Colossus among the Ruins.
The Holy Dormition Cathedral

Dear brothers! God is not in power, but in truth.
Some are with weapons, others are on horses, but we will call on the name of the Lord our God.
Prince Alexander Nevsky

The St. Nicholas-St. Basil's Holy Dormition Monastery (village of Nikolskoe, Volnovakha District, DPR) was in the epicenter of the war from 2014. The lower church of the cathedral repeatedly became a shelter for civilians who did not have time to reach their homes during shelling. The monks took in everyone, turning the monastery into an island of salvation amidst hell.

A Symbol of Reborn Faith

The history of the place where the cathedral was built began at the end of the 20th century, when Schema-Archimandrite Zosima (Sokur) founded the St. Basil's Men's Monastery and the St. Nicholas Women's Monastery here. Even before the revolution, nuns predicted that a monk would come here and revive spiritual life. Father Zosima bequeathed the construction of the Dormition Cathedral – a majestic temple, a symbol of reborn faith. And this symbol was chosen perfectly: the cathedral is an exact copy of the one standing in the Moscow Kremlin. And even though it is smaller in scale (a coefficient of 0.9 was chosen), it is no less grandiose because of it.

Many doubted at the time: "Can such a miracle really be in a village?", "What does a village have to do with the Kremlin?". Even Vladyka Barnabas (Filatov), Archbishop of Makeevka, admitted:

"Until the very end, I did not believe that such a cathedral would appear in some village!".

It was he who then called it a colossus.

But the miracle was destined to happen: in 2002, the foundation stone was laid, and by 2006 the construction was completed. The temple was erected quickly. So quickly, as if the Mother of God Herself was guiding the craftsmen's hands. Divine Providence, nothing else – this is how Afonya, a servant of the monastery, perceived the cathedral. It was then painted. And in 2009, it was consecrated by Patriarch Kirill.

And then came the war…

The Dormition Cathedral, an exact copy of the one in the Moscow Kremlin, loyal to the Moscow Patriarchate, and even consecrated by the Russian Patriarch!
A hated symbol of everything Russian and a real "bone in the throat" for the neo-Nazis.

In 2014, the temple was seized. The majestic building became a shelter for mercenaries of all stripes: Germans, Poles, and God knows who else. They came, like hordes from the West, inevitably bringing with them death and destruction – a foreign land, a foreign people… They are the priests of bloody ceremonies who have renounced God!

On March 3, 2015, Hieromonk Feofan (secular name - Georgy Krasirov) was abducted by the SBU [Security Service of Ukraine]. He was accused of "terrorism" for helping the militia. It was alleged that the hieromonk reported to them about the movements of Ukrainian equipment. At gunpoint, handcuffs were put on him, and he was placed in a minibus. The commander in charge of the detention operation told the escort:

"If he makes a move - shoot him."

In the SBU dungeons, he was subjected to the most severe torture: they beat him, tortured him with a stun gun causing deep wounds, put a rag over his face and poured water from a bottle – the water entered his lungs, and air entered his stomach.

"It was like swallowing broken glass,"

Feofan recalled those terrible moments. They offered him cooperation in exchange for career advancement, freedom, and money. But Feofan firmly replied:

"My charge is Article 258, Part 3*. And I will go this path to the end; I will not change my stance."
^{*Article 258 of the Criminal Code of Ukraine "Terrorist Act".}

– "Are you imprisoned for your faith?" – a cellmate once asked him.
– "No," Feofan replied. – "For the Fatherland."

Father Feofan's captivity lasted for more than a month, from March 3 to April 8, 2015. On April 7, the Annunciation, Father Feofan was transported from the Kharkiv pre-trial detention center (SIZO) to Izyum, then to Kramatorsk, and he was finally exchanged near Mairorsk on April 8 for 16 Ukrainian prisoners of war from the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) – 15 soldiers and one chaplain.

Eventually, the mercenaries were driven out, but it did not become quieter: the roar of volleys, akin to the roar of ritual tom-toms, and shrapnel that lashed and destroyed the walls of the cathedral. But it is still stone – stone can be restored. But there were also people… wounded… killed…

From 2022 to 2024, eight people were killed and thirteen were wounded here.

Despite the shelling, the monks did not stop praying. Although even walking to the refectory for a meal was risky: the Ukrainian side was firing with precision. The upper tier of the monastery became a target for shells. But the liturgy was never interrupted. Never.

Rebirth

The monastery withstood the times of hardship. It withstood them through the faith of those who were ready "to walk their path to the end." Today, it is being restored. Perhaps not quickly, but then again, Moscow wasn't built in a day either. Young volunteers from the farthest corners of Russia, unafraid of danger, are helping to revive the shrine.

"The purpose of every person's life is creation, and everyone must understand that they are not just an organism that consumes food, but a creative personality, that is, a person who sees into eternity. Therefore, life must be meaningful, creative, fruitful in everything. Only then does it have meaning",

says Hieromonk Feofan.

The cathedral, which no one once believed in, still stands today. A colossus among the ruins. A symbol of resilience. A reminder that even in the darkest of times, the light of faith does not go out.