, the altar was restored, including the passage into it through the southern entrance. In response to the appeal of Metropolitan Methodius (Nemtsov) of Voronezh and Lipetsk, on May 28, 1997, the Divnogorsk Monastery complex was transferred to the Voronezh diocese, and on December 25 of the same year, monastic life resumed in the monastery.

25 . If you looked closely at the previous photo, you probably saw several round holes on the walls and ceiling of the cave. These are anchors installed by Estonian specialists to secure unstable chalk blocks.

26 . The same installation of reinforced concrete anchors with the sealing of the washer, shank and nut into specially drilled niches was carried out earlier in the cave church of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God (once again I refer everyone to view the virtual tour). Most often, anchors with a length of 1.35 and 2.25 m were used. Only in narrow passages, where the installation of longer anchors was impossible, their length was 0.9 m.

27 . To seal the holes for anchors and eliminate wall inscriptions, it was necessary to develop the composition of the solution and the technology for its use. As a result of laboratory studies, 9 solutions of different compositions were studied, which included putty, whole or skim milk, wallpaper glue solution, chalk, lime, sand, and water in various proportions and ratios. The most durable in terms of adhesion and matching color turned out to be compositions consisting only of water, slaked lime prepared from the chalk deposits of Divnogorye, and chalk. And if in Big Divas we now see smooth snow-white walls and ceiling, then, unfortunately, the anchors and autographs of visitors on the walls of the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist remained unrepaired.

28 . In general, in 2002, the cave temple in Malye Divy was still in disrepair. This applied to the interior, the masonry of the façade of the temple, the entrance, and the rock mass above them. The condition of the interiors after emergency measures related to strengthening dilapidated sections of the massif with anchors was stable. In the central part of the temple, the northern pair of pillars was completely lost, and the surviving southern pillars had significant losses in their volume (photo 22). The sections of the vaults that imitated cross vaults, noted in the 1992 measurements, were practically unreadable in 2002. The decoration and decoration of the church premises were completely lost.

29 . Restoration work was carried out in 2002-2005 by JSC SP VIPLAST under the leadership of chief engineer G.A. Golyshev and foreman A.B. Shmelkina. It is clear that the columns restored and restored inside the church have deviations in size from the design ones. By agreement with the customer (ROC), the shape of the royal gates and entrances to the side rooms was also changed (Measurement drawings, 2005).

30 . Currently, both outside and inside, the temple is in unsatisfactory condition. The complex of restoration work was carried out without taking into account the specifics of chalk. In this regard, today the interior of the cave temple appears to visitors in a rather sad form. Extended and plastered columns crack and crumble. The tiles laid on the chalk floor at the initiative of the abbot of the monastery look foreign. The work carried out changed the character of the interior, its volume, lighting and air circulation.

31 . If you noticed the window covered with polyethylene in the previous photo of the choir, then here it is on the reverse side.

32. For a better understanding of the structure of the cave church, I am attaching a plan diagram.
It clearly shows that previously the passage to the right choir (the place where singers and readers are located during services) was open.

33 . This applies to restoration work already done.
Currently, the monastic brethren are working on the altar and little by little clearing away the rubble in the galleries.

34 . At the same time, the staff of the museum-reserve is seriously concerned about such initiative of the monks. Last year, they independently installed the dome on one of the divas, and geologists were extremely unhappy with this fact for safety reasons.

35 . When carrying out restoration work, it is necessary to take into account the mistakes of the past. According to the recommendations of A.A. Gunko should absolutely not plug all tectonic cracks exposed by the galleries. Complete plugging will lead to disruption of air circulation in the far part of the system. A number of cracks can be plugged only after a cycle of microclimatic studies. It is necessary to preserve the original architectural elements in the chapel and in the connecting areas of the gallery, limiting it to only cleaning it from soot. One of the necessary conditions for further research of the temple is the clearing of the inclined gallery “temple - refectory” (pictured below on the left). Perhaps unknown premises will be opened there.

