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Tag: Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

  • Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra opens access to the Near Caves

    Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra opens access to the Near Caves

    The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve is reopening the Near Caves to visitors. This was announced by Tetyana Berezhna, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture of Ukraine.

    According to her, this is truly a landmark event. During a national telethon, she noted that opening access to the Near Caves is a historic decision that underscores the power and significance of the Lavra as a cultural, spiritual, and educational foundation of the Ukrainian people and state.

    This step was made possible thanks to the cooperation between the state and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. Visitors will be able to see the Near Caves starting on 25 February.

    On 29 March 2023, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve terminated its lease agreement with the Holy Dormition Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). On the same day, the Kyiv Economic Court began considering a lawsuit filed by the monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) regarding the alleged illegal termination of the agreement. At that time, representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate stated that they would not leave the territory of the Lavra until the proceedings were completed.

    However, on 9 August, the court confirmed the legality of the decision to terminate the agreement.
    Subsequently, on 11 August 2023, the reserve temporarily closed access to the Lower Lavra territory for all visitors. The resumption of visits to part of the caves can now be considered a new stage in the development of this historical and spiritual centre of Ukraine.

    It should be noted that the Vydubychi Monastery is one of the oldest and most valuable cultural and spiritual monuments in Kyiv. Its history spans over a thousand years, and the complex itself is an important part of Ukraine’s cultural heritage.

  • The monastery caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra as a centre of spiritual formation

    The monastery caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra as a centre of spiritual formation

    The monastery caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra are a unique spiritual and historical complex, the formation of which began in the middle of the 11th century.

    Their emergence is associated with the activities of the monk Anthony, who chose a hill above the Dnieper for seclusion and dug a small cave in the soft loess soil for prayer and ascetic life. Later, he was joined by Theodosius, and the number of followers gradually grew so much that the system of underground passages began to expand, forming an underground monastery, which became one of the centres of monastic culture in Kievan Rus.

    The caves served not only as places of seclusion, but also as a space where monks worked, copied books, prayed and lived for long periods of time. Later, ascetics began to be buried in the underground chambers, and the caves became a necropolis, which gave them special spiritual significance.
    Gradually, a complex system of corridors and niches was formed, where the relics of saints, cells, small underground temples and places for worship were located.

    The Lavra caves – how to distinguish them

    Traditionally, the Lavra caves are divided into Near and Far. Their corridors, tens of metres long, form branched underground routes, in which ancient burials, inscriptions and elements of the original structures have been preserved.

    The Near Caves were associated with the early period of the monastery’s development, while the Far Caves reflect the further expansion of the infrastructure and strengthening of the monastic community. Each of these complexes has its own history, connected with the lives and deeds of the monks who formed the spiritual tradition of the Lavra.

    Over the centuries, the caves have been repeatedly restored, fortified and explored. They have preserved not only traces of ancient construction, but also important evidence of the everyday life and peculiarities of monastic life in different eras. During the formation of Ukrainian statehood, the complex became an important cultural heritage site and later part of a national reserve.

    Today, the Lavra caves remain a place of pilgrimage and one of the most valuable objects of Ukrainian historical and cultural heritage. They combine spiritual tradition, archaeological value and the unique atmosphere of an underground monastery, which preserves in its corridors the memory of the beginnings of monastic culture on our Ukrainian lands.

    Earlier, Kyiv residents and visitors to the city learned about the Church of the Intercession, which is an important symbol of the religious and cultural life of the Ukrainian capital.

  • ‘The russians are threatening”: the Lavra explains why it removed the cross from the Church of All Saints

    ‘The russians are threatening”: the Lavra explains why it removed the cross from the Church of All Saints

    Russian troops shelling Kyiv threaten human lives and historical monuments. Irreversible damage to architectural objects can be caused by blast waves, seismic vibrations and vibrations caused by shelling. This was reported by the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve on Facebook.

    Experts decided to prevent further damage and dismantled the cross from the All Saints Church, an architectural monument. Rescuers of the State Emergency Service carried out the dismantling. The cross is to be restored and reinstalled in the near future.

    The All Saints Church, as explained by the religious structure, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site that is under threat. This also applies to the entire complex of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The monument has been in need of comprehensive restoration since 1980. In 2024, the international organisation joined the development of scientific and project documentation.

    Києво-Печерська лавра
    Києво-Печерська лавра

    Києво-Печерська лавра

    The All Saints Church is part of the architectural ensemble of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. It was built in 1696-1698 at the expense of Hetman Ivan Mazepa and has a unique architectural composition and painting.

    The fall of the cross from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

    On 8 March, rescuers removed a cross from the dome of the church in Kyiv. A cross fell from the Kyiv Cave Monastery. Specialists received a call for help in Lavrsky Lane on 8 March at 13:05.

    Earlier, a deterioration in air quality was recorded in Kyiv.

  • Rescuers lift cross from Kyiv Cave Monastery that fell on 8 March

    Rescuers lift cross from Kyiv Cave Monastery that fell on 8 March

    Rescuers in Kyiv removed a fallen cross from the dome of the church. A cross fell from the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. The details were reported by the press service of the State Emergency Service on Facebook.

    Experts received a report of a need for assistance in Lavrsky Lane on 8 March at 13:05.

    They arrived at the scene and found that a cross had partially collapsed on the dome of one of the churches.

    Києво-Печерська лавра

    Києво-Печерська лавра
    Києво-Печерська лавра

    Києво-Печерська лавра

    The rescuers used an articulating boom lift to safely dismantle the structure. They climbed up to the cross, carefully cut the wire and safely lowered it to the ground.

    What is the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

    The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is an Orthodox monastery complex in Kyiv. It is considered one of the largest Christian centres in Ukraine. It is a historical and architectural landmark owned by the state, and religious organisations use it exclusively on a leasehold basis.

    It was founded in 1051 as a cave monastery outside the city. The name was derived from the caves where its first inhabitants settled.

    The holy place was a certain stronghold of Orthodoxy in Russia. The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople established the stavropegion in 1592. In 1688 it became a monastery. It became a centre of pilgrimage for the Orthodox in the early modern period.

    Together with St Sophia Cathedral, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List in 1994 (the list of sites dates back to 1990).

    Since 1996, the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Reserve has been operating on the territory of the Upper Lavra. The monastery itself is located on the territory of the Lower Lavra. The monument is now under the jurisdiction of the National Reserve.

    The Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) regularly holds services in the churches of the Upper Lavra. The largest Orthodox Church in Ukraine by the number of believers has its own monastery here.