Prayer to the Cathedral of Crimean Saints. Cathedral of Crimean saints

The Church of All Saints in Alushta is a place of pilgrimage for all Orthodox believers. Built in the 19th century, it still delights the eye with its snow-white walls and shine of domes.

Back in the 19th century, at the direction of Count Vorontsov, a beautiful temple was erected in Alushta. In 1842, a consecration ceremony was held here and the prayer house opened its doors to all Orthodox believers. The Church of All Crimean Saints operates today, attracting pilgrims from all over the country to its walls.

External and internal decoration

The construction of a serious religious building was entrusted to the famous architect Torricelli. Vorontsov admired his works and wanted the temple to be a real work of art. This succeeded and today the church resembles not a traditional temple for prayers of Orthodox believers, but a Gothic building from an English village.
The doors and window frames were lancet, the glass was decorated with bright stained-glass windows, the bell tower resembled a tent. The appearance of the temple was original and unusual. The interior decoration did not lag behind. The central entrance doors were made of strong wood and decorated with unique carvings. Above them was a mosaic depicting St. Theodore Stratilates, who was considered the main patron saint of the monastery.

The walls of the house of God were decorated with frescoes with the faces of saints. On the south side there is now a modern icon, brought to the church in 1988, of All Crimean Saints. It depicts the image of Feodosia of Surozh, revered by all Crimeans.
Inside the church, an atmosphere of complete tranquility reigns, it is quiet and beautiful here, so prayers are said sincerely.

Modern temple

After the October Revolution, when the ministers of the church were persecuted, many priests of the Temple of All Crimean Saints were shot or arrested. Valuable items were confiscated, icons and gold items were stolen. The church was closed for several years.

The prayer house resumed its work only during the Great Patriotic War... But during the period of Khrushchev's theomachic campaign, the doors of the church were again closed to parishioners. The building was given over to a club, and a dance floor was built on the site of the unique bell tower.
Alushta residents were very fond of the Temple of All Crimean Saints and constantly fought with the authorities for permission to restore it. Vera won and in 1991 it was decided to reconstruct the church.
The temple was painted in shades of gray and white, a new bell tower was erected, frescoes inside the building and stained glass elements on the glass were updated. Today the dome of the church is crowned with an Orthodox gilded cross.
The Church of All Crimean Saints is located near the sea. Another tradition is connected with this, which is more than a hundred years old. On the night of January 18-19, all Orthodox believers with lighted candles go to the Black Sea to wash away all their sins in the waters on the Christmas Eve of the Baptism of the Lord.

View in panoramas

Location on the map

According to legend, Christianity was brought to Crimea in the first century by the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. Then Saint Clement, Pope of Rome, a disciple of the Apostle Peter and companion of the Apostle Paul, preached here. This land has become a clash of civilizations. Pagan nomads, Byzantines, Genoese Catholics, the Turkic population professing Islam, the Khazar Jews: all fought for influence on the peninsula. The works of the Equal-to-the-Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius are associated with Crimea; Prince Vladimir was once baptized here. The Orthodox Tsarina-nun Theodora is remembered in the host of Crimean saints.

She ruled in the fourteenth century. Her principality was attacked by the Genoese. Theodora had the opportunity to hide, but did not leave her people. Together with her retinue, the queen died in a monastery on Mount Castel. Among the Crimean saints of the twentieth century there are many outstanding archpastors. Archbishop Dimitri, in the world - Prince David Ilyich Abashidze, from the beginning of World War I served as a simple priest of the Black Sea squadron. Last years he spent his life in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and died there in one thousand nine hundred and forty-two. The Cathedral of Crimean Saints also includes Saint Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea. He was an outstanding bishop, professor-surgeon, received the Stalin Prize and went through the camps. His relics rest in Holy Trinity cathedral Simferopol. Through prayers to the saint, miracles and healings happened more than once.
All the Crimean saints, pray to God for us!

Installed on March 10, 1988 at the initiative of the Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea Leonty (Gudimov) and with the blessing of the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Pimen. The day of the celebration was timed to commemorate St. Stephen, Archbishop. Surozhsky.

