Svyatogorsk Favorites

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Favorite thing: Having you, the Most Holy Mother of God, as a wall of salvation, we are saved; do not neglect, our Sovereign, and heed our prayers.These words from an Orthodox prayer are inscribed at the pedestal of the statue of the Mother of God.
The statue was erected at the entrance to the monastery in 2003 when the monastery became a Laura (merited monastery).
The monastery entrance is guarded by the Russian Cossacks of Svyatogorsk Cossack Regiment. I asked one of the Cossacks to take a picture of him or with him, but to no avail: it is prohibited.

Fondest memory: The whole monastery territory belongs to the State Nature Park called Holy Mountains.

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Favorite thing: For your information:
Svyatogorsk is a resort city located in the northern part of Donetsk region on the left bank of the Sevetsky Donets. Only the monastery is located on the right bank of the river and occupies 19 hectares.
The city is 30 km away from the county center – the city of Slavyansk.
Svyatogorsk got municipal rights in 1962. It was the village of Bannoye before.
The city is located on Kharkiv-Rostov railway line and motorway.
The total length of asphalted roads in Svyatogorsk is 25 kilometers.
There are two banks in Svyatogorsk: Privatbank and Oshchadbank. They are located in Ostrovsky Street.
The city hospital is located in that street too.

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Favorite thing: The shield on the big coat-of-arms is supported by a Free Village Cossack (on the left) and by a Russian 16-century frontier warrior (on the right).
The shield represents the treasures of the town: the natural landscapes and the merited monastery.
The town also has a flag and a hymn.
The town flag is also called city standard.
The green field of the flag represents the picturesque landscapes with unique kids of flora and fauna; it’s Holy Mountains National Natural Park.
The silver mountain (silver metal is represented by the white color) shows the Donets Cliff – the unique natural monument.
The five mountains indicate the distinguishing natural environment of the Donets Cliff consisting of five cones.
Tne blue stripe below the mountain represents the Donets. The stripe is straight and not wavym which shows the Donets is a quiet river. People have often called it “The Quiet Donets”. The name Donets implies “small water”. The ancient Alans called the river so.
The golden cross is the symbol of Holy Assumption Laura, a merited monastery founded here by the monks. This is where the city sprang from.

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Favorite thing: Sauntering in its forests.
Take a look at the information portal of the town council
(town mayor Mr. Alexander Dziuba).
I am sorry it is only in Russian for the present.
www.svyatogorsk.dn.ua

Fondest memory: The entire monastery complex is a part of the Nature Park called Holy Mountains. This area became a natural park in 1963 as Artiom's Mountains.
In 1975 it became a State Natural Reserve.
There are a lot of forests around the monastery complex.
”Holy Mountains” National Nature Park became the property of Europe as a member of “Europark” nature protection federation in July 2003.
There are 123 kinds of rare plants on the territory of Holy Mountains Natural Park, among them 48 kinds have been entered into the Red Book of Ukraine and 12 kinds – into the European Red List.

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Fondest memory: Here are some old black-and-white pictures of Svyatogorsk that I would like to share with you now.
I took these pictures in the summer of 1980 when I worked in this town as a pioneer leader at a children's pioneer camp outside the town.
It was a pioneer camp run by a coalmine from Horlivka where I studied foreign languages at a college. We had our summer practice at children camps as pioneer leaders/educators.
Now it is still open and is called simply Izotovets Kids Camp

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Favorite thing: You can contact the monastery archimandrite, if need be.
This is how to write to him:
Archimandrite Khariton
Holy Assumption Lavra
1 Zarechnaya Street
Svyatogorsk
Donetsk region 84131
Tel.+38 (06262) 5-30-24
+38 (06262) 5-34-24
+38 (06262) 5-30-20

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Favorite thing: Walking along the main streets: Shevchenko Street and Ostrovsky Street;
A stroll along the Embankment;
Lying on the beack;
Admiring the new hotels, cafes and restaurants.The roads and sidewalks are very good in this little resort town.

Fondest memory: Visiting the cave monastery.