Kalamita in Crimea

Kalamita in Crimea (на ПРОЗА.РУ)

It belongs to the cave cities of the Crimea.

The name means Beautiful cape, Reed mountain. Perhaps the name comes from the Roman Bishop Clement, who was exiled here for сhristian preaching, and who founded the first cave Temple in the cave city, with the appearance of which all the necessary structural urban objects began to appear here.

Kalamita is the name of a fortress that was founded in the 6th century by local residents to look after the surrounding area and warn the monks of the cave town, which has existed since the beginning of the centuries in the rock on which the fortress stood.

Often in the literature, Kalamita is understood not only as a fortress, but also as a lower town in caves.

The first caves in the rock under the fortress were carved here by ancient neolithic cave people. Then christian monks who fled the Roman Empire during the persecution of christians hid here. Here they created small cells, which were equipped according to the christian rite.

It is believed that the first cave temple in the rock was carved after the appearance of the third Bishop of Rome, Saint Clement, who was exiled in the 92nd year of birds Christ to the Kherson quarries for preaching christianity in Rome. He united the hermits in a small secret Christian community, which was supposed to have its own Christian Temple hidden from the eyes of non-believers.

Gradually, outbuildings were cut down in the monastery rock, which the monks used for warehouses, workshops, where they prepared equipment for conducting services, for working in the rocks, for conducting trade, for agricultural work. Only the fortress and the secular authorities were missing.

Starting with the split of Christianity into Western and Eastern, byzantine merchants rushed here, and with them the byzantine administration appeared in the Crimea. In the 6th century, Byzantium on the western precipices of the Monastery cliff puts the fortress of Kalamita, that is, a Beautiful cape, which belonged to the system of fortresses of the Mountainous Crimea. The task of its garrison, assembled from local residents, was to protect Chersonesos, the main city of the byzantines in the Crimea, from the scythians, sarmatians and huns from the north.

In the 8th century, a cave monastery appeared here, which gradually acquired the main characteristics of the city.

The fortress of Kalamita also served as a shelter for the local population from the raids of nomads. The stronghold of the fortress consisted of four towers. From the appearance of the garrison on the rock, the monastery city only benefited, since it received a defender of its beliefs, which were gradually transformed into eastern christianity, and later into Orthodox.

Since the second half of the 7th century, Crimea has been inhabited by khazars, and in the 8th century the administration of the Khaganate was established here. However, there were no obstacles to the life of the city of monks in the caves of the Monastery rock from the khazars. In addition, the interests of the cave city did not extend beyond the rock and the small space outside it that was needed for trade.

After the fall of the Khazaria in the Crimea, the Khazar Principality ruled there, which continued the policy of non-interference in the affairs of cave towns in the Crimea. After a century of anarchy in the early 11th century, the Byzantine administration came to the Crimea, which resumed support for the fortress of Kalamita and the maintenance of its garrison.

In the 12th century, the Genoese Republic came here, which established its trading posts and colonies, called Gazaria in western histories. The fortress passes to the maintenance of Gazaria, the Cave city with its Monastery continues to develop peacefully.

By that time, there were already several cave-type temples. The tatars, who appeared here at the end of the 13th century, did not change anything special in the life of the cave city in the Monastery rock under the fortress of Kalamita. The khazars disappeared among the tatars, since both were of the same Tengri faith and had a common sociocult.

Since the 14th century, the fortress of Kalamita has been part of the orthodox principality of Feodoro. The fortress protected the port that appeared here, and also took under its care the orthodox monastery of the Cave city.

At the end of the 15th century, the fortress of Kalamita was captured by the turks, the fortress was renamed Inkerman, and the Monastery town received the same name. The turks fortified the fortress, but did not contact the monks in the lower city. Only in one of the skerries they built an artillery casemate.

Since that time, the Monastery cave city has gradually fallen into decline, most likely due to the fact that the city of Inkerman appears next to the Monastery rock, with its temples and urban opportunities. There are fewer and fewer monks, many cells are empty, and Churches are inactive.

In the 16th century, the city of Kalamita continues to perform its functions as an outpost on the sea, where there were crafts, servants, villages.

In the 17th century, the port of Kalamita is actively used, people of different categories and ethnicity live here.

In the 18th century, Turkey loses Crimea, and russians come, who pay much more attention to the spiritual essence of Crimea. They put up orthodox churches, and under Kalamita they set up an orthodox skete.

In the 19th century, nothing is heard of the town of Kalamita or the Monastery town in Skala.

In the 20th century, a Temple in honor of the Crimean War was built on top of a cliff on the territory of the former fortress.

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