«The deplorable condition of Christians in Crimea, under the yoke of the Tatars, is generally exaggerated in the accounts of the clergy, who sought to arouse the compassion of travelers and champions of Christianity,» wrote historian Theoktist Kharkhatay in the mid-19th century. It is reliably known that the Crimean Khanate was characterized by religious tolerance – Christian monasteries and churches were not only under the protection of the khans but also received material aid from them. Some of the Christian religious sites from the Khanate era have survived to this day.