Holy saints of the Crimean land

Accents of God, whose holy relics are found and remain in Crimea

Saint Luke (Voino-Yasenetsky) Confessor, Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea († 1961), commemorated May 29 / June 11
Saint Reverend Paraskeva Toplovskaya († 1928), commemorated December 3/16

Saints of the first centuries

Apostle Andrew the First-Called (+ 62), commemorated November 30 / December 13
Hieromartyr Clement, Pope of Rome, apostle from the 70s (+ 101), commemorated November 25 / December 8
Martyrs Inna, Pinna, Rimma (I – II), commemorated January 20 / February 2 and June 20 / July 3
Venerable Martyr Paraskeva († between 138-161), commemorated 26 July / 8 August
Bezsrebrenniki and miracle workers Cosmas and Damian (+ 284), commemorated July 1/14
Hieromartyrs bishops in Chersonesos Tauride:
Vasily, Ephraim, Kapiton, Eugene, Eufery, Elpidius and Agafador (IV), commemorated March 7/20

Saints of ancient Taurica, Byzantium and Russia

Saint Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome (+ 655), commemorated April 14/27
Saint Stephen the Confessor, Archbishop of Sourozh (+ 750), commemorated 15/28 December
Venerable John, Bishop of Gotth (+ 790), commemorated May 19 / June 1 and June 26 / July 9
Equal to the Apostles Cyril and Methodius, Slovenian teachers (IX), commemorated 11/24 May
Equal to the Apostles Vladimir, Grand Duke Kievsky († 1015), commemorated 15/28 July
Monk Martyr Eustratius, monk of Pechersk (+ 1097), commemorated March 28 / April 10
Blessed Constantine, Prince of Mangup, in monasticism the Monk Kassian the Greek, Uglich wonderworker (+ 1504), commemorated October 2/15 and May 21 / June 3

Holy saints of the 19th century

Saint Innocent (Borisov), Archbishop of Kherson and Tauride (+ 1857), commemorated May 25 / June 7
MonkMartyr Parthenius, Abbot of Kiziltash (+ 1867), commemorated 4/17 September
Saint Gury (Karpov), Archbishop of Tauride (+ 1882), commemorated March 17/30

Holy New Martyrs of Crimea

Hieromartyr Porfiry (Gulevich), Bishop of Simferopol and Crimea († 1937)
Hieromartyr Sergius (Zverev), Archbishop Yeletsky († 1937)
Hieromartyr Nikodim (Krotkov), Archbishop of Kostroma and Galich (+ 1938)
Hieromartyr Lavrenty (Knyazev), Bishop of Balakhninsky († 1918)
Priest Roman Medved, archpriest († 1937)
PriestMartyr Timofey Izotov, priest († 1938)
PriestMartyr John Blumovich, priest († 1938)
Hieromartyr Nikolai Kazansky, archpriest († 1942)
Hieromartyr Dimitri Kiranov, archpriest († 1938)
Hieromartyr Victor Kiranov, Archpriest († 1942)
Hieromartyr Nikolai Mezentsev, Archpriest († 1938)
Hieromartyr Andrei Kosovsky, Archpriest († 1920)
PriestMartyr Matthew Alexandrov, Priest († 1921)
Hieromartyr Demetrius Ignatenko, Archpriest († 1935)
Hieromartyr Michael Bogoslovsky, archpriest († 1940)
Hieromartyr Alexander Ilyenkov, priest († 1942)
Hieromartyr Eleazar Spiridonov, priest († 1937)
Monk Martyr Bartholomew (Ratnykh), hieromonk († 1938)
Hieromartyr Vladimir Pishchulin, priest († 1938)
Monk Martyr Anthony (Korzh), hierodeacon († 1938)
Martyr Dimitri Spiridonov († 1938)
Martyr Stefan Nalivaiko († 1945)

Troparion, Voice 4:

Today the Crimean Church flaunts brightly / and the Orthodox multitudes are joyfully triumphant, / in commemoration of all the saints of Taurida, / from the Apostle of Christ to the now glorified, / with them are the new martyrs and confessors of the twentieth century, / with their intercession and prayers / God grant all of us Divine help / remain unshakable in Orthodoxy, / Thy rich mercy, prosperity and salvation of our souls.

