Lighthouse Temple

The lighthouse temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker is a temple of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)[2]. The temple is located in the village of Malorechenskoye (south-eastern coast of Crimea). The lighthouse temple is the highest temple in the Crimea. The temple complex is part of the Memorial to all those who died on the waters. The author and main artist of the complex is People’s Artist of Ukraine Anatoly Gaydamaka. The lighthouse church was built with the blessing of Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. The main patrons were Alexander Lebedev, the Russian National Reserve Bank, the NRB-Ukraine Bank and the Sea boarding house. The total project budget was $5 million with an initial budget of $3.5 million. Long before construction began, geologists were looking for a place for the temple, as the temple should stand on the shore, and the southeastern coast of Crimea is subject to frequent landslides. The first stone was laid in October 2004. The design and construction work was carried out in a very short time. In mid-2006, the construction of the temple was completed, and on May 15, 2007, the lighthouse temple was solemnly consecrated. The ceremony of consecration of the temple was performed by Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev (Sabodan). In its height, the temple has no analogues in the Crimea. The total height of the temple is according to various estimates up to 65 meters. On all four facades of the temple in the form of a huge cross inscribed images of saints. The height of each panel is 15 meters, and the area is 60 square meters. The eastern part of the temple is decorated with the image of St. Nicholas, and the other three parts of the facade are decorated with images of the Mother of God: the Athos Mother of God, the “Sign” and the Protection of the Virgin. In the design used ship anchors and anchor chains. Under the main cross, below the lighthouse lantern, there is a bell tower with an electric bell drive. This innovation allows you to perform a variety of bell tunes. Paintings in the temple are dedicated to the life of Nicholas of Myrlikiy. On the ceiling of one of the porticoes are depicted the signs of the Zodiac, symbols of constellations, which navigate navigators. In the design of the church square used anchors, anchor chains, knechts. One of the most important architectural details is the wall, on which anyone can place a sign with information about those killed on the water. The temple can play the role of a lighthouse. Under the main cross of the temple, inside the gilded ball, which symbolizes the planet Earth, a lighthouse lantern is installed. The popular version among tourists is that this is the only lighthouse temple in the Crimea, but the Foros Church can also play the role of a lighthouse. But despite the technical capabilities, these objects are not included in the Black Sea. In the basement of the temple complex in 2009 opened the Museum of disasters on the waters. In 17 rooms, decorated in the form of a sunken ship, each of which tells with the help of videos and stands about the most resonant tragedies on the waters of the World Ocean. One of the expositions is dedicated to the tragedy of the ship “Armenia”, which claimed the lives of, according to various estimates, from 3,000 to 7,000 people.