"In the Footsteps of Elder Philip" Yelan' by hunterV

Yelan' Travel Guide: 55 reviews and 307 photos

School Street is the main street in Yelan

Our Pilgrimage to Elder Philip's Places

My friend Gregory and I revere our local saint Philip of Luhansk. We are parishioners of the Chapel of Philip of Luhansk.
Gregory used to visit Elder Philip of Luhansk at his home since 1936 and continued doing so until Elder Philip passed away in 1956.
Philip of Luhansk (1858-1956) lived in Luhansk and used to visit his friends in the village of Yelan. He stayed there many times and took part in the liturgy at St.John the Evangelist's Church here.
Since the name of Elder Philip is connected with Yelan, we decided to make a short pilgrimage to that village, to meet the local priest and to establish contacts with the local parish.
We got our priest's blessing for the pilgrimage and set out by a local train. It took us about two and a half hours to get to the end station called The 122nd Kilometer and one more hour to walk to the village church.
It turned out that one person who had met Philip of Luhansk in his lifetime was alive. It was Euphrossinia Bodrookhina. She lives in School Street. She was born in 1913. Elder Philip used to stay in her house too.

A Tiny Village

Local pond (no bathing please)

Yelan is a small village in Tarassovsky County of Rostov region.
It is located in the north-west of Rostov region, our Russian neighbor.
Yelan used to be a big Cossacks village in the twenties of the last century.
Now there are about fifty households with seventy local people living there in Upper Yelan and about the same number of residents in what they call Lower Yelan.
Also, there are dozens of seasonal residents, mostly people from neighboring towns and cities who come to Yelan to stay there over summer.
The total population of the village is about 130 residents.
Yelan seems to be a widespread name for a village. About twenty villages all over Russia bear the same name. I think the name implies a forest village since yeli means fir-trees.
The village of Yelan Rostov region is surrounded by pine-tree forests and has a big area and consists of two parts: Lower Yelan located closer to the railway station and Upper Yelan, the central part of the village, or, to be more precise, khutor. The locals stressed they were not a village, but a khutor. In fact, all the villages like Yelan are called khutor there.
When we hear khutor in Ukraine (khutir in Ukrainian), we imagine a single-homestead rural settlement, or a farmstead of Eastern Europe. The word itself came from Ukraine, but later was applied to farmsteads in Russia.
Historically, khutors were founded as a result of exploration of new lands by Cossacks. In the Cossack-settled regions of Ukraine, the Don area and the Cuban area the word khutor was used to describe new settlements, irrespective of the actual number of homesteads that had detached themselves from a bigger village or a stanitsa.

Picturesque Place

Visiting people who revere Philip of Luhansk

We were privileged to stay at the church hotel there - a century-old Cossack's house where, as we found out, Philip of Luhansk used to stay too.
We made friends with Lena, the active member of the church parish. Now she is our direct contact for further pilgrimages.
Also, we hired a local driver to visit the neighboring khutor of Mozhayevka and to meet Father Sergius, the cathedral dean.
We had very good impressions of our visit.
Our subsequent pilgrimages to Yelan took place on the church's Feast Day - St.John the Evangelist's Day on October 9. We were among dozens of other pilgrims from the nearby villages and towns of Rostov region as well as from Luhansk and Donetsk regions, Ukraine.
Map of Yelan

Pros and Cons

Pros:Nice spring water, people's hospitality, great views, fresh air and tranquil atmosphere
Cons:no gas heating (people use firewood), earth roads, you can't bathe in the pond (you could, at your own risk), no train/bus from Luhansk (to get there, you have to make a huge detour via the Russian customs)...)
In a nutshell:A Hospitable Russian Khutor

Last visit to Yelan': Oct 2010
Intro Updated Mar 9, 2013
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Reviews (55)

Take a Bus Transportation (4)

There are two buses from Yelan: - the first one will take you to the county... more travel advice

During the crusession on Feast Day, October 9 - Yelan'

Present-Day Yelan Favorites (3)

There are two gas pipes on the territory of Yelan, but no gas in the village itself. The villages have to make reserves... more travel advice

At the Market Shopping (2)

The railway station market is open from 11 a.m. to noon when the train to Luhansk departs. The passengers who arrive... more travel advice

Have a Picnic in the Woods Things to Do (16)

During our visit to the Quincentenary Oak we chose a place in the woods to pause for a picnic. We had some food and sat... more travel advice

Local Customs (11)
See All Visiting the Quincentenary Oak
Hotels (3)
See All Pilgrims' Hotel
Off The Beaten Path (3)
See All The Village Bridge
Restaurants (2)
See All Pilgrims' Lunch
Warnings and Dangers (5)
See All Roads in the Fall

Sports & Outdoors (2)
See All A Morning Walk
Nightlife (2)
See All Evening Contemplation
What to Pack (1)
A Torch Will Save You!
Tourist Traps (1)
Dangerous Bathing
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Comments (33)

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BruceDunning Apr 1, 2013 at 1:01 PM

I continue to learn about the region and it is fascinating. YOu have taken so many good pics plus comments help describe the areas
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Kuznetsov_Sergey Apr 14, 2012 at 11:01 PM

Great updates since November of 2010! Loved your "silent hunting" tip. Breathing the fresh evening air and listening to crickets in the warm evening in Yelan must have been very pleasant !
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toonsarah Mar 30, 2012 at 12:44 PM

What an interesting page! I love the old Cossack house - so photogenic! And the icons are beautiful - it's great that the local people saved them all.
I hope they do get the funds to turn the old school into a museum. Oh, and I enjoyed meeting Renold too :-)
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MalenaN Mar 14, 2012 at 11:38 PM

A very interesting page Victor! Great that you did the pilgrimage trip and came back for the Feast Day. The picnic in the woods looks lovely!
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wise23girl Feb 24, 2012 at 12:09 PM

Such an interesting page...and the man with the knife...scary...but what a pleasant main street....such a shame in many ways we have 'progreesed so much'....except for the toilets....and I have been in some real horrors....

Do look at our man with a knife...but he was friendly
"Watermelon Fever in Istanbul" - Istanbul Travelogue by wise23girl
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angiebabe Dec 15, 2011 at 5:03 AM

I started looking at your page here the other day and got called away....thanks for visiting my Brussels and Kuwait pages - so many wonderful places and photos to see in the world! Yelan...that was a step of faith to cross that ravine by that small wooden bridge! would love to see the Cossacks oven...we grew up with only a wood stove to cook and heat with!I guess the 1st improvement the govt should make is connect gas to the village! and shame about that train being discontinued!
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Wafro Sep 19, 2011 at 7:15 AM

I never heard about Yelan, but the butcher of Rostov.....GRRRRR!
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Yaqui Jul 5, 2011 at 9:28 PM

As I said before, Yelan is so charming. Yelan is such a special place and its is wonderful it holds onto its traditions. The Cossacks Houses are marvelous. I hope they maintain them. Excellent page Victor!
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BruceDunning Jun 28, 2011 at 4:16 PM

It is so nice to see people revere the cross and come together. You even had your life in your hands with the knife wielding person, and your good sense made the situation right. Good comments.
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yumyum Apr 4, 2011 at 4:06 AM

I certainly wouldn't want to encounter that crazy man with the knife by myself! Like the "internet journalist" thing :-) Great new tips since my visit of this page in 2009.