Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

Foundation and early history

The Primary Chronicle contains contradictory information as to when the monastery was founded: in 1051, or in 1074.^[4] Anthony, a monk on Mount Athos, originally from Liubech of the Principality of Chernigov, returned to Rus' and settled in Kyiv as a missionary of monastic tradition to Kyivan Rus'. He chose a cave at the Berestov Mount that overlooked the Dnieper River and a community of disciples soon grew. Prince Iziaslav I of Kyiv (1024–1078) ceded the whole mount to the Anthonite monks who founded a monastery built by architects from Constantinople.^{[citation needed]}

In 1096 the monastery was plundered by the Cumans. Later it fell victim to the Mongolian invaders, and in 1416 was burned down by forces of Golden Horde ruler Edigey, being rebuilt only in 1470.^[5]

At the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra were buried some high-importance personalities from the period when Kyiv was a part of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania: Prince of Kyiv Vladimir Olgerdovich and his son Aleksandras Olelka, the Lithuanian and Ruthenian Grand Duke Švitrigaila, Feodor Ostrogski, Uliana Olshanska (a second wife of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas the Great), and the Lithuanian Grand Hetman Konstanty Ostrogski, known for commanding the Grand Ducal Lithuanian Army in the victorious Battle of Orsha (1514) versus the Grand Principality of Moscow Army.^[6] Mayors of Kyiv, members of the szlachta and Cossack starshyna, as well as church hierarchs also found their burial place in the monastery.^[5]

Baroque era and Russian rule

In the 17th century, under the leadership of archimandrites Eliseus Pletenetsky, Zacharias Kopystensky and Peter Mohyla, the monastery stood at the heart of Ukrainian national identity. Kyiv Caves Patericon, which was created by Lavra's monks and soon became a popular reading around the whole Eastern Europe, contributed to the emergence of the symbolic image of Kyiv as a capital of Eastern Orthodoxy. Lavra's printing house, established by Pletenetskyi in the 1620s, started the process of Kyiv's cultural revival, and the monastery's school, founded by Mohyla, introduced European educational trends of the time, leading to a radical reform of education. During the Baroque era Kyiv Pechersk Lavra flourished as a centre of arts and spirituality, and pilgrimage to Kyiv was seen by some as more preferable than visiting Jerusalem.^[5]

According to a legend published by polemicist and preacher Joannicius Galiatovsky [uk], in 1630 the monastery was besieged by a Polish army, but the Holy Mother of God protected its monks by turning a "fiery rain" against the invaders.^[7]

Despite the patronage of powerful figures, including Ivan Mazepa and Raphael Zaborovsky, the Annexation of the Metropolis of Kyiv by the Moscow Patriarchate in 1685 started a process of subjugation of the monastery to Russian imperial authority. In 1722, by the decree of Peter I of Russia, the Metropolis of Kyiv was lowered in status to an archbishopric, which made it equal to other subdivisions of the Russian Synodal Church. In the following years, Russian religious traditions, axiology and language were imposed on the Orthodox Church in Ukraine.^[8]

Under Russian rule, Pechersk Lavra became a popular place of mass pilgrimage for both the common folk and figures of authority, including the royal family. During the late 19th century numerous guides for pilgrims visiting the monastery were published in Tsarist Russia, contributing to its inclusion into the empire's symbolic space. Among prominent figures buried in Lavra's walls under the Russian rule are Natalia Dolgorukova, Pyotr Rumyantsev and Pyotr Stolypin.^[8][5]

Modern history

During the Ukrainian Revolution of the early 20th century attempts to Ukrainize the Lavra failed due to political instability.^[8] On 25 January 1918 Metropolitan Vladimir of Kiev was tortured and murdered in the monastery by Bolshevik troops. Eventually, the monastery was disbanded, and in 1926 a museum was opened on its territory.^[5] Under German occupation religion services in the monastery were resumed.^[8] On 3 November 1941 the main Dormition Cathedral was blown up by Soviet NKVD; Soviet press would falsely accuse the Germans of committing that act. The demolition of the cathedral's ruins continued into the 1960s. After a long period of reconstruction, on 24 August 2000 the reconstructed Dormition Cathedral was solemnly reopened.^[5]

Starting from the end of the Second World War, the monastery resumed its activities as part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Over 100 monks lived on Lavra's premises until its new closure by the authorities in 1961.^[9]

In 1988 activities of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra were renewed as part of celebrations dedicated to the 1000th anniversary of the Christianization of Kievan Rus'. During the early 1990s the monastery was headed by metropolitan Filaret of Kyiv, whose residence was located on its premises. However, in 1992 ownership over the Lavra was transferred to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) with the support of Kyiv's political leadership.^[8] Under the management of the Moscow Patriarchate Lavra became an epicentre of several scandals connected with its leadership's love for expensive cars and other attributes of wealth, as well as its monks' connections to Russian FSB, veneration of Tsar Nicholas II and spread of anti-Ukrainian propaganda.^[5]