Kontakion, Voice 3:

As a sacrifice blameless and pleasing to Christ, offering, / The Crimean Orthodox Church celebrates lightly, / making a conciliar memory of the saints of Tauride, / from our land east / and inhabitants of the former paradise villages. / And we all flow under the roof of their prayers, / get rid of the impending troubles and evils, / singing together with them the Holy Trinity, / granting us salvation and great mercy.

Magnification:

We magnify you / the sanctity of all in the lands of Tauriches that shone forth / and we honor your holy memory, / you pray for us / Christ our God.

All holy ones, pray to God for us!

When we talk about Crimea, our imagination immediately begins to draw serpentines of roads among slender cypresses, the sea pleasing to the eye with its azure, jagged peaks of Ai-Petri with a thin ropeway.

But Crimea is also the ancient Chersonesos, which became a baptismal font for Prince Vladimir, this is the Inkerman quarry, where one of the Roman bishops served his exile. Finally, these are the springs, the healing power of which is associated with the prayers of the martyrs.

It is to this page of the history of the peninsula that the film "Cathedral of Crimean Saints" is dedicated. The ascetics of the first centuries of Christianity and our contemporaries - bishops and ordinary believers - have one thing in common in the film: the earthly path of each of them passed on the Crimean land. Duration: 45:48 ""

Crimea is cradle of Russian Orthodoxy... The inhabitants of the Crimea, according to ancient legends, were enlightened by the light of Christian teaching in the 1st century A.D. Apostle Andrew the First-Called. After him, the disciple of the Apostle Peter and the companion of the Apostle preached the word of God in Taurida. Paul St. Clement, Pope.

Also in Crimea preached Equal to the Apostles brothers Cyril and Methodius , here received Holy Baptism Equal to the Apostles Prince Vladimir .

From the beginning of the 4th century to the present day, we have a reliably known a continuous row of Orthodox bishops, who ruled the Church in the Crimea, where there were dioceses: Chersonesos, Boshoranskaya, Gotha, Sugdayskaya, Fulskaya and Mangupskaya. The Orthodox inhabitants of Taurida were constantly in a spiritual struggle against paganism, Mohammedanism and Judaism, were subjected to all kinds of persecution and deprivation, but they defeated the persecutors with their patience and standing in the faith. Among these inhabitants, we see the saints of God, revered by the Orthodox Church.

Here are the names of the holy saints published according to the book of the researcher of the Crimean Christian antiquities Dmitry Strukov, who compiled in 1878 "Lives of the Saints of Tauride (Crimean) miracle workers" with such a number of ascetics:

St. the Apostle Andrew the First-Called; St. Clement, Bishop of Rome; St. Basil, Bishop of Chersonesos; St. Ephraim, Bishop of Chersonesus; St. Eugene, Bishop of Chersonesus; St. Elpidy, Bishop of Chersonesus; St. Agaphodoros, Bishop of Chersonesos; St. Epherius, Bishop of Chersonesus; St. Kapiton, Bishop of Chersonesus; St. Martin, Bishop of Rome; St. Stephen, Bishop of Sourozh; St. John, Bishop of Gothic; Sts. Cyril and Methodius, enlighteners of the Slavs; St. Eustratius, the Monk of the Caves; St. Vasily, Bishop of Sourozh; St. Savva, Archbishop of Sourozh; faithful Constantine, Prince of Mangup; St. Unknown named "Priest Killed by the Turks" and etc.

Among the Crimean archpastors of our times there were outstanding personalities, true devotees of piety. Bishop of Tauride and Simferopol Guriy (Karpov, 1818-1882) for 14 years he headed the Tauride cathedral, significantly strengthened the position of Orthodoxy in the Crimea, was active in strengthening the existing and creating new parishes. Under Bishop Guria, the Tauride Theological Seminary was opened, and the journal "Tauride Eparchial Vedomosti" began to be published. The saint was buried in Simferopol, and enjoys popular love and veneration.

Archbishop Demetrius (in the world - Prince David Ilyich Abashidze, in the schema - Anthony, 1867-1942) since 1912 - Bishop of Tauride and Simferopol. Since the beginning of the First World War, he served as a priest of the Black Sea Squadron. In 1915 he returned to his episcopal see. Member of the Local Council of 1917-1918. Took part in the work of the Provisional Supreme Church Administration in the south of Russia. He spent his last years in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Buried at the entrance to the Near Caves.

