A few hour hike up the mountains and I made it to this beautiful and mystical place.
Few centuries ago the Monastery of St. Elias stood on a cliff right above the Bay of Balaclava in the Crimea. It was built by the Greeks in the XII century. Later, the cliff was named after the monastery – Ilyas-Kai. The temple is long gone and destroyed. However, the location remains to be sacred and mysterious, and it has become the place of pilgrimage.
Most often, the area is called the Temple of the Sun. Sometimes, people call it the Stone Flower and even Crimean Stonehenge. It does vaguely resemble a flower, but similarity between the Crimean Stonehenge and the British one is questionable.
Arranged around a central circular stone, the complex of seven pyramidal rocks is often depicted on the Russian Internet as the miracle of creation or even the work of aliens. Some sources are describing the place: “… the stone flower is almost invisible due to lush green vegetation, but if you go down lower, you realize that the place consists of a carefully crafted stones… Altar is surrounded by six huge boulders. The complex represents the flower. The flower symbolizes the sun. It seems that this complex was used for worshiping to the god of Sun. The structure itself, was used as antenna or a transmitter … .” “It’s not only a historic landmark, but one of the most powerful energy points in the Crimea. According to local old-timers, the Temple of the Sun is able to serve as a energy source and to help make wishes come true. However, the desires should not bring harm to others. The person who comes there with pure thoughts and good intentions, is able to activate it…”
Despite the fact that there is no evidence that the place helps to make wishes come true, many people consider it as a focal point for the pilgrimages, the place of power, a source of energy and fulfillment of desires.
At the foot of the altar-stone you can find a lot of different items that people traditionally leave for the gods. Each one of them represents something – whether a symbol, or a desire.