Together with the Saint Sophia Cathedral, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra has been inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990.^{[10][nb 1]} The monastery complex is considered a separate national historic-cultural preserve (sanctuary), the national status to which was granted on 13 March 1996.^[12] The Lavra is not only located in another part of the city, but is part of a different national sanctuary than Saint Sophia Cathedral. While being a cultural attraction, the monastery is once again active, with over 100 monks in residence.^{[citation needed]} It was named one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine on 21 August 2007.^{[citation needed]}

Until the end of 2022, jurisdiction over the site had been divided between the state museum, National Kyiv-Pechersk Historic-Cultural Preserve,^[13] and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) (UOC-MP) as the site of the chief monastery of that Church and the residence of its leader, Onufrius, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine.^[14][15] In January 2023, the Ukrainian government terminated the UOC-MP's lease of the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church (also known as the Trapezna Church), returning those properties to direct state control.^[16][17] It also announced that the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) had been granted permission to celebrate a Christmas service in the Dormition Cathedral, on 7 January 2023, Orthodox Christmas by the Old Calendar,^[17] a service which was celebrated by Metropolitan Epiphanius at 9am that day.^[18]

On 10 March 2023, the National Kyiv-Pechersk Historic-Cultural Preserve announced that the 2013 agreement on the free use of churches by the UOC-MP would be terminated on the grounds that the church had violated their lease by making alterations to the historic site, and other technical infractions.^[19][20] The UOC-MP was ordered to leave the territory by 29 March.^[20] The UOC-MP answered back that there were no legal grounds for the eviction and called it "a whim of officials from the Ministry of Culture."^[20] On 17 March 2023 Dmitry Peskov, the press secretary for Russian President Vladimir Putin, stated that the decision of the Ukrainian authorities not to extend this lease to representatives of the UOC-MP "confirms the correctness" of the (24 February 2022) Russian invasion of Ukraine.^[20] The UOC-MP did not fully leave Kyiv Pechersk Lavra following 29 March 2023.^[21][22]

On 23 July 2025, a religious service in the Ukrainian language, the first of its kind in many years, was performed in the Far Caves of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra by Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv.^[8]

On 24 January 2026, a Russian drone attack shattered windows and damaged two buildings of the complex, marking the first time it sustained war-related damage since World War II.^[23]

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  Icon of Saints Anthony and Theodosius, founders of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
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  The Near Caves of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Sketch by the Dutch artist Abraham van Westerveld made in 1651
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  A lithograph of Pechersk Lavra, Kyiv,^[24] National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, D.C.
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  Ruins of the Dormition Cathedral in 1958
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  A panorama of the monastery, southward view
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  The restored Cathedral of the Dormition, in 2005
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  Up-close view of the Great Lavra Belltower with its four tiers in 2005

Great Lavra Belltower

The Great Lavra Belltower is one of the most notable features of the Kyiv skyline and among the main attractions of the Lavra. 96.5 meters in height, it was the tallest free-standing belltower at the time of its construction in 1731–1745, and was designed by the architect Johann Gottfried Schädel. It is a Classical style construction and consists of tiers, surmounted by a gilded dome.^{[citation needed]}

Dormition Cathedral

Built in the 11th century, the main church of the monastery was destroyed during the World War II, a couple of months after the Nazi Germany troops occupied the city of Kyiv, during which the Soviet Union conducted the controversial 1941 Khreshchatyk explosions. Withdrawing Soviet troops practiced the tactics of scorched earth and blew up all the Kyiv bridges over Dnieper as well as the main Khreshchatyk street and Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.^[38] The destruction of the cathedral followed a pattern of Soviet disregard for cultural heritage, as they previously blew up the ancient St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery nearby in the 1930s.^[39]

In 1928, the monastery was converted into an anti-religious museum park by the Soviet authorities and after their return no efforts were provided to restore the church. The temple was finally restored in 1995 after Ukraine obtained its independence and the construction was accomplished in two years. The new Dormition Church was consecrated in 2000.^[38]

Gate Church of the Trinity

The Gate Church of the Trinity is located atop the Holy Gates, which houses the entrance to the monastery. According to a legend, this church was founded by the Chernihiv Prince Sviatoslav II. It was built atop an ancient stone church which used to stand in its place. After the fire of 1718, the church was rebuilt, its revered facades and interior walls enriched with ornate stucco work made by craftsman V. Stefaovych. In the 18th century, a new gilded pear-shaped dome was built, the facade and exterior walls were decorated with stucco-moulded plant ornaments and a vestibule built of stone attached to the north end. In the early 20th century, the fronts and the walls flanking the entrance were painted by icon painters under the guidance of V. Sonin. The interior of the Gate Trinity Church contains murals by the early 18th century painter Alimpy Galik.^{[citation needed]}

