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St. holy martyr bishops in Cherson: Basil, Ephraim, Eugene, Elpidia, Agathodorus, Epherius and Kapito Long before the baptism of St. Vladimir Equal to the Apostles, the Christian faith has already penetrated into the modern southern outskirts of Russia - Crimea or the Tauride Peninsula, which in ancient times was called Tauride Chersonese and was subject to the Roman emperors. The first to plant the seed of Christianity in this country were political criminals exiled here by the persecutors of Christianity, among whom were many confessors of the faith of Christ, also revered by states. criminals, such as Bishop Clement of Rome, imprisoned by Emperor Trajan in the Inkerman quarries. – These first Christians, within the borders that now constitute Russia, contributed to the spread of Christianity, the prosperity of which is recalled by numerous monuments in the Crimea and its environs. “But it did not survive in this country, where many Jews lived, who, together with the pagans, did their best to prevent the development of Christian teaching. - Meanwhile, from time to time, the missionary preachers who appeared here continued to act in favor of Christian enlightenment, for example. in 300 A.D., Patriarch Hermon of Jerusalem, the last of the persecuting pagan kings, sent several bishops to different countries to preach the Holy Spirit. Gospels. St. Ephraim and Vasily were sent by him, the first to Scythia, the second to Tauris. They settled simultaneously in the main city of the peninsula - Kherson or Korsun, and both suffered martyrdom: Vasily - in Kherson from the Jews, who were embittered at him for the success of the Gospel preaching and first expelled him from the city. St. Basil went to the mountain and settled in a cave. Soon after this, the son of a noble citizen died. His parents, by inspiration from above, through a dream, turned to Vasily for help, and Saint Basil with his prayers brought him back to life. After this miracle, many believed, and then the pagans and Jews, completely irritated by Basil’s success, attacked his house at night and beat him with stones and sticks. Ephraim, having spent some time in Kherson, went on to preach the Gospel. He reached the Danube, converted many to the Christian faith, which also aroused indignation against himself among the majority of the people, and finally, having suffered much persecution and insults, he was beheaded by the sword - by order of the leaders of the country. – The same fate befell the bishops a year later: Eugene, Elpidia and Agathodorus, who arrived in Cherson from the Hellespont, where they were sent by the same Patriarch Hermon, at the same time as St. Vasily. Jews and pagans armed themselves against them and killed them on March 7th. After some time, the Patriarch of Jerusalem again sent a bishop named Epheria to Kherson; he also spread the word of God, beneficially influenced Christians by the example of his virtuous life, and died peacefully on the island of Alos, in the countries of the Dnieper, on the way from Constantinople. After him, “after many years of persecution,” Emperor Constantine the Great sent Bishop Capiton to Kherson under the protection of 500 soldiers and the military leader Theona. Tradition says that when Capito arrived among the pagans, they demanded a sign from him to confirm his testimony about God, and that with firm faith in God’s help he entered the fire and, after a long prayer among the flames, emerged unharmed. Such an obvious miracle amazed the unbelievers and convinced them of the power and truth of the One Christian God. This miracle performed by Capito was reported to Emperor Constantine, who was then at the Council of Nicaea. St. Capito was for several years a bishop in Kherson (near present-day Sevastopol). One day, on his way to Constantinople, he was caught in a storm, and the ship on which he was traveling was carried into the mouth of the Dnieper. The inhabitants of that country, harsh pagans, captured the ship and drowned everyone on it at sea. The Church established on March 7th the commemoration of these first seven bishops who preached in Tauride Chersonese. In 1864, in memory of their Apostolic labors in Tauris and Scythia, with a donation from the royal house and from the zealots of Christian piety, a majestic monastery was built on the site of their exploits in honor of the Kherson holy martyrs. The ancient city of Kherson no longer exists; only its ruins are visible near Sevastopol. Eight versts from here, in the Inkerman Valley, there is a cinnamonium - a remnant of the first centuries of a shrine, carved into a huge rock, at an altitude of 40 fathoms from the surface of the sea - a small church of St. much Bishop Clement of Rome, and here there are many tombs of martyrs who suffered for Christ. About the Crimean caves in the Tepekerman rock, 5 versts from Bakhchisarai, see the description of Mr. Keppen in the Crimean collection, and Tavrich. Ep. Ved. 1880, No. 1, art. priest Nakropitsa.