User:Aholtman/Sokoliv Kamin

The Sokoliv Kamin (also: Devil's Stone, Sokol Kamin, Sokil Kamin) is a natural geological monument in Ukraine. It consists of a rock formation.

It is located south of the village of Spas (Sambir Raion, Lviv Oblast) on a wooded hill near the Dniester River.

The area of the protected area is 5.5 hectares, and the status has existed since 1984 (under the name "Rock 'Sokoliv Kamin' - the remnant of the Yamnenska Sandstones"). The status was granted to preserve an interesting geological object, the remains of the Yamnenska Sandstone.

The rocks were formed by the separation of relatively hard sandstones from soft rock layers as a result of erosion (destruction of rock by wind, water, temperature changes). The Sokoliv Kamin is actually not made of a single stone, but of three remaining stones, the highest of which is 24 metres high.

Legend about the ″Devil's Stone″
According to legend, friendly and peaceful people once lived there, always helping each other. Monks from a nearby monastery also contributed to this. Of course, the devil did not like that and decided to destroy the monastery and the village Spas (translated: Saviour) with the devilishly hated name. To this end, the devil found a stone in a distant land and carried it to the village of Spas. That night, a monk in the monastery had a prophetic dream, and he began to pray fervently to avert the disaster. It helped: when the devil was near the village, it dawned and the cocks began to sing. The devil, who had lost his powers, threw a stone and fled far into the Carpathians. Since then, the stone has stood at the edge of the village of Spas.