Svyatogorsk Things to Do

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Cathedral of the Protecting Veil
of the Most Holy Mother of God with a large belfry was dedicated in 1850.
After the monastery was closed by the Soviet power in the twenties of the last century there was a hydropathical establishment inside the former church and the mud bath was installed at the most sacred place of the church – at the place of its altar.
At present the cathedral is under reconstruction and is not open to public.
There is a icons store in the passage under the belfry now.

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The Monastery Caves are ancient caves belonging to the monastery and have been known for centuries.
They are a unique place in the entire Donets Basin.
You can have an excursion starting at 10 a.m. or at 1.30 p.m. that will take you on a 900-meters-long way with a candle in your hands.
You will see the old cave churches, images of the Orthodox saints and old hermit cells.
This picture here contradicts the existing photography ban for I took it secretly after our group leader turned round the corner...
oops...
No photography inside BTW!

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St.Andrew's Chapel occupies one of the highest points on the cliff and stands above St.Nickolas Cathedral.
The chapel dates back to the end of the 18th century.
You will see this chapel after you leave the caves and you are sure to enjoy the picturesque view.

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St.Nickolas Cathedral located on a chalk cliff towering above the Donets is another must-see and a place of pilgrimage of lots of Orthodox Christians.
The cliff is 120 m high.
The cathedral dates back to the end of the 18th century.
You can also see and visit St.Andrew’s Chapel that is as old as the cathedral and towers above it on a cliff.
You can have a nice view of the town, the river and the hills from St.Andrew’s Chapel.

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Allow some time to take a stroll along the promenade located on the left bank of the Seversky Donets.
Turn right before crossing the bridge, walk or sit on a bench admiring the views of the Laura from the opposite bank.
Also, you can do some window shopping or some real shopping there.
There are a lot of stalls with souvenirs or dried fish (our famous treat for beer).

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This cave monastery here has a special Orthodox title.
It is called a Laura, or a merited monastery.
If you are an independent visitor, without any group, you can have your own program, but many places will be inaccessible then. I mean, you won't be able to enter them, whether it's an old church or a monks' hermitage.
You can see three cathedrals on your own.
As a group member or a pilgrim, you can take a walk along a one-kilometer-long cave inside the chalk cliff and see the cave churches there and have a wonderful view of the countryside from the top of the cliff.
If you are just a traveler, you can reach the top of the cliff, if you turn left at the central gate without entering it. You will walk up the mountain road for about forty minutes to the top of the cliff and then you can take the same road back or walk to Artiom Hill.
A nice picture of the monastery

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There are several churches and cathedrals at the territory of the monastery, among them the central cathedral dedicated in 1868.
The cathedral has three altars:
- the central part is dedicated to the Assumption of the Most Holy Mother of God;
- the southern part is dedicated to St.Barbara the Great Martyr and St.Tatyana the Martyr;
- the northern part is dedicated to St.Dmitry of Rostov, St.Mitrophan of Voronezh and St.Tikhon of Zadonsk.
In Soviet times the cathedral was blasphemously turned into a movie theater.
Then, when the Soviet era was over, it was restored and sanctified on September 8, 2000.

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The beach in Svyatogorsk is a very attractive place for hundreds of holiday-makers from all over Ukraine.
You can bathe and sunbathe or play beach volley-ball here.
For a change you can have lunch in one of the nearby cafes such as Banyanka or do some shopping at the nearby Souvenirs Market.