Belfry of St. John Chrysostom, a tall, slender, snow-white, with a gilded dome, shining brightly in the sun, has always been an integral part of Yalta, its symbol. I think if there is a bell tower and a temple should be, but in our 70-80-ies of XX century it was not written a single line. But the temple was, and its creation was particularly important for Yalta.
After joining the Crimea to Russia in 1783, Yalta was a small fishing village. According to 1800 it had about 13 wooden houses and a military garrison built more AV Suvorov in 1771.
In 1823, Governor-General of the Novorossiysk region to which it relates and Tavrida, was appointed to Count M. Vorontsov. Beauty Yuzhnobe-rezhya reinforced his idea of creating this rich resort region, a kind of Russian Riviera. Therefore, Count Vorontsov paid special attention to urban planning. At Yalta, he gave away 200 acres of land by requiring their owners to engage in gardening, farming and construction. However, construction was carried out slowly because of the inconvenience of mountain roads. Therefore, at the initiative of Count Vorontsov began to lay the road, united the southern coast of Simferopol, and then from Sevastopol.
Belfry Church of St. John Chrysostom on Polikurovskom Hill became the first stone building of Yalta. September 16, 1837 a solemn consecration of the cathedral in the name of St. John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople, and celebrated the Divine Liturgy Archbishop of Kherson and Tauric Gabriel. At the consecration of the church attended by Emperor Nicholas I and Empress Alexandra Feodorovna. The next day, September 17, followed a Supreme Decree on conferring Yalta city status.
Archbishop of Constantinople, John Chrysostom was called for its eloquence. His talk and listen to sermons came not only Christians but also Jews, pagans. What, however, is not pleased regent - the Empress Eudoxia, because in his speeches speaking against the holy malformations such as luxury, sensuality, pride. Empress sent the Archbishop in exile in the remote Armenian village Kukuz. And soon over Constantinople broke the terrible storm that has brought great destruction. A few days later she died in childbirth Empress Eudoxia. Even in exile, the saint in great reverence, he was visited by many people. Then they sent him to Colchis. Unable to withstand the long journey, St. John died in the village of Coman (and it still exists in Abkhazia). Sensing the approach of death, the saint celebrated the Liturgy and Holy Communion. During the prayers of his voice began to weaken, the last words he uttered in a whisper: "Thank God for all !".
Cathedral has become a real decoration of the young Yalta. It was built of local stone rubble, the walls plastered and painted in bright colors, was crowned with four gold-plated dome of the cathedral. In the temple were four doors, 21 windows illuminated him. Although the temple was small but quite spacious and nicely decorated.
Nearly 50 years adorned the temple on the hill Polikurovskom. Not far from it emerged cemetery, the burial place for many prominent personalities, famous and still aristocrats, doctors, actors, writers: K. And Eshlimana, the first architect of the Southern coast, AA Khanzhonkov, founder of the national cinema, and VN Dmitriev, founder climatotherapy, poet SV Rudanskyi and many others, now there is a memorial necropolis.
In 1883, the hero of the Crimean campaign Baron Andrew L. Wrangel proposed to extend the church, added a chapel in the name of its patron saint of the holy Apostle Andrew. But the church was in need of serious repair - dome began to rapidly deteriorate. Only in 1894 on the draft urban architect Krasnov (1864-1939), four former bulbous domes were dismantled and brought together in one tent dome of the Byzantine style. Under the leadership of
NPKrasnov and developed his plan had been built church school and the chapel of St. Nicholas of Myra at the entrance to the marine station on the very spot where Nicholas I read the decision on granting the status of the city of Yalta. Both buildings were built rather quickly - and not just because the name of the architect was already widely known, but thanks to the generous donations of Yalta parishioners Yulia Ivanovna Bazanova and tireless work of the temple of St. John Chrysostom, Archpriest Alexander Tarnovo. Construction was completed by the end of 1896, both buildings were owned by St John the Zlatoust parish community.
new parochial school was addressed to the Grand Duchess Olga Nikolaevna, the eldest daughter of Emperor Nicholas I, and became the guardian of her YI Bazanova.
time passed, the city grew, the population is growing, so it became necessary to build new churches. At the beginning of XX century in Yalta erected the great temple of Saint Alexander Nevsky. More spacious and roomy, he drew many parishioners. But life in the Church of St. John Chrysostom is not froze.
In the church of St. John Chrysostom served as a wonderful man Kieran Dimitri Mikhailovich (1879-1938), priest in the fifth generation. Due to illness of his wife's family Dimitri Kiranova in 1913 moved to Yalta. Father Dimitri was appointed second priest in the Cathedral of St. John Chrysostom. His sermons, fervent worship at the temple attracted new parishioners. Also, the young priest taught the Law of God in schools, was a member of the urban welfare charity in the low ranks. For his writings shepherd was marked by a cross in 1919.
summer of 1923 Renovationists required to give them the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, the city clergy strongly opposed to this, as a result of the Yalta five priests, including Father Dimitri were sent to Simferopol prison. Then came hard times, the state turned against the church. In May 1932 Father Demetrios arrested, accused of that he was "anti-Soviet agitation and dissolved the counterrevolutionary provocations rumors about government", as well as illegally collected money from the faithful. For three years he was exiled to Kazakhstan. At Yalta, the father of Demetrius returned exhausted and sick, but continued to serve in his temple. Again archpriest Dimitry Kiranova arrested in 1937 and in 1938, Archpriest Dimitry Kieran was shot by sentence of the NKVD. In 2000, the Council of Bishops of the Russian Orthodox Church has ranked martyr to the saints.
Temple after the death of the abbot shared the fate of most Russian churches: the gradual neglect and desecration.
The Great Patriotic War. She brought a lot of troubles, but some people have suffered unjustly even before the enemy occupied the Crimea, suffered from their own countrymen, to insult them suspiciously. Thus, at the very beginning of the war the Germans, who lived on the Crimean land, promptly deported to Siberia. They were taken away so quickly that it was not possible to collect things, they took only the most necessary. Other property confiscated and transported to storage in an empty church. After the Nazis occupied Yalta, in the temple of a sudden, for some unknown reason a fire broke out. The fire in a few hours killing the church. The charred wall was dismantled in the postwar years. Not have survived as parish school and chapel. The chapel closed in 1930, and in 1932 was dismantled.
Only the bell tower, which has become "business card" of Yalta. It was used as a navigation mark, it is entered in all the sailing world.
long time believers and people who value the historical past of their town, dreamed of restoring the entire architectural ensemble: the church, parochial school on the streets of Tolstoy and a chapel on the quay.
in 1994 with the blessing of the Lord of Lazarus, the Archbishop of Simferopol and the Crimea started work on fund raising, designing and construction of the temple.
on donations yaltintsev and was restored temple of St. John Chrysostom by Alexander Petrov, who she met on the surviving drawings. The faithful brought the gift of family heirlooms. Church of St. John Chrysostom was solemnly consecrated in 1998, the feast day of saint. Divine Liturgy led by Archbishop of Simferopol and Crimea Lazar. And for the festive ringing of bells add the voice of an old chopped bell, found parishioners and brought to the temple.