Saint Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea (Voino-Yasenetsky, 1877-1962), - an outstanding bishop, professor-surgeon, author of the fundamental monograph "Essays on Purulent Surgery", a Stalin Prize laureate and a prisoner of Stalin's camps. From May 1946 until his death, Saint Luke served at the Crimean See. The miracles of healing mental and physical ailments, which took place in great numbers at the grave of the Crimean archbishop, prompted the nationwide veneration of the hierarchy Orthodox Church to a careful study of his life and works. By the decision of the Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of November 22, 1995, Archbishop Luke of Simferopol and Crimea was numbered among the locally revered saints. Many people kiss his relics, resting in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Simferopol, with faith and love. There is a number of testimonies of miraculous healings, when people who needed serious surgical operations, after praying at the shrine with the relics of the saint, no longer needed them - the sick recovered. In 1997, a monument to St. Luke was unveiled in Simferopol.

In 2000, by the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church, he was glorified as a confessor (saint) among the host of new martyrs and confessors of Russia. Revered as a saint by other local Churches, in particular by the Greek Orthodox Church.

Undoubtedly, in addition to those known to us now, there were other holy people who pleased God, but historical information about them has not yet been found. We must wait for the time, determined by the inscrutable providence of God, when archaeological research will give new historical indications about the now unknown saints.

Prepared by Matvey Slavko

DAYS OF HONORING TAVRIC WONDERWORKS

January 9 (22)- St. Basil, Bishop of Sourozh; February 14 (27)- St. Cyril, Bishop of Moravia, in the world of Constantine; March 7 (20)- Sts. Basil, Ephraim, Eugene, Elpidius, Agofodor, Epherius and Kapiton, bishops of Chersonesos; March 28 (April 10)- St. Eustratius, monk of Pechersk, martyr of Korsun; April 2 (15)- St. Sava, Archbishop of Surozh; April 14 (27)- St. Martin, Bishop of Rome, Martyr of Inkerman; May 21 (June 3)- St. Constantine, prince of Mangup, in the monks of Cassian; June 26 (July 9)- St. John, Bishop of Gotha; July 15 (28)- St. Vladimir, in St. the baptism of Vasily, Prince of Kiev; October 4 (17) - St. Constantine, prince of Mangup, in the monks of Cassian; November 25 (December 8)- St. Clement, Bishop of Rome, Martyr of Iikerman; December 6 (19)- St. Elpidius, Bishop of Chersonesos, December 15 (28)- St. Stephen, Bishop of Sourozh; December 21 / January 3- St. Kapiton, Bishop of Chersonesos

About Feodora Surozhskaya

In the Alushta church in the name of All Crimean saints and St. Theodore Stratilates on the southern wall, to the right of the altar, there is a rare icon depicting the Cathedral of the Crimean saints. The image was painted by the Lipetsk icon painter Viktor Blinov for the holiday of All Crimean Saints. Many saints are depicted in this icon, and among them there is one whose name is rarely mentioned, and she valiantly and faithfully served God until her last breath - this is the holy noble queen Theodora of Sourozh.

"In the XIV century, the entire southern coast of Crimea, from Sudak to Yalta, belonged to the nun Theodora, beautiful, virtuous and fearless," one of the Greek synaxaries (collections of spiritual content with brief description Lives of the Saints).

A queen and a nun is a rare and surprising combination. The capital of her kingdom was in Sugdeya - present-day Sudak, in the southeast Crimean peninsula... Theodora's father, the Greek toparch Prince Theodore, came from ancient kind Paleologov, his mother was Italian from Kafa (now - Feodosia). The family also brought up two twin brothers.

After the death of the mother of Princess Theodora, the upbringing of children was entrusted to Elder John, the abbot of the monastery of St. Proclus on Mount Castel. As the chronicle says, “... Elder John fled from luxurious and vain Byzantium, fled from religious disputes and debauchery; he hid here, in the mountain monastery, arranged it, populated it with monks ... ". This monastery on Mount Castel was located in the vicinity of the then Aluston, present-day Alushta.

