Cross Set Up at The Bottom of The Black Sea in Sevastopol

A holy cross was set up at the bottom of the Black Sea this Sunday on the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross not far from St. George Monastery, the oldest in Crimea (Sevastopol).

Before settling down the cross, there was a procession with the cross from St. Vladimir Cathedral in Khersones where the cross was kept. Among the participants were clerics and inspirers of the idea from The Materyye Bobry dive club and bikers from a local branch of The Nochnye Volki club, the press service of the Sevastopol Deanery reports on Monday.

Divers made the cross from metal covered with non-corrosive material. It was set up at a depth of twenty meters on a specially made three-ton platform. A buoy will be attached to the cross to be a guide point.

The idea to set up a cross at theatdepth appeared about a year ago, so that divers could pray to God there. Archimandrite Tikhon (Maskennikov) from the Romny Diocese (the Sumy Region, Ukraine), who is also a diver keen on the sport since 1999, supported the idea.

"We had searched for a good foundation, a rock. We searched for a long time, for about a month, and finally found a convenient platform. Twenty meters is the optimal depth. On one hand, breaking waves won't move the cross, it will stand still and it won't impede ships. This depth is enough—no ship has such sagging. On the other hand, this depth is accessible for trained divers with a certificate," Father Tikhon said.

He hopes this place will become popular among divers from all around the world.