St. Luke's Monastery

On a very small square in the center of the city of Simferopol there is a women's monastery. The name of the monastery is in honor of the Holy Trinity. On the territory of the monastery there are two cult temples. One of them is Holy Trinity Cathedral. Simferopol is famous for its sights, but this temple is endowed with special beauty. The main value of the cathedral is the relics of St. Luke of Crimea and the Miraculous Icon of the Mother of God “Sorrowful”. In 1868, the Holy Trinity Cathedral was erected. Although the first wooden temple on this site was built by the Greeks in 1796. In 1826, a Greek school was opened here. Over time, the wooden temple was dismantled, and in 68 of the 19th century, a new one was built according to the project of architect I.F. Kolodin. Since 1996, the cathedral is home to the miraculous icon of the Mother of God “Sorrowful” and the relics of Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky) – the shrine not only of the city of Simferopol, but also of all Orthodox Russia, especially Crimea. In 2003, on the territory of the Cathedral of Holy Trinity, a women's eponymous monastery was founded. Orthodoxy has passed a sorrowful path to its present state. At the beginning of the 20th century, due to popular unrest, many churches and monasteries were destroyed, many Orthodox priesthood and ordinary believers were shot, tortured and exiled. The religious buildings of Crimea were no exception. However, the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Simferopol) miraculously escaped destruction. Similarly, many temples suffered during the Great Patriotic War. And the monastery of Trinity escaped a sad fate. During the Soviet persecution (30s of the 20th century), the authorities wanted to destroy the Trinity Cathedral. But the church was saved. This is largely due to the Greek community. For the welfare of the cathedral, two priests paid with their lives. These are Archpriest Nikolai Mezentsev, a guard of church utensils, and Bishop Porfiry, who was at the head of the Crimean See (1931-1937). Today Holy Trinity Cathedral (Simferopol) is one of the main attractions of the Crimea. The relics of Luke of Crimea are kept in a silver crustacean, which was presented by holy ascetics from Greece. The street on which the Trinity convent is located is called Odessa (since 1946). But it was once a Greek street, as a sign that there was a temple built by the Greeks and a Greek school. There were many Greeks living on this street at the time. I. F. Kolodin designed the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Simferopol) in the classical style. If you look at it from above, you can see the cruciform outlines. In the middle of the cathedral rises octagonal light dome. The bell tower is built on the left side of the temple and is small in size. Outside, the church is decoratively painted and has mosaic elements. On the main side, you can see the capitals of the corinth order, light arches and thin pilasters. In the past, the domes were blue, but today they are painted black. The tops of the domes are topped with openwork forging. Archbishop Luke glorified the Crimean Holy Trinity Cathedral (Simferopol) throughout the world. The photo of the saint shows the depth of his soul, wisdom and power of faith. In the monastery there is a museum of the doctor and priest Luke (Voyno-Yasenetsky), where authentic things of the archbishop are available for acquaintance. Coming on the tour, you can learn a lot from the life of Luke Krymsky, about his labors and exploits. The guide tells everything in detail and interesting. The museum is open from 10 a.m. V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky lived on this land from 1877 to 1961. He was born in Crimea. He was a famous surgeon. Valentin Felixovich received medical education at Kyiv University. He was a man with brilliant medical talent. In 1920, Voyno-Yasenetsky received the degree of professor at Tashkent University, where he published new medical fields. A young doctor and scientist could find fame all over the world. But in 1921, his choice fell to the Orthodox Church. Being a widower with four children, V.F. Voyno-Yasenetsky takes monastic tonsure. However, being loyal to the church, monk Luke does not abandon medical practice. The saint went through 11 years of exile and withstood 3 arrests. During the war he worked as a surgeon in the hospital, while he managed to serve at the temple. After a series of difficult trials, in 1946, Luke returned to the Crimea as an archbishop. Father Luke did everything possible and impossible to preserve the old temples, open new ones and resist the development of the sectarian movement. But even in old age, he did not leave medicine, operated on patients and consulted in the military clinic of Simferopol. The saint had a special gift from God – he could make a correct diagnosis even in the most difficult cases. The doctor and the archbishop treated the sick without pay. Luka lived on Kurchatov Street, house 1. He was a unique doctor, priest and visionary. In the Holy Trinity Cathedral there is an important relic of Orthodoxy - the icon "Sorrowful" of the Mother of God. She's miraculously reinvented herself. The history of the icon begins in 1998. Then she was brought to the cathedral. The gift to the temple was made by a resident of the village, who came from the Kirov district. It was a darkened icon that could hardly be seen. The priest installed a darkened image in the altar. Two weeks later it was a church holiday. The hostess, now an ex, was also there. During the service, the Royal Gate was opened. The woman witnessed the offering. She barely recognized the image on the icon, it looked so colorful. After the service, the parishioner came to find out from the priest who so skillfully restored the icon. But what was her surprise when she learned that no one even touched the icon with a finger. After the convocation of the commission, conclusions were made about the miraculous renewal of the icon. The image touches to tears, every string of the soul shudders when looking at the Mother of God. There are no analogues of this painting. The icon belongs to the Kiev school of the early 20th century. On the image appeared clearly the inscription: “Sorrowing”. The icon is myrrhic at times. These days it especially attracts pilgrims from all over the world to the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Simferopol). In the Holy Trinity Cathedral there is an important relic of Orthodoxy - the icon "Sorrowful" of the Mother of God. She's miraculously reinvented herself. The history of the icon begins in 1998. Then she was brought to the cathedral. The gift to the temple was made by a resident of the village, who came from the Kirov district. It was a darkened icon that could hardly be seen. The priest installed a darkened image in the altar. Two weeks later it was a church holiday. The hostess, now an ex, was also there. During the service, the Royal Gate was opened. The woman witnessed the offering. She barely recognized the image on the icon, it looked so colorful. After the service, the parishioner came to find out from the priest who so skillfully restored the icon. But what was her surprise when she learned that no one even touched the icon with a finger. After the convocation of the commission, conclusions were made about the miraculous renewal of the icon. The image touches to tears, every string of the soul shudders when looking at the Mother of God. There are no analogues of this painting. The icon belongs to the Kiev school of the early 20th century. On the image appeared clearly the inscription: “Sorrowing”. The icon is myrrhic at times. These days it especially attracts pilgrims from all over the world to the Holy Trinity Cathedral (Simferopol).