Since ancient times, approximately from the 10th century, Karaites, a small ethnic group professing Judaism, lived on the territory of Crimea. At present, the valley of Josaphat is located in this place, and next to it is a large burial place of the Karaites. This sacred place had a different name - B alta Tiymez, which in translation from the Karaite language means "an ax will not touch." According to legend, the site of the cemetery was once a dense forest. The trees growing here were considered sacred. The name (Valley of Jehoshaphat) appeared only in the 18th century.
History of occurrence
It is known that in the second half of the 18th century these lands were captured by the Turks. In order to escape from the captivity and enslavement of foreigners, the peasants went to the local monastery and looked for shelter there. According to legend, once the monks had a vision of the Mother of God, she ordered them to leave here and move to the east. People did just that. For three days they walked towards the dawn until they saw a well and stopped for the night. On the same nightthe monks again had a vision and the Mother of God, who appeared to them, blessed the area. The fugitives decided not to go anywhere else and settled near the holy spring. The neighborhood near the holy well was called the Golinchintsy. This name was associated with the extreme poverty of the monks and laity who fled from the Janissaries. Gradually, people began to build houses, and over time, four villages appeared around the blessed well. Near the well, local residents began to gather and perform a prayer service. They called this place Jehoshaphat's valley. The Karaites themselves, who have long inhabited the surroundings, called the valley Imek Yehoshafat, which literally translates as "the valley in which God will judge." The Karaites were sure that this place was mentioned in the Old Testament. The name echoes the same in Jerusalem, where, according to legend, the Last Judgment will take place. An analogy is often drawn between these two large burials.
Praise Christ, put up crosses
For many years since then, people lived here, until one day another vision descended on one of the villagers. On a hot summer day, he was tending cattle and went to the well to drink spring water and plunge into the holy spring. Bending down, he saw the reflection of the Mother of God with a baby in her arms. Later, the shepherd recalled that he was not at all afraid. On the contrary, an amazing calm descended upon him in those moments. In response to the shepherd's question, what should they do next, the Mother of God said: "Praise Christ, put up crosses." The shepherd immediately ran to the people, to tell about what he saw. And then the first oak cross appeared near the sacred well. The news of this miraculous vision quickly spread throughout all the villages, and now, hundreds of lay people from everywhere went to the valley and carried crosses. Very soon, the entire valley of Jehoshaphat was strewn with crosses.
Brutal massacre
In that Soviet anti-religious time, such events could not pass without a trace. And so, already in November 1923, the regional executive committee received a report that not only did many crosses appear in the valley, but now the place itself is considered sacred, and people come here from everywhere, allegedly in order to cure serious diseases. The commission, created on the basis of this report, decided to completely wipe out the crosses from the face of the earth and punish all participants in the events. Mounted police dispersed crowds of pilgrims, and crosses were dug up and sawn into firewood. As a result of the massacre, 50 pilgrims who did not want to renounce their faith were severely beaten and arrested. One of those arrested was martyred - in the cell he was gnawed alive by rats. After interrogation, all those arrested were driven out into the street, and they, bloody and barefoot, walked to their native places.
Litigation
What was the surprise of the martyrs when they came to Jehoshaphat's valley! New crosses stood on the empty place after the massacre. There were more than 15 thousand of them. It turned out that these crosses were delivered from the most remote corners. From there, where they have not yet learned about the cruel punishment of local residents and pilgrims. Almost immediately, mounted policemen reappeared in the sacred valley, digging up crosses and sawing them up. Those who tried theminterfere, severely beaten. A new investigation was launched, and a criminal case was opened on this fact. On the dock were 9 priests and about 20 laity. The investigation into this high-profile case went on for a very long time. And although the investigators did not find any evidence of guilt under the articles that were imputed to the defendants, they were still sentenced to different periods of forced labor. Jehoshaphat's Valley of the Crosses was barbarously destroyed.
Who told the world about the events in Jehoshaphat Valley
Information about all the events that took place at that time in the Valley of Jehoshaphat might not reach our time. Ivan Artemovich Zaletsky is a man thanks to whom we know all the details of that terrible massacre of pilgrims and villagers. When Ivan Artemovich was still a child, his mother gave shelter to a terminally ill priest's widow from the Josaphat Valley. The dying woman spoke in colors about the torments they had to endure in the name of faith. This story made an indelible impression on the child's consciousness of the child. As an adult, Zaletsky tried to tell the whole world about those terrible events: he wrote books, articles in newspapers, spoke on radio and television. Thanks to Ivan Zaletsky, the Josaphat Valley (Vinnitsa region), the photo of which you see, is known all over the world.
Revival of the shrine
The Soviet anti-religious government has done everything in its time to wipe this sacred place off the face of the earth forever. However, people's memory, unbending Christian faith and respect formonuments of religious culture have done their good deed. Today this place in Ukraine is being revived, and every year it gathers more and more pilgrims. On the way to the Josaphat Valley stands the Church of St. Dmitry, and next to it is a cross decorated with towels. This cross is a kind of pointer to the holy place, where there are a lot of such crosses. Where the Jehosaphat Valley is located, now, probably, every believing resident of Ukraine and neighboring countries knows. Thousands of crosses erected here are a living reminder that the true faith cannot be killed.
