Kamennaya Chasha, Natural monument in Middle Volga Integrated Biosphere Reserve, Russia.

Kamennaya Chasha is a widening of the Shiryayevsky Ravine where the Kamenny Ravine joins it, 10 km from Shiryayevo in the Zhiguli Mountains. Five slopes and five ravines enclose a bowl-like hollow, with surrounding peaks of 301, 306, 304, 297 and 249 m. A small stone chapel with a pyramidal roof and arched windows stands by the springs among the trees.

The chapel by the spring of St Nicholas the Wonderworker was first built of wood; vandals burned it in 2000. Believers from Tolyatti and Zhigulyovsk rebuilt it in stone in 2002. A stone honouring Nicholas was placed by the spring in 1998, and the spring is part of a pilgrimage route blessed by the Archbishop of Samara and Syzran.

The name comes from a bowl-shaped hollow ringed by five ravines and five peaks of 249 to 306 metres. Legends say the springs are the tears of the Mistress of the Zhiguli Mountains, mourning the Cossack ataman Fyodor Sheludyak, who vanished into her underground realm. The spring is named after St Nicholas the Wonderworker.

The site lies 10 km from Shiryayevo, reachable by car along the road at the foot of the Zhiguli or on foot through the mountains from Solnechnaya Polyana. The terrain is uneven and exposed, so bring sturdy footwear and weather-appropriate clothing. The chapel by the spring is small and stands among trees.

The chapel by the spring is the third structure on this spot: a stone marker to St Nicholas was placed in 1998, a wooden chapel followed, arson destroyed it in 2000, and believers from Tolyatti and Zhigulyovsk rebuilt it in stone in 2002. The spring itself rises at 175 m and yields about 4.5 litres a minute at +5 °C.