Krasnokamenka, Crimea, November 16, 2020
Photo: ria.ru A great tragedy occurred at St. Stephen of Sourozh Monastery in Crimea over the weekend, as a fire wiped out several buildings, including the brothers’ cells.
In addition to the 2-story building where the monks lived, the library and sacristy were also destroyed in the flames, and the neighboring building was damaged. The causes of the fire and the extent of the damage are still being established, the abbot Archimandrite Mark told RIA-Novosti.
The churches were not damaged and there were no human casualties.
A fire was reported on the territory of the monastery in the village of Krasnokamenka on Friday at 6:20 PM, and the first firefighter units arrived on the scene by 6:29.
The fire, which covered an area of 590 sq. ft., was put out by the firefighters of a neighboring military unity and the brethren of the monastery.
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According to Abbot Mark, St. Stephen of Sourozh Monastery is one of the oldest monasteries in Crimea, believed to have been established during the evangelical visit of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. It is located 1,300 ft. above sea level, surrounded by red mountains overgrown with juniper.
The monastery was the site of the ascetic podvigs of St. Stephen of Sourozh, an 8th-century Byzantine champion of the icons during the period of iconoclasm, and many other ascetics. Before the revolution, it was the largest monastery in Crimea, known as the Crimean Lavra, Fr. Mark said.
In its current form, the monastery was established in 1858 by Archbishop Innokenty of Kherson in honor of St. Stephen of Sourozh. According to Fr. Mark, during the time of St. Stephen, the Diocese of Sourozh became “a missionary diocese for the southern Slavic tribes, from where Christianity began to spread throughout the Slavic lands.” St. Stephen was the first to translate the books of the Gospel and Psalter in “Slavic Sourozh script,” as it says in the chronicle.
Shortly after the death of St. Stephen, Prince Bravlin of Novgorod launched a raid on Crimea, though he and his retinue eventually repented and received Baptism by the prayers of St. Stephen.
Prince Vladimir, the Baptizer of Russia, greatly revered St. Stephen and venerated his relics as the first saint of Rus’, Fr. Mark added.