Refectory chambers with Church of the Saints Anthony and Theodosius

The refectory chambers with the Church of the Saints Anthony and Theodosius is the third in a series of temples. The original temple was built in the 12th century and no drawings or visual depictions of it remain. The second temple was built at the time of the Cossack Hetmanate and was disassembled by the Russian authorities in the 19th century. It was replaced with the current temple, often referred to as the Refectory Church of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.^{[citation needed]}

The All Saints Church

The All Saints Church, erected in 1696–1698, is a fine specimen of Ukrainian baroque architecture. Characteristic of the church facades are rich architectural embellishments. In 1905, students of the Lavra art school painted the interior walls of the church. The carved wooden iconostasis is multi-tiered and was made for the All Saints church in the early 18th century.^{[citation needed]}

Church of the Saviour at Berestove

The Church of the Saviour at Berestove is located to the North of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. It was constructed in the village of Berestove around the start of the 11th century during the reign of Prince Vladimir Monomakh. It later served as the mausoleum of the Monomakh dynasty, also including Yuri Dolgoruki, the founder of Moscow. Despite being outside the Lavra fortifications, the Church of the Saviour at Berestove is part of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra complex.^{[citation needed]}

Caves

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra caverns are a system of narrow underground corridors (about 1-1½ metres wide and 2-2½ metres high), along with numerous living quarters and underground chapels. In 1051, the monk Anthony settled in an old cave in a hill near the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. This cave received additions including corridors and a church, and is now the Far Caves. In 1057, Anthony moved to a cave near the Upper Lavra, now called the Near Caves.^{[citation needed]}

Foreign travellers in the 16th–17th centuries wrote that the catacombs of the Lavra stretched for hundreds of kilometres, reaching as far as Moscow and Novgorod,^[40] spreading awareness of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.^{[citation needed]}

Library

The notable library of the Lavra was burned during the reign of Peter the Great. On the night of April 21-22, 1718, Orthodox monks — tsarist agents — set fire to the premises of the Lavra, where its library and archive with unique documents and books from the historical past of Ukraine were located.

In 1988, after the restoration of the monastery's activities, library work was resumed. The funds began to be replenished with those publications that the Lavra monks and parishioners managed to save. New books began to be purchased, and some of the books that began to be published by the Lavra printing house restored in 1995 were transferred to the library.

Over 20 years of activity after the revival of the monastery, more than 10 thousand volumes were collected. In 2008, the library was moved to premises that allow the best placement and organization of library funds. Accounting and cataloging of the Lavra library funds were digitized.

Necropolis

There are over a hundred burials in the Lavra. Below are the most notable ones

• Ilya Muromets – in the caves (c. 11th–12th century)
• Nestor the Chronicler – in the Near Caves (c. 1114)
• Saint Kuksha – in the Near Caves (c. 1114)
• Alipy of the Caves – in the Near Caves (c. 1114)
• Agapetus of Pechersk – in the Near Caves (c. 11th century)
• Oleg son of Vladimir II Monomakh – in the Church of the Saviour at Berestove (c. 12th century)
• Eufemia of Kyiv daughter of Vladimir II Monomakh – in the Church of the Saviour at Berestove (1139)
• Yuri Dolgoruki – in the Church of the Saviour at Berestove (1157)
• Vladimir Olgerdovich – Prince of Kyiv, son of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Algirdas^[6]
• Aleksandras Olelka – Prince of Kyiv, son of Vladimir Olgerdovich^[6][41]
• Skirgaila – regent Grand Duke of Lithuania (1397)
• Feodor Ostrogski^[6]
• Uliana Olshanska – a second wife of the Lithuanian Grand Duke Vytautas the Great (1448)^[6]
• Švitrigaila – the Lithuanian and Ruthenian Grand Duke (1452)^[6]
• Konstanty Ostrogski – near the Cathedral of the Dormition (1530)^[6]
• Vasily Kochubey – near the Refectory Church (1708)
• Ivan Iskra – near the Refectory Church (1708)
• Pyotr Stolypin – near the Refectory Church (1911)
• St. Spyridon – in the caves (c. 19th–20th century)
• Pope Clement I – his head in the Far Caves (his remaining relics brought to San Clemente in Rome by Sts. Cyril and Methodius)

During the Soviet era, the bodies of the saints that lay in the caves were left uncovered due to the regime's disregard for religion. However, after the fall of the Soviet Union, the bodies were covered with a cloth and to this day remain in the same state.^{[citation needed]}

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  Imperishable relic of saint Ilya Muromets in Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
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  Monument to Konstanty Ostrogski