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Religions:
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T he primary religion of the Ukraine
is the Eastern Orthodox Church (also know as the Orthodox Catholic
church). In 1054 ad, a dispute occurred over how much authority the pope ought or
ought not have. The Eastern church thought it should be a shared
responsibility of all church leaders, the Catholics disagreed. They
lived harmoniously until the early 13th century when roman
soldiers during the crusades invaded and destroyed many of the areas
cities belonging under the "rule" of the Eastern Church.
They split completely after these events. Many
icons and symbols remain similar to the Roman Catholics showing their common
heritage. People stand during Sunday services, and poor and disabled
people line the steps of the church awaiting contributions from those who
enter. Women cover their heads with scarves. One church
had a coffin set to the left and the people (mostly women) bent over and
kissed the glass plate as they made their way through their ritual.
I couldn't tell if the Saint's remains were inside. This a view of
one of many Eastern Orthodox churches. Although the outside is
impressive, the inside is....WOW. Every painting is bordered by gold
frames and the walls are fully covered with them. The domed ceilings
are hand painted with colorful murals.
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This
is a Church near Bahkchisarai built into the mountain side -It's still
actively used.
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either working for the church or donating their time, walk around with mop
and broom to sweep and clean the tile flooring from the dust and dirt
brought in by visitors and worshippers. This little chapel on the
right had a curio booth outside selling iconary - that was interesting!
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The next largest
religion in Crimea is Islam or Moslem. The majority of the
Tataran people are Moslem although few are orthodox. Many of
the Moshets (mosques) were destroyed
after the Russian occupation but a few did survive and new
ones are being build. The insides are simple
with carpeted floors and no iconary on the walls or
ceilings. Worshippers remove their shoes before entering and
women view and worship from the second level. Head covering
is worn by men and women. |
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The Palace of Khan
Giray:
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 The
Palace of Khan Giray is fabulous to visit both for it's
architecture and it's history. The palace is found in the
town of Bakhchisarai and is now kept as a museum.
Interestingly, I didn't see any Tatars working inside and a
Russian woman guided our group.
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New 2004 Web Site:
The
Palace
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This
photo (right) is a traditional sitting area with a center fountain located
within the
palace. The photo above on the right is inside the Moshet at the
palace. The "Seal of Suleyman" is above where the Koran (Islamic writings) is laid
open. It is constructed as the Star of David and confuses many
visitors who do not understand the difference in interpretation of the two
[including myself until i was recently (4/2004) informed! thanks you
oleksa! :)]. Topping the towers outside of the building are the
traditional crescent moons.
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These
two fotos are of the Khan's harem room. |
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