Bakhchisaray Cave Monastery
The Assumption Monastery of the Caves (Успенский пещерный монастырь) is located in Crimea, near Bakhchysarai. It is a cave monastery carved out of a cliff. The date of the monastery's foundation is disputed, although local monks assert that it originated as early as the 8th century but was abandoned when Byzantium lost its hold on the region. The current monastic establishment dates back to the 15th century. In 1921 the monastery was closed by the Soviet government. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian independence the monastery was reopened to the public in 1993