200 km south of Voronezh, on the right bank of the Don, there stretches a chain of snow-white chalk hills. Caves are hidden in them — ancient, man-made, mysterious. These cave monasteries of the Don region are unlike ordinary Orthodox monasteries: they are carved right into the rock, keep unsolved secrets, and attract thousands of travelers.
The most mysterious of these cave hermitages of the Don is located in the village of Kostomarovo, Podgorensky district of the Voronezh region.
The austere landscape around the monastery looks nothing like the fertile Black Earth region. Stony slopes, chalk pillars, and domes on top of them create an image of Golgotha — the hill where Jesus Christ was crucified. This is what the surroundings of Kostomarovo look like on Google Maps:
The northern part of the village lies on the Don, and the Spassky Monastery stands to the south of the houses — in a hollow among chalk hills, right in the place where the famous Kostomarovo caves are located — no one knows when and by whom they were dug.
You can get here both by your own car and by public transport. People come to Kostomarovo to see the cave churches, to bow to the shrines of the monastery, which today is called the “monastery of repentance and persecutions.” Below we will tell in detail about the monastery and its history.
1. Kostomarovo on the map
People come to the village of Kostomarovo in the Voronezh region, Podgorensky district, from everywhere.
Distances from some cities:
- Voronezh – Kostomarovo: 170 km, 2.5 hours on the road.
- Moscow – Kostomarovo: along the M-4 via Voronezh about 690 km, travel time from 8 hours, not counting traffic jams.
- By train from Moscow to Liski it takes 12 hours; from Liski you can go by taxi or by excursion bus. The distance from Liski to Kostomarovo is 110 km. From the railway station “Evdakovo” (Kamenka) to Kostomarovo – 25 km (by taxi or hitchhiking).
- Liski – Divnogorye – Kostomarovo, distance 71 km, and from Kostomarovo to the Pre-Don caves there is no direct road, because the area is cut by hills and ravines.
- Ostrogozhsk – Kostomarovo, distance 63 km, by car about 1 hour. By public transport you need to take a bus to Podgorenskoye with a transfer to Evdakovo, and from there by taxi – 100 km.
- The distance from the railway station Rossosh to Kostomarovo along the highway is 70 km, you can only cover it in your own car in 1 hour.
- The route Belgorod – Kostomarovo is popular among pilgrims from the Belgorod region. The excursion bus goes 270 km, travel time 3.5 hours.
2. Kostomarovo: historical background
The written history of the village of Kostomarovo begins in 1734 — in the reign of Empress Anna Ioannovna — when the officer of the Life Guards Semyon Matveyevich Kostomarov was granted land on the Don with state peasants.
By the beginning of the 19th century, the Kostomarov estate again passed to the state, and people began to settle in these parts — on the high banks of the Don south of the modern village, in Kozinka, Smiyevka, Sukhoy Donets. And the place where the monastery now stands remained empty for a long time — surrounded by deserted chalk hills, with almost no mobile connection.
The village became famous thanks to the caves dug in the hills, which are still used as dwellings by hermits. The caves are much older than the village itself: they were already mentioned in the spiritual inventories of the 17th century, when all church buildings and small parishes were registered.
Many researchers agree that the cave churches on the Don are more than 1,000 years old.
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- The similarity of the caves of Kostomarovo with the underground structures of Cappadocia is striking. There, too, early Christians, fleeing persecution, hid in karst caves in Asia Minor. The Don cave structures, just like in Cappadocia, begin with a spacious temple carved in stone, and then go deeper into the hills with smaller cells. So it is quite possible that the Kostomarovo complex arose in the first centuries AD.
- The second hypothesis dates the appearance of the caves on the Don to the 10th–12th centuries. It was at this time that the spread of Christianity from the south began, which brought to the Don both missionaries-monks and church traditions from Byzantium and Kiev. In those times southern Russian lands were on the borderlands of the Khazar Kaganate, on the outskirts of pagan Kievan Rus.
- In the 17th century the ancient cave structures were revived for the second time. At this point the Don area was actively Christianized, and monks of nearby monasteries occupied and expanded the already existing cult structures of earlier centuries.
- At the end of the 18th – beginning of the 19th century the underground complexes continued to develop: the faith of the people grew, peasants and merchants left donations, the number of cells increased — in fact, a small women’s hermitage was formed here, which by that time was officially considered a monastery.
- In the 20th century official monasteries — Divnogorsky and Belogorsky — were closed, and the Kostomarovo caves became a refuge for persecuted clergy, injured in body and spirit. Here lived the blessed elder Petr (Yeremeyenko), later executed.
- In 1946 the authorities allowed services in the Spassky cave temple. They say that even during the persecutions, a priest who was hiding in a pious family secretly performed services here, and people came to him from all over the district. The Kostomarovo monastery owes much to such unknown ascetics.
Revival began in 1993 with the excavation of buried cave chapels. Now it is an active women’s community: 36 sisters live here permanently, three churches operate, there are residential buildings and a guest house for pilgrims. Up to 40,000 people visit the “monastery of repentance and persecutions” every year.
3. Spassky Monastery: description
The above-ground buildings of the Kostomarovo Spassky Monastery are located at the foot of chalk slopes. A wide staircase goes up to the caves carved in the cliffs. Because of the white chalk and the steep slopes, the whole complex really resembles Golgotha — as if everything here was created to emphasize the cosmic character of the event symbolized by Golgotha.
The main attraction of the Kostomarovo Spassky women’s monastery is the cave churches.
Tip: there is no electricity in the cave churches of the monastery, so you will need many candles to look around.
Spassky Cathedral
The Spassky cave complex is crowned by two chalk rocks — “divy”, like two white towers. In them and under them the main church of the monastery was carved — the Church of the Savior. Daylight flows into it through the windows cut right in the chalk slopes — this gives the oldest church of the cave monastery a festive look.
The church begins right at the entrance, the vaults rest on 12 monolithic chalk pillars. In the depths there is the altar and iconostasis. The feast day of the monastery is the Feast of the Image Not Made by Hands, August 29 (new style).
Schedule of services in the Spassky Cathedral:
- Liturgy on weekdays – at 7:00; on Saturdays – at 7:30; on Sundays and feast days – at 8:30.
- Evening service – at 17:00.
- Excursions to the church – from 9:00 to 17:00 on weekdays; from 10:30 to 16:00 on Sundays and holidays.
To the left of the main church there is a side chapel — in honor of Faith, Hope, Love, and their mother Sophia. In its depth is the miracle-working icon of the Mother of God “Joy of All Who Sorrow.” In the half-darkness of the cave you can see the faces of the icons and the filigree altar carving in chalk.
Church of Seraphim of Sarov
According to tradition, the church in honor of St. Seraphim in Kostomarovo became the first church in Russia carved in chalk in honor of the great elder of Sarov. It is small, cozy, and very bright. The ceilings and walls are decorated with delicate chalk carving made by Belgorod artists.
Services in this church are held on the days of the saint’s commemoration: January 15 and August 1 (new style).
Church “Seeking of the Lost”
The only above-ground church of the Spassky Monastery was built in 2000 in honor of the icon “Seeking of the Lost.” Here they serve memorial services and take prayer requests: molebens, 40-day commemorations, panikhidas, and the unceasing psalter.
Hermits’ caves
The caves in Kostomarovo are a place of seclusion for unknown ascetics who labored here through the centuries. Narrow cells, stone benches, niches for icons and candles — all this tells of the hard feat of people who spent their whole lives in fasting and prayer. According to legend, one of the caves belonged to an “upright” ascetic — a prayerful monk who never allowed himself to sit or lie down.
The most famous of the hermit cells is the Cave of Repentance. Narrow spiral steps lead down into it; they say that even today confessions are heard here — the same sacrament of confession to a priest that takes place in any church during services.
Holy objects
Two icons are especially revered in the Spassky women’s monastery.
- The Kostomarovo “Execution” icon — a copy of the Valaam icon of the Mother of God. During the time of persecutions it was shot at by soldiers, but the icon survived — bullets passed it by. Today this miraculous icon is kept in the above-ground church “Seeking of the Lost.”
Kostomarovo “Execution” icon
- “The Holy Family – Teacher of Labor” — an icon more closely connected with Kostomarovo and local traditions. Women prayed before it for the return of their sons from the front or from prison — and received according to their prayers.
Icon of the Holy Family – “Teacher of Labor”
The monastery’s holy sites also include the spring of the Tikhvin Mother of God. Water from it is considered healing. A little further away a cave-chapel in honor of this icon is being arranged.
There are no especially strict behavior rules in the Kostomarovo Monastery, but simple requirements must be observed:
- women should wear skirts, with their head covered, and without striking makeup;
- men — without headwear, in clothes covering arms and legs;
- it is not allowed to take photos inside the churches and to leave inscriptions on the chalk walls;
- it is not blessed to pick flowers and grass or walk in areas marked with barriers.
4. Weather in Kostomarovo
When planning a trip, check the weather. Rain and slush will turn the chalk slopes into soap, and ice crust in winter will make the climb to the mountain impossible for untrained people.
Click on https://yandex.ru/pogoda/kostomarovo-voronezhskaya-oblast to see a detailed 10-day weather forecast for Kostomarovo.
5. Excursions
It is best to come to Kostomarovo for the first time with a guided tour or as part of a pilgrimage group — this way you will definitely see all the sites and hear the history of the “monastery of repentance and persecutions.” Many Voronezh travel companies include, in addition to the Spassky Monastery, also Divnogorye in the program.
| Name | Company | Program | Price |
| Group tour from Voronezh to Kostomarovo | Weatlas | Visit to the Kostomarovo Spassky Monastery | 2596 |
| Kostomarovo. Pilgrimage | Voronezh Pilgrim | Visit to the churches and shrines of the Spassky Monastery Meal |
1200 |
| Spassky Women’s Monastery | Terra Voronezh | Departure from Voronezh, excursion around the territory, cave churches, holy spring | on request |
| Kostomarovo + Divnogorye | Different Voronezh tour operators | Kostomarovo, Divnogorye, sightseeing in the center of Voronezh “Symbols of the capital of the Black Earth” |
6. How to get to the Kostomarovo Spassky Monastery
Except by car, it is quite difficult to reach Kostomarovo: public transport is infrequent, and travel with transfers requires careful study of the schedule. See below.
How to get by public transport
There is regular bus service only between Kostomarovo and Podgorenskoye, twice a day — at 6:00 and 13:00.
- You should match your departure from Voronezh to Podgorenskoye to these two runs; travel time between these points is 3.5 hours.
- On the route Rossosh – Kostomarovo you need to take a bus in Rossosh to Podgorenskoye, get off at the stop “Podgorenskoye, turn”, (20–30 minutes), and then change to transport going to Kostomarovo.
How to get by car
By car from Voronezh you can get to Kostomarovo by two routes — both 170 km long, 2.5 hours on the road.
- Along the M-4 highway to the turn to Liski — toll section; then to Podgorensky, after crossing the Don on the bridge — turn south to Kamenka, where there are signs to the Monastery.
- From Voronezh go west (R298 highway), then turn south to Podgorensky, and from there — to Kamenka and Kostomarovo. This route is worse in quality, but much more scenic than the federal highway.
From Rossosh the route is shorter — only 67 km, 1 hour on the road. The road goes through the following settlements: Popovka – Podgorensky – Saguny – Yudino – Kostomarovo.
7. Guest house of the Spassky Monastery
Pilgrims who come from afar or travel alone can book a single room. The cost of an overnight stay per person is 500 rubles. The rooms have everything you need for simple accommodation, and the windows of the guest house offer a beautiful view of the surroundings.
8. Contact information
All information about the Spassky Monastery in Kostomarovo can be found on the official website: https://www.kostomarovo.ru/
Postal address: Voronezh region, Podgorensky district, Monastyrskaya St., 1.
Group excursions should be booked in advance by phone: +7(951)-865-74-89
Excursion schedule through the cave complex:
- 9:00 – 17:00 – on weekdays;
- 10:30 – 16:30 – on Sundays and holidays.
If you have the opportunity — be sure to visit Kostomarovo. This is one of those places where the Gospel story seems to come alive, and where you can literally feel on your skin both the wind of the Don steppes and the chill of the underground caves.
Also read articles about the underground monasteries of Belogorye.
Photos taken from open sources: kurticov.ru, photoshare.ru, google.com/maps, maps.google.com, yandex.ru/maps, livemaster.ru
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