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Laki (village)

A forgotten Greek village in the Bakhchysarai district of Crimea (6th–7th century CE – 1960), a symbol of the peninsula's complex relations with a neighboring state; today, the Monastery of St. Luke the Evangelist and Apostle stands in its place (445 m above sea level).

Overview

The village of Laki (Bakhchysarai Raion) has long been absent from maps. Surrounded by rocky peaks and sun-scorched earth stands a snow-white church with Byzantine-style domes; around it are several monastic buildings and the remains of an ancient cemetery. Laki is not merely a Greek village with an ancient history, but a symbol of a neighboring state's interference in Crimea's internal affairs.

Founded in the 6th–7th centuries CE, the settlement was part of the Principality of Theodoro. The Greek population practiced Orthodox Christianity; archaeologists found remnants of more than ten churches in the surrounding area. In 1778, 31 thousand Orthodox Christians (Greeks, Georgians, Vlachs) were resettled out of Crimea; 412 people left Laki, six of whom were priests. In place of the former residents, Count Alexei Orlov brought Greek officers from the detachment of Stephanos Mavromichalis—as a result of this "replacement," the status of a "Greek village" was preserved.

In 1904, the Church of St. Luke the Evangelist was built; in 1914, a zemstvo school operated. In 1942, the Nazis destroyed the village by fire: 16 civilians were shot for helping partisans, while the rest were forcibly relocated to the Biyuk-Onlar district; the church could not be leveled to the ground. In April 1944, the village was liberated, and residents began returning to the ruins; on June 27 of that same year, Crimean Greeks were deported to Central Asia and the Urals. On August 12, a resolution was adopted regarding the resettlement of collective farm workers in emptied villages—families from the Orel and Bryansk regions arrived in Laki. In 1948, the village was renamed Horyanka; in 1960, it disappeared from the directory of administrative-territorial division of Crimea Oblast—the mountain climate "did not accept" the new residents.

Today, nothing remains of the village itself. The sole reminder is the Monastery of St. Luke the Evangelist and Apostle with a snow-white church restored by the Greek community of Crimea; a superior, monks, and novices reside here.

Key Details / Subtopics

  • Location and Present Appearance: Bakhchysarai Raion; snow-white church with Byzantine-style domes, monastic buildings, remains of an ancient cemetery; elevation of 445 m above sea level.
  • Middle Ages: founded in the 6th–7th centuries CE; Principality of Theodoro; Greek Orthodox population; over 10 churches in the vicinity (archaeology).
  • 1778 Resettlement: 31 thousand Orthodox Christians (Greeks, Georgians, Vlachs) removed from Crimea; 412 people from Laki (6 priests); "replacement" by officers from Stephanos Mavromichalis's detachment (Count Alexei Orlov).
  • Early 20th Century: Church of St. Luke the Evangelist (1904); zemstvo school (1914).
  • World War II: 1942 – destruction of the village by fire, execution of 16 civilians for aiding partisans, forced relocation to the Biyuk-Onlar district; the church survived; April 1944 – liberation.
  • Deportation and "New" Population: June 27, 1944 – deportation of Crimean Greeks to Central Asia and the Urals; August 12 – resolution on the resettlement of collective farm workers; families from the Orel and Bryansk regions; 1948 – renamed Horyanka; 1960 – removal from the administrative-territorial directory.
  • Monastery Today: Monastery of St. Luke the Evangelist and Apostle; church restored by the Greek community of Crimea; superior, monks, novices.
  • How to Get There: Bakhchysarai → Verkhnorichchya bus, past Bashtanivka, fork in the road, sign "Laki 8 km", dirt road (on foot or off-road vehicle).