Where in the hero city can you meet representatives of the other world?
New Year is a magical time when even adults believe in miracles. They say these days the chance to meet otherworldly forces increases. Are there places in Sevastopol where ghosts live?
We will try to answer in this article.
White monk from Chersonesos
One of the most mysterious ghosts of Sevastopol is the "white monk". According to legend, he lives among the ruins of the ancient Greek city of Chersonesos. He got his name because of the white clothes in which he appeared to numerous witnesses.
According to the stories of those who "for sure" met with the "minister of the church", he prefers night walks, in general, peaceful, but loves to frighten lovers and bathers.
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True, in our time the chances of meeting the Chersonesus ghost are practically reduced to zero. Swimming on the territory of the museum-reserve is prohibited, and visiting in the dark is possible only during special excursions. And the brightly consecrated dome of the Vladimir Cathedral in Chersonesos is a reliable protection from meeting with the otherworldly.
Ghost move
This is perhaps the most unusual Sevastopol "ghost" - a wandering underground passage through the main city bay.
There is one legend in our city, the origins of which probably go back to the times of the Crimean War and the First Defense of the city. They say that among the numerous underground passages that were dug under the city during the events of 1854-55, there is also a tunnel through the Sevastopol Bay.
During the existence of this legend, it has become overgrown with such details that if you put them together, it turns out that under the bay there is a huge network of tunnels starting somewhere in the center and ending at the Bratsk cemetery, on the ravels, in military units on the North side, and so on. Further.
In general, the tunnel under the Sevastopol Bay is nothing more than a myth, a ghostly embodiment of the dream to connect the South and North sides of Sevastopol directly.
Abode of ghosts
Lazarevskie barracks, located at the entrance to the Ship Side, is the richest place in ghosts in the hero city.
Built long before the events of the Crimean War, during the First Defense, the buildings received significant damage. They were restored, and naval crews began to live in the barracks again. And with them - and ghosts.
According to legend, three translucent figures wandered along the corridor of the Lazarev barracks, in the form of allied armies, which besieged Sevastopol in 1854-55. The ghosts, they say, also differed in behavior: one with a fez on his head was very unhappy, the second, with a scarf tied around his neck, behaved extremely arrogantly, and the third, with a famously curled up mustache and a small wedge-shaped beard, was extremely sociable and very frightened by this sailors.
The ghosts of the Lazarev barracks "survived" the First World War, the Revolution, the Civil War and even the years of militant atheism. During the Great Patriotic War, the "abode of ghosts" was destroyed. After the restoration, it turned out that two of the three allies either self-destructed, or returned to their homeland. Only the "Frenchman" remained to wander through the restored corridors of the Sevastopol barracks. But he too soon disappeared - perhaps joined his comrades. The latest evidence of encounters with the ghosts of the Lazarevsky barracks dates back to the 70s of the last century.
Not a legend, but a true story
The fraternal cemetery in Sevastopol is a place, in itself, mysterious and mystical, the largest necropolis of the city, where defenders of the city of different eras are buried. There are many legends and rumors around the burials, ranging from the disappeared remains of General Totleben and ending with the graves of "brothers" from the 90s of last year.
But the story about which I want to tell is not a legend, but a fact, but a miracle found a place here. During the Second Defense of the city, the St. Nicholas Church at the Bratsk Cemetery served as an observation post for the defenders of Sevastopol. During one of the bombing raids, a German shell hit the base of the cross at the top of the Temple. Zoya Platonovna Salnova (Zadorozhnaya) became a witness of how the cross fell, whose family for many generations, in one way or another, is connected with St. Nicholas Church. In front of Zoya's eyes, a huge seven-meter giant diorite cross fell from a thirty-meter height so slowly, as if it were a maple leaf floating in the air.
The cross was not badly damaged from the fall. Only the top and the bottom broke off, where it was attached to the top of the pyramid. It was because of its minor damage that the restorers only had to work a little to restore the "hero of the defense of Sevastopol" and erect him in its original place - on the top, which stood in the battle with the enemy of St. Nicholas Church.
Later, in our time, the cross still could not stand the time and broke away.
In our time, St. Nicholas Church is crowned with a new stone one, and the old one is preserved and rests on an honorary pedestal in front of the Temple.
More than a legend
Cape Chersonesos, where the museum and historical complex "35th Coastal Battery" is located nowadays, is one of the saddest and tragic places in the city. Here in July 1942, 80 thousand defenders and residents of Sevastopol were left at the mercy of the enemy. What was this mercy, every Sevastopol resident now knows from the cradle. And this is probably the case when reality turns out to be more impressive than any mystical story. The real story of the 35th Coastal Battery is a legend that does not need hoaxes.
We will only add that the official keepers of the history of the 35th battery say that they have not met with ghosts and ghosts.
Of course, these are not all the legends of Sevastopol. There are many, many more. Share your stories in the comments.
Author: Natalia Astakhova