The monastery became the favorite place of the young Theodora. The elder raised her in strict asceticism, told her that earthly life is only a preparation for eternal life. From childhood, she was not interested in girlish games and fun - all this was alien to the young princess. Conversations with intelligent and pious people, prayer, reading the Holy Scriptures and the works of the holy fathers - that was her favorite pastime. She was merciful, kind, responsive to someone else's grief. She often traveled around his property with her father, and helped everyone who approached her with a request. In military exercises, she did not lag behind the young men: she learned to wield a sword excellently, boldly control a horse, and shoot accurately from a bow. Her father, Prince Theodore, with the consent of the emperor of Byzantium, dying, left the 16-year-old princess as the heiress of Sugdeya and her subordinate possessions.

Having become a queen, Saint Theodora, who by that time had taken monastic vows, did not change her strict way of life: she came to Sugdeya only when state affairs demanded it, and most she spent time at her beloved Castel Mountain, in the monastery of St. Proclus, where she lived in a tower specially built for her. Strengthening the monastery, she led there a water supply from the source at Yaila, and also arranged an underground passage to the sea in one of the towers.

As already mentioned, she grew up with two twin brothers Heraclius and Constantine (they were not her blood relatives). With age, Irakli's childhood affection for the girl turned into a feeling of love. But the queen was a nun. Heraclius passionately prayed to her to forget his vow and become his wife, promised the Patriarch's assistance, but Saint Theodora firmly refused him, saying that the most cruel death is dearer to her than breaking a monastic vow. The proud and power-hungry youth became embittered, having received a refusal, and, prompted by the devil, decided to destroy the saint.

Heraclius decided to betray. Having made his way to Kafa, he convinced the Genoese consul to attack Sugdeya, promising help in taking the city. In payment for his treachery, the traitor demanded that Theodora be given to him. And soon the black army of the Genoese gathered under the walls of the city. The battle lasted two months. The nun queen stood at the head of the defenders of the fortress. Like a fearless warrior of Christ, she took up the sword. Where Theodora appeared on a white war horse, the forces of the city's defenders increased tenfold.

But the traitor Irakli managed to get into the fortress, taking advantage of the resemblance to his twin brother Constantine. He killed the sentry and opened the gates to the enemy. The Genoese rushed into the city. The forces were unequal. By morning, Sugdeya was under their rule. The queen with her faithful assistant Constantine, the remnant of the army and part of the inhabitants went west and fortified in the fortress of Aluston. They decided to die Orthodox.

Soon the galleys of the Genoese appeared at Aluston. The siege began. The troops of the Genoese Catholics went on an attack many times, but the Orthodox defended themselves firmly. Then the Genoese brought up battering guns and began to destroy the walls of the fortress with them. Seeing that the city could not be held, Theodora led the soldiers and inhabitants out of Aluston. They hid on Mount Castel in the monastery of St. Proclus.

As already mentioned, from the monastery of St. Proclus, right from the tower of Theodora, there was an underground passage to the sea, to the eastern part of the mountain. There, at the pier, there was always a ship under sail, ready to take the queen to Byzantium. She gathered a council, deciding what to do: whether to sail to Byzantium, and then her subjects will remain alive, because the main reason for this war after the capture of Sugdeya was only she, the queen-nun. But the people in one voice cried out: “No, queen, do not leave us! We do not want to be ruled by our enemies. Let's fall beside you ... ".

Having learned that Heraclius had opened the gates, the queen, in righteous anger, cut off his head with her own hands. Everyone fought fiercely in this battle: monks, women and even children. Constantine was killed. Saint Theodora with an exclamation: “Lord! Receive me! " - rushed into the thick of the battle and laid down her soul for Orthodoxy. Her blood stained the slope of Castel Mountain. And still there, against the gray background of the cliff, crimson dark stripes are still visible. This rock is called Emata-kaya (Gemata), or Kan-kaya, which in Greek means "bloody rock". Local legend says that this is the frozen blood of the holy noble queen Theodora of Surozh and all the defenders of Orthodoxy who fell here.

15.12 / 28.12. - Cathedral of Crimean Saints

In the Alushta church in the name of all Crimean saints and St. Theodore Stratilates on the southern wall, to the right of the altar, there is a rare icon depicting the Cathedral of the Crimean saints. The image was painted by the Lipetsk icon painter Viktor Blinov for the feast of All Crimean Saints, established by the Holy Synod in 1988, when the Millennium was celebrated. Many saints are depicted in this icon, and among them there is one whose name is rarely mentioned, and she valiantly and faithfully served God until her last breath - this is the holy noble queen Theodora of Sourozh.