Revival of the pilgrimage
Thanks to the work of Ivan Artemovich Zaletsky, the Josaphat Valley is alive today. People not only know and revere the history of this place, but also gladly make a pilgrimage to the sacred well, participate in numerous religious processions, and pray for the salvation of souls.
The Valley of Jehoshaphat in our time
People still go to Jehoshaphat Valley today to pray, to ask God for he alth for themselves and their loved ones. Until recently, not everyone knew about the existence of this sacred place in Ukraine, until August 15, 2006, a diocesan procession to the valley was organized. More than 15 thousand people from all over Ukraine and neighboring countries took part in it. The pilgrims carried the crosses they had left in the valley. All participants in the procession listened to Vladyka Simeon's address to his flock, took part in the Divine Liturgy, and before leaving were given the opportunity to draw holy water from the well and plunge intonewly built bath. In addition, the organizers organized a fair where they sold church books, icons, candles and crosses. In that year, the icon "The Miracle of the Appearance of the Most Holy Theotokos in the Jehoshaphat Valley" was painted. Since that day, the procession to the Jehoshaphat Valley has been a good annual tradition that gathers thousands of people who want to turn to God with their prayer. There are only a few places on earth where the Mother of God appeared in miraculous visions. Josaphat Valley in Crimea is one of them.
Miraculous healings
The valley of Jehoshaphat, whose history begins in the mists of time, is famous for miraculous things that happen near the well with holy water. People who made a pilgrimage to the Vinnitsa region talk about miraculous healings. Here are just a few.
- In the Khmelnytsky region, a child was born, to whom the doctors did not predict a cure. After an operation carried out in infancy, the boy, according to doctors, would never be able to walk. Mother did not despair, and decided to turn to God for help. For three years she took the child to the holy spring in the Jehoshaphat Valley, where she soaked the child's feet in holy water and prayed unceasingly. God heard the mother's requests for the healing of her son, and the child went.
- A resident of Odessa arrived in the Josaphat Valley on crutches. For three days she spent the night in the valley, dipping her feet in holy water and praying. On the third day, she got to her feet without the aid of crutches.
- People from the surrounding villages cook food on the water from the Jehoshaphat Valley. Many after thiscured of gastritis.
Thanks to these miraculous healings, it is Vinnitsa region that attracts thousands of pilgrims. The valley of Jehoshaphat, located here, is truly a wonderful place with a healing holy spring.
How to get to Jehoshaphat Valley
Josaphat Valley is located just two kilometers from the city of Bakhchisarai. It is he who serves as the main reference point for pilgrims. Near Bakhchisarai there is a "cave city" Chufut-Kale. If you move from it along the path of the ancient funeral processions, you will certainly find yourself at the arched vault of the Jehoshaphat Valley. Once upon a time, just behind the entrance to the cemetery, there was a caretaker's gatehouse. Since people began to leave these places and move to cities and comfortable villages, there was no one to look after the graves in the ancient cemetery. Now only pilgrims and tourists appear here. The graveyard path runs through the city of the dead from west to east. On both sides of it are ancient graves with tombstones. On all the plates there are inscriptions in Hebrew. Now the whole cemetery is overgrown with grass, the tombstones are braided with lianas. Despite this, the Valley of the Crosses of Jehoshaphat gives pilgrims peace and tranquility, and every year gathers hundreds of believers here.
Karaite cemetery
The ancient Karaite cemetery in the Jehoshaphat Valley has not yet been fully explored. Once upon a time, a dense forest towered here, and the trees in it were considered inviolable. The Karaites carefully protected them from cutting down. Such admiration for age-old giantsexplained simply. Tall trees have long been considered a kind of pointers. Dead relatives were often buried under trees. It was believed that the soul of the deceased is in the branches of the tree for 40 days after death. In other words, to destroy a tree meant to lose touch with one's ancestors, with one's roots. In addition, according to the Holy Scriptures, according to which the Karaites lived, oak is a Divine tree, evidence of the Divine presence. To date, there are no traces left at the Karaite cemetery that a dense forest stood here many centuries ago.
Historian Research
The peculiar chronicle of the Karaites in the form of tombstones on their graves that have survived to this day causes a lot of controversy among eminent historians. It is impossible to establish even the exact number of tombstones - the figure varies from 5 to 10 thousand. This is due to the fact that, in addition to the monuments on the Karaite graves, there are many more plates that were placed for travelers who died on the road. Many tombstones have long been hidden underground, so the question of the number of buried Karaites remains open. At one time, the Karaite writer and archaeologist Firkovich Avraam Samuilovich collected a significant part of the tombstone inscriptions and published them. These publications were followed by many disputes among historians and archaeologists, the main essence of which was the dating of the first burials. According to the latest research by archaeologist Babalikashvili, the oldest tombstones date back to 956. It only says that the valley of Jehoshaphat(Shargorod district), namely the cemetery of the Karaites, requires even more detailed study.
