| An interesting site for a short side trip might be to visit the little hamlet of Svetly Mys, tucked away near the shores of Lake Issyk Kul, just South of the village of Belovodsk - about 50km from Karakol.
This is reputadley the burial place for the Apostle, Saint Matthew. Having been a tax collector, he was called to be a disciple of Jesus. According to tradition, he later wrote the Gospel of Saint Matthew for his fellow countrymen in Palestine, - but about the time of the persecution of Herod Agrippa in AD42, he left for other lands. Of his subsequent life and career we have only inaccuratre or legendary information.
Ancient writers are far from unanimous about his travels, but almost all mention the land of Ethiopia - South of the Caspian Sea, not the one in Africa! - and some mention Persia, the kingdom of the Parthians, Macedonia, and Syria. There is little information about his death and at least one author maintains that he did not die as a martyr - although others disagree. Is it possible that he made it as far into Central Asia as Issyk Kul - and died here?
Whether he did, or not, this site has attracted pilgrims for centuries, and it is thought that various religious communities (Nestorian, Armenian, Orthodox) have been been based here. In 1888 the Tsar ordered that an orthodox monastery be founded here - some of the wooden buildings still remain - and the roads were set out in the form of an orthodox cross. In the uprising of 1916 the monastery was attacked and most of the monks were killed.
One of the icons of the Virgin Mary was said to have shed tears and blood - and was later placed in the cathederal church in Karakol, where it can still be seen. Two monks survived - one fleeing to Almaty and the other moved down the road to Ananyevo - and were later canonized as saints. |
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