On the territory of the Crimean Reserve, about 18-20 km from Alushta, in a picturesque hollow of mountains, at the foot of Chatyr-dag, there is Kosmo-Damianovsky Monastery. Located at the healing spring Savlukh-Su (from Tatar «healthy water»), it attracts a huge number of pilgrims and tourists. It is not without reason they say that once you have been here at least once, you will definitely want to come back here again.
The water at this spring is considered curative and there is a lot of evidence to this effect. According to the Holy Tradition, this place is associated with the holy brothers Cosmas and Damian, who lived in Rome in the III century and were exiled for Christian sermons in Tauris.
Here, as before, they healed people gratuitously. That is why this spring is also called the source of Saints Cosmas and Damian.
At the end of 1850g. Archbishop Innocent petitioned for the allocation of land near the source for the establishment there Kosmo-Damianovskoy kinovii (Christian monastic commune). The Crimean War, which began in 1853, postponed the opening of the monastery. And only in 1856 here was sent hieromonk (monk, having the rank of priest) Macarius and monk Ignatius for the construction of the church here. In 1857g was built and consecrated a small wooden church in the name of St. Cosmas and Damian.
In 1869 a large wooden church and a male monastery were built on donations, and the small church was dismantled and a chapel was erected in its place. There were no villages around the monastery, the roads were very inconvenient and passed through dense forests and mountains. In 1882 by the decree of Emperor Alexander III a royal hunting lodge was built here, and the roads to the monastery began to improve. In 1886 the road from Alushta was rebuilt, which was named Kosmo-Damianovskoye highway. In 1886, the road from Alushta was rebuilt and named Kosmo-Damianovskoye highway.
In 1899 the male monastery was transformed into a female monastery. The main church of the monastery was thoroughly restored, additional cells were built
(monks’ dwelling in the monastery), bakery, laundry, barn with barns.
Every day the monastery helped the poor, gave shelter to those who came. Here were on re-education street girls and juvenile delinquents.
With the advent of Soviet power all the monastery property and lands were nationalized, and the monastery itself was closed.
And only in 1992 was again registered charter of the monastery of St. Cosmas and Damian, and July 14, 1994 Archbishop of Simferopol and
The Crimean Lazar celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the holy source of Savluh-Su.
You can get to this iconic attraction of Alushta as part of a tour or by car, but then you will need to take a permit from the management of Krymskij-prirodnyj-zapovednik in Alushta.