36 . I’ll add a little about the structure of the church. Around the temple (see diagram above) there is a gallery cut out, which starts from the southern wall in the vestibule and goes out into the middle of the northern nave. The passage consists of straight segments, which, when turning, are slightly deepened into the thickness of the chalk, and in two places they form six-sided and tetrahedral chapels. The photo shows the ceiling of one of them.

37 . Behind the altar there is a staircase, called "Calvary" by the monks.

38 . From the gallery you can also enter a spacious room in which the remains of a chimney can be seen. It also has a separate entrance. Today there are several intersections of cracks in use, in which some large blocks are jammed with small fragments of chalk. To prevent collapse, they must be supported with vertical posts.

39 . At this point, the story about the history and current state of the cave church of the Nativity of John the Baptist can be considered complete. But since much has been said today about the stages of restoration, I will add some interesting and little-known facts to the general public about the initial stages of restoration work in the Church of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God in Big Diva (belongs to the museum-reserve). This temple was disfigured not so much by time as by man. Numerous unorganized visitors made various wall inscriptions with cutting tools. It is interesting that only a few years separate the beginning of restoration work from the most serious destruction. In 1983, two seventeen-year-old thugs from Ostrogozhsk cut down the supporting column of the facade, resulting in its collapse. One of the young people died, and the unique monument lost its original appearance. And in June-August 1987, a group of caving tourists led by E.V. Golyanov, a support was installed - a metal scaffold made of I-profile No. 34 to support the rock mass, which was additionally secured with a metal cable.

40 . It was speleologists who carried out dangerous work at heights. S.V. Nikolsky manufactured metal structures, O. Ichalovsky was engaged in gas welding. Students from and schoolchildren from Orel also worked here. The Voronezh club "Tourist" provided significant assistance. The Divnogorye collective farm provided assistance with food and building materials. Since, as noted above, the right part of the facade of the church collapsed and a ledge in the form of an overhanging rock cornice formed above the entrance, in order to create reliable support under the overhanging part, it was necessary to restore the side wall at the central entrance. The height of the wall built from specially cut chalk blocks was 7.7 meters. Using the same blocks, the volume of the columns inside the temple was increased. Further, as described above, the unstable parts of the chalk massif were secured with anchors, and their shanks with a washer were carefully sealed with a special solution. The restoration was completed from 1993 to 1995 by Voronezh specialists from Restavrator LLC. In 2011, the international project Cave Lighting developed and implemented a project for its artistic lighting and accompaniment of excursions with church music. I wrote about this in detail. Thus, thanks to the efforts of the Divnogorye Museum-Reserve, the cave complex in Bolshaya Diva today is one of the most popular tourist and pilgrimage sites. If anyone hasn't been yet, I highly recommend it.

Based on materials by V. Stepkin, L. Krieger, S. Kondratyeva and others.
Photos: Andrey Kirnov, archive of the Divnogorye Museum-Reserve, personal archive of S. Nikolsky, local history section of the Great Voronezh Forum ( bvf.ru)

More about Divnogorye and the surrounding area:

I spent a huge part of my childhood near a nuclear power plant. Sounds scary, right? In fact, it's not that scary. It’s just that my godmother lives and works in Novovoronezh, at a nuclear power plant, which is clearly visible from afar. It was in Novovoronezh that I rode the train. But I don’t want to tell you at all about how to get to the station and whether half-cows, half-crows irradiated with radiation walk near it (if so, they don’t). I want to talk about the beautiful creation of nature and man at the same time - about Divnogorye, which is located not far from the city.

Divnogorye is a monastery that was built right inside the mountain. I have already visited this place 6785 times, since my entire childhood was spent in Voronezh (as I said above) and I know it like my 5 fingers and another finger on my left hand. Nevertheless, this is quite an interesting place, where they can give you a tour (250 rubles per person), tell you about how this miracle was created, take you through the religious procession inside the monastery itself and show you the place where the ancient fortress stood. But everything is in order.

Divnogorye - where is it located?

Before viewing a landmark, you need to find out where it is located. Logical? Logical! So. If you come to Voronezh, then be prepared for the fact that it will take you not half an hour to get to Divnogorye, but 2–3 hours for sure. Divnogorye is located 150 kilometers from the city, in the so-called Liskinsky district, but if you are traveling by car, the journey will take you longer, as if you were traveling by train. I will tell you how to get to the reserve at the very end of this simple story.

Divnogorye - what is it famous for and what is it?

And really, what is it famous for? This place is quite popular. There are many tourists here, since Divnogorye is one of the main attractions of the Voronezh region. They come here in whole buses, and during the season (which lasts from May to October) there are more than 60,000 tourists (that’s what the Internet told me).

Prepare in advance for stunning views :) Also prepare for stairs, there are a lot of them here, you will have to climb up. So... Divnogorye, by and large, is a monastery. And it is located not on the mountains, but on the hills (their height is no more than 30 meters above the ground). These hills are chalk, so everything around is super white.

Millions of years ago there was a surface of water in this place. Here, in the depths of the sea, chalk formed, forming chalk pillars - divas, thanks to which Divnogorye received its name (this version is presented on the official website of the reserve).

Now, of course, there is no water here. But there is a monastery (cave church of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God), in which even in winter the temperature remains at 8–10 degrees. But, of course, this is not the only thing that makes him amazing.

“The history of this church goes back centuries. Construction, according to legend, was started by the Greek monks Xenophon and Joasaph, but the exact date of construction cannot be given. The church became known only in 1831, when an icon of the miraculous Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God was found on the pillar in which it was carved.

In 1856, the temple was transferred to the jurisdiction of the Divnogorsk Assumption Monastery. Once a year, on the Dormition, the monastery brethren came here in a procession of the cross to perform divine services.

Having examined it at the end of the 19th century. traveler Markov notes that it was painted “with icons right on the raw rock.”

On August 14, 1903, this temple was consecrated in honor of the Sicilian Icon of the Mother of God. At the same time, its iconostasis was updated.

The caves in Big Diva continued to operate until the 30s. XX century During the years of Soviet power, when the fight against religion was carried out everywhere, the monks were dispersed and the temple was looted. For many years everything was in disrepair. Many left their autographs on the pliable walls of the chalk temple, which certainly disfigured its interior.

The church survived the Great Patriotic War and occupation. Afterwards, the climbers chose the diva for training. This could not but have a negative impact on the state of the Cretaceous remnant. An act of vandalism committed by young people in the 1980s. destroyed the central facade, therefore, by 1988 - the time of the creation of the museum-reserve - the condition of the temple was depressing. With the organization of the Divnogorye Museum-Reserve as a branch of the Voronezh Regional Museum of Local Lore, restoration and strengthening work began, which was completed in the mid-1990s.

On August 28, on the Dormition of the Mother of God, after many years, the temple was re-consecrated by Metropolitan Methodius of Voronezh and Lipetsk, and since then services have been held here on major church holidays. Today, thanks to the implementation of the project “Faces of Chalk Temples - Real and Multimedia,” supported by the V. Potanin Charitable Foundation and blessed by Metropolitan Sergius of Voronezh and Borisoglebsk, the first permanent multimedia exhibition in the Voronezh region operates here.”

A brief excerpt on the history of Divnogorye for the curious:

Divnogorye was first mentioned in the work of Metropolitan Pimen, who traveled along the Don down to Azov in 1389. “... I saw white pillars of stone, marvelously and redly standing next to each other, as if they were small, and white and bright, above the river above the Pine.”

Only in 1648, in the construction book of the city of Korotoyak, when assigning land to the Korotoyak Cossacks, the “Mayatskoe ancient settlement” was mentioned.

In 1890, finds from the monument fell into the hands of archaeologists for the first time. Attempts to explore the Mayatskoe settlement were made by Voronezh local historians. The first serious researcher of the Mayatsky complex is considered to be A.I. Milyutin, who, during excavations in 1906, took a plan of the coastal section of the Mayatsky Cape with the huge ravines framing it and the neighboring less steep sections of the coast.

In 1908 - 1909 An expedition of one of the largest archaeologists of that time, N. E. Makarenko, worked on Mayatsky. The work carried out made it possible to give a fairly detailed description of the studied monument, accompanying it with a dozen drawings, a large number of photographs of open walls and individual blocks with signs, drawings, and runic inscriptions drawn on them.