“In the XIV century, the entire southern coast of Crimea, from Sudak to Yalta, belonged to the nun Theodora, beautiful, virtuous and fearless,” one of the Greek synaxaries tells us. A queen and a nun is a rare and surprising combination. The capital of her kingdom was in Sugdeya - present-day Sudak, in the southeast of the Crimean peninsula. Theodora's father, the Greek toparch, Prince Theodore, came from an ancient family of Palaeologus, his mother was an Italian from Kafa. The family also brought up two twin brothers, children of a relative of Prince Theodore. After the death of his mother, Princess Theodora, the upbringing of children was entrusted to Elder Father John, the abbot of the monastery of St. Proclus on Mount Castel. As the chronicle says, "... Elder John fled from luxurious and vain Byzantium, fled from religious disputes and debauchery; he hid here, in the mountain monastery, arranged it, populated it with monks ...". This monastery on Mount Castel was located in the vicinity of the then Aluston, present-day Alushta. The monastery became the favorite place of the young Theodora. The elder raised her in strict asceticism, told her that earthly life is only a preparation for eternal life. From childhood, she was not interested in girlish games and fun - all this was alien to the young princess. Conversations with intelligent and pious people, prayer, reading the Holy Scriptures and the works of the holy fathers - that was the favorite pastime of the young princess. She was merciful, kind, responsive to someone else's grief. She often traveled with her father to his property, and helped everyone who approached her with a request. In military exercises, she did not lag behind the young men: she learned to wield a sword excellently, boldly control a horse, and shoot accurately from a bow. Her father, Prince Theodore, with the consent of the emperor of Byzantium, dying, left the 16-year-old princess as the heiress of Sugdeya and her subordinate possessions.

Having become a queen, Saint Theodora, who by this time had taken monastic vows, did not change her strict lifestyle: she came to Sugdeya only when state affairs demanded it, and spent most of her time at her beloved Castel-mountain, in the monastery of Saint Proclus, where she lived in a specially built tower for her. Strengthening the monastery, she led there a water supply from the source at Yaila, and also arranged an underground passage to the sea in one of the towers.

As already mentioned, she grew up with two twin relatives, Heraclius and Constantine. With age, Irakli's childhood affection for the girl turned into a feeling of passionate love. But the queen was a nun. Heraclius passionately prayed to her to forget his vow and become his wife, promised the Patriarch's assistance, but Saint Theodora firmly refused him, saying that the most cruel death is dearer to her than breaking a monastic vow. The proud and power-hungry youth became embittered, having received a refusal, and, prompted by the devil, decided to destroy the saint.

As already mentioned, from the monastery of St. Proclus, right from the tower of Theodora, there was an underground passage to the sea, to the eastern part of the mountain. There, at the pier, there was always a ship under sail, ready to take the queen to Byzantium. She gathered a council, deciding what to do: whether to sail to Byzantium, and then her subjects will remain alive, because the main reason for this war after the capture of Sugdeya was only she, the queen-nun. But the people in one voice cried out: "No, queen, do not leave us! We do not want to be under the rule of our enemies. We will fall beside you ...".

Soon the Genoese appeared at the walls of the monastery. The enemies decided to take Castel with a long siege. But the completely distraught traitor Irakli could not wait long and volunteered to penetrate there. Along the underground passage known to him from childhood, he entered the monastery and opened the gates. He was eager to Theodora. And she had already gone out to meet him with a sword in her hands. Having learned that Heraclius had opened the gates, the queen, in righteous anger, cut off his head with her own hands. Everyone fought fiercely in this battle: monks, women and even children. Constantine was killed. Saint Theodora with an exclamation: "Lord, receive me!" - rushed into the thick of the battle and laid down her soul for Orthodoxy. Her blood stained the slope of Castel Mountain. And still there, against the gray background of the cliff, crimson dark stripes are still visible. This rock is called Emata-kaya (Gemata), or Kan-kaya, which in Greek means "bloody rock". Local legend says that this is the frozen blood of the holy noble queen Theodora of Surozh and all the defenders of Orthodoxy who fell here.