Monks' Cave (Saraktash District)

The Monks' Cave, also known as the Cell of the Three Monks, is a small furnished grotto in a ravine on the slope of a hill in the Saraktash District of the Orenburg Region, Russia. It lies near the village of Andreevka and is linked to the St. Andrew's Monastery: according to local residents, monks from the monastery turned it into a place of prayer.

History and legends

Little is documented about the cave, and its story is known mostly from word of mouth. Locals say it was arranged by monks of the St. Andrew's Monastery, in one version by three of them, which gave the place its second name. They are said to have climbed up here every morning to pray in solitude; whether the custom continues is not known for certain. There are also stories of metal posts on the slopes once used to haul frail monks up the hill, but nothing confirms them.

Some descriptions place the hill among the heights known as the Andreevskie Shishki, though sources disagree on which summit it is.

What to see

The entrance is closed off by a wooden structure with two doors. Behind them is a small room with shelves and a brick stove, and beyond it the cave itself, more of a grotto. It is a single small chamber with a wooden altar, a cross, candles and paper icons.

Pilgrims visit the cave, and for them it is above all a place of prayer rather than a sight.

Getting there

An overgrown path leads to the cave, and you can leave the car at the foot of the hill. The path starts by an iron pipe set upright in the ground, about 25 cm across and some two metres tall. The walk up is short, but the path is not maintained, so wear sturdy closed shoes.

Good to know

In May the path is full of ticks: in May 2017 visitors picked about 20 off themselves along a 20-metre stretch. Wear protective clothing and repellent, and check yourself carefully afterwards.

The cave is known mainly to locals, who ask visitors to treat it with care: take your rubbish away, touch nothing at the altar and keep quiet, as in a church. Do not confuse it with the cave often searched for as the "Olyaka cave": that is a different and much larger karst cave in the Saraktash District.