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'Kiev Pechersk Lavra' (; ), also known as the 'Kiev Monastery of the Caves', is a historic Orthodox Christian monastery in Kiev, Ukraine. Since its foundation as the cave monastery in 1051 the Lavra has been a preeminent center of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe. It is also one of the four UNESCO World Heritage Sites within Ukraine.
Currently, the jurisdiction over the site is divided between the state museum, the "National Sanctuary of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra", and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as the site of the chief monastery of that Church and the residence of its leader, Metropolitan Volodymyr.

Contents

Etymology and other names

Foundation and early history

Buildings and structures

Great Lavra Belltower

Gate Church of the Trinity

Church of the Saviour at Berestove

Caverns

Museum

Trivia

References

External links

Etymology and other names

The word ''pechera'' means ''cave'' in Slavic languages. The word ''lavra'' is used to describe high ranking monasteries of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Therefore the name of the monastery is also translated as 'Kiev Cave Monastery', 'Kiev Caves Monastery' or the 'Kiev Monastery on the Caves' (''на печерах'').

Foundation and early history

According to the Primary Chronicle, in the early 11th century, Antony, a Greek Orthodox monk from Esphigmenon monastery on Mount Athos, originally from Liubech of the Grand Principality of Chernigov, returned to Rus' and settled in Kiev as a missionary of monastic tradition to Kievan Rus'. He chose a cave at the Berestov Mount that overlooked the Dnieper River and a community of disciples soon grew. Prince Iziaslav of Kiev ceded the whole mount to the Antonite monks who founded a monastery built by architects from Constantinople.

Buildings and structures

The Kiev Pechersk Lavra contains numerous architectural monuments, ranging from belltowers to cathedrals to underground cave systems and to strong stone fortification walls. The main attractions of the Lavra include the ''Great Lavra Belltower'', the notable feautre of the Kiev skyline, and the ''Dormition Cathedral,'' destroyed in World War II, and fully reconstructed in recent years. Other churches and cathedrals of the Lavra include: the Refectory Church, the Church of All Saints, the Church of the Saviour at Berestove, the Church of the Exalation of Cross, the Church of the Trinity, the Church of the Nativity of the Virgin, the Church of the Conception of St. Anne, and the Church of the Life-Giving Spring. The Lavra also contains many other constructions, including: the St. Nicholas Monastery, the Kiev Theological Academy and Seminary, and the Debosquette Wall.

Great Lavra Belltower

Main articles: Great Lavra Belltower

The Great Lavra Belltower is one of the most notable features of the Kiev skyline and among the main attractions of the Lavra. 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. Its total height is 96.5 meters.

Gate Church of the Trinity

Main articles: Gate Church of the Trinity (Pechersk Lavra)

The Gate Church of the Trinity is located atop the ''Holy Gates'', which houses the entrance to the monstery. According to a legend, this church was founded by the Chernigov Prince Sviatoslav. It was built atop an ancient stone church which used to stand in its place.

Church of the Saviour at Berestove

Main articles: Church of the Saviour at Berestove

The Church of the Saviour at Berestove is located to the North of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. It was constructed in the village of Berestove at the turn 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. However being outside the Lavra fortifications, the Church of the Saviour at Berestove is part of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra complex.

Caverns

Main articles: Near Caves

The Kiev Pechersk Lavra caverns are a very complex 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 Reverend Anthony had settled in an old cave in one of the hills surrounding the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. This cave apparently grew, with numerous additions including corridors and a church, and is now what we know as the ''Far Caves''. In 1057, Anthony moved to a cave near the ''Upper Lavra'', now called the ''Near Caves''.
Foreign travellers in the 16-17th centuries had written that the catacombs of the Lavra stretched for hundreds of kilometres, reaching as far as Moscow and Novgorod,^[1] which had apparently brought about to the knowledge of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra around the world.

Museum

The Kiev Pechersk Lavra is also one of the largest Ukrainian museums in Kiev. The exposition is the actual ensemble of the Upper (''Near Caves'') and Lower (''Far Caves'') Lavra territories that houses more than 100 architectural relics of the past. The collection within the churches and caves include articles of precious metal, prints, higher clergy portraits and rare church hierarchy photographs. The main exposition contains articles from 16 to early 20th centuries which include chalices, crucifixes, and textiles from 16-19th centuries with needlework and embroidery of Ukrainian masters. The remainder of collection consists of pieces from Lavra's Printing House and Lavra's Icon Painting Workshop.
^[2]

Trivia

From 1994 to 1999 in the territory of the Lavra, within the portion then belonging to the Ukrainian State, the Embassy of Italy was located, after the renewal of the building hosting the ancient baths.
The Kiev Pechersk Lavra was named one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine on August 21, 2007, based off a voting by experts and the internet community.

References

1. Guidebook: Touring Kyiv, , Ruta, Malikenaite, Baltia Druk, 2003, ISBN 966-96041-3-3
2. Kyiv Sightseeing Guide, , , , Centre d'Europe, 2001, ISBN 966-7022-29-3



★ Kiev Pechersk Lavra in Brockhaus and Efron Encyclopedic Dictionary

★ Kiev Pechersk Lavra, in the Directory of Orthodox Architecture

★ Kyivan Cave Monastery in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine.

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External links

★ Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra - Official site //

★ Chants performed by Monks and Metropolitan Choirