Sharnenskaya cave is located in the Starooskolsky district of the Belgorod region, not far from the village, which gave the object its name. About it much less is known than about the same natural structures of the Belgorod Territory. But the fact that the cave belongs to the unique monuments of archeology is indisputable.
The history of the creation of cave temples
Nine centuries, from X to XIX, the digging of caves in order to create religious structures was widespread in the territory of Russia. During this time, a whole tradition arose. Regions were identified where cave monasteries or individual cells of hermit monks appeared literally in every century.
Specialists have a list of provinces, which includes central, and chernozem, and now Ukrainian lands. The list is considered incomplete, local historians replenish it, and found caves are studied.
Andrew the First-Called and the monasteries in the rocks
Apostle Andrew is one of the twelve disciples of Jesus Christ, whom he called for the spread of Christian teachings around the world. Andrew was called first, therefore the First-Called.
According to Bible books, the students, casting lots, went in different directions, to different countries. They brought the light of Christianity to people, prophesied, healed, spoke in different languages about the deeds of the Lord.
The circulation of the Apostle Andrew is studied and described by church historians. His path lay far from the Russian land. And there are documentary statements by the chronicler Nestor that the apostles in Russia are "not good." But at the time of the reign of Vladimir Monomakh, an added legend appeared in this work about Andrei’s journey from Crimea to Rome via Ladoga. Apparently, the story was always subject to adjustment.
It is believed that it was precisely the teachings and sermons of St. Andrew that prompted the early Christians who lived along his path to build cave temples.
Digging caves on the Don
However, the studied cave complexes of the Don region indicate that caves appeared in these places only from the XVI-XVII centuries. Historians attribute this to the fact that the Russian state began just then the development of new lands.
Today, the list of identified underground structures includes more than 50 caves on the territory of the Don region and adjacent areas. They were preserved thanks to the ability of builders of the past, not being trained specialists, to feel the space under the ground, to determine the rock's resistance to collapses, its density.
The historical events in our country have made similar the fate of all religious buildings, whether it be a temple or a monastery. During the years of Soviet power, all structures were desolate.
Sharnenskaya cave in the Belgorod region
In the Belgorod region, there are such well-known underground structures as the Kholkovsky Monastery, a temple in Valuyki and a cave of unknown purpose near the village of Shmarnoe.
Near the village there is a chalk mountain, the radius of the foot of which is about two kilometers. Its slopes were overgrown with forest. It is here that the cave is located, it is unknown at what time. Locals of many generations are aware of its availability. The construction is clearly man-made, suitable for habitation, but nobody knows for sure who, when and why did it. There are several suggestions.
This is a religious building
When comparing the cave with the nearby, well-studied cult underground structures or with the Divnogorsk monastery near Voronezh, some similarities are striking.
All facilities are located directly by the river. The rocks in which they are cut are calcareous. And as you know, this is a fairly soft material available for processing.
Nearby, above, at different times, the presence of land-based monasteries was noted. On the mountain near the village, above the Shmarna cave, the monastery was also there, but documentary information about it was not preserved. It was allegedly referred to as the Volga Desert. The church, which once really stood in the village, was consecrated in the name of the Solovetsky Miracle Workers and was considered part of the monastery. Maybe the underground structure belonged to the monastery. But there is another assumption.
In Russia from the XIII to the XV century, the Russian people suffered from the Mongol-Tatar invasion. The ruin of houses and villages, the abduction of a healthy population, the destruction of stocks and livestock - all this happened during raids. Locals, as enemy troops approached, hid their families in forests, dugouts, caves.
Historians believe that the Shmarnenskaya cave appeared in the Belgorod region much earlier than in the centuries indicated above. In this case, the version that the underground cave served as a shelter is quite viable. Where can Russian people hide from the troops of Batu Khan, if not under the powerful chalk layers? But one use does not completely exclude the possible other.
Cave inspection
The study of the Shmarna cave was carried out repeatedly. The description of several underground rooms dates back to 1886. The data were entered in the questionnaire on the monuments of ancient art and were stored in the Kursk Statistical Committee.
In 1923, members of the local local history circle at the proletclub, visiting the underground structure, took photographs and notes. Having cleared the entrance, activists launched scouts into the cave. The other children were not allowed in by the teacher - the head of the circle. When satisfied scouts returned with the news that there were no landslides and the structure was strong, the rest went inside. The guys tidied up the internal rooms and compiled reports on their stay.
In 1960, a group of specialists from the museum of local lore worked in the cave. They, in addition to the description, made up a plan of the underground complex. The site of the Stary Oskol Museum of Local Lore has posted material on this topic.
Cave Documentary Description
Based on the available documentary materials, a detailed description of the Shmarna cave is made. It follows that before there were three entrances. Only one remained, since the other two either collapsed with time, or were bombarded for some reason. The remaining entrance, rather a hole, is located about 25 meters from the base of the chalk mountain.
Travelers who have been inside claim that they had to take the first steps crouching. But after two meters, the corridor begins to increase, and you can get up, though with your back bent. After another 5 meters, the corridor ends with a hall measuring two by two meters. Here you can stand in full growth. From this hall corridors begin, which lead to different rooms.
Small rooms may be former cells, and looped corridors could be used for the procession. Semicircular vaults are supported by columns, relief patterns are applied to some. This is evidenced by the photos taken in the Shmarna cave.
Reviews about the Shmarna cave of those who decided to visit inside are mixed. People have experienced a wide range of emotions - from enthusiasm to bouts of fear of the dark and confined space, and are in a hurry to share them on relevant information resources.
Unfortunately, some of our contemporaries are barbaric to historical monuments. If the premises are ever to be reconstructed, a lot of effort will have to be made to destroy the traces of a modern visitor in the dungeon on the walls and ceilings.
How to get to the Shmarna cave?
The cave is located almost 20 kilometers from Stary Oskol and 5 - from the village of Shmarnoy. Getting here without a car is not easy. And it’s not easy with the car. A navigator can help out. But even if you score the address of the Shmarnenskaya cave: the village of Shmarnoe, Belgorod region, this will not help much. If the device does not respond to this name, enter the settlement Ivanovka. This is the nearest settlement to drive through. Behind him is Shmarnoe.
Behind the village, turn left, and after rising, turn right. A road along the field will lead to a hut. And then it's better to walk through the forest until you see a white path running down. To you there.
Due to the fact that cases of independent visits to underground structures have now become more frequent, the staff of the Starooskol Museum of Local Lore Museum make the following warning on their website, which should be carefully considered: “... we strongly recommend not visiting caves in reality, because the entrance is almost filled up, the state of the vaults is not known (in such cases, a collapse is not excluded, in the end it’s easy to just get lost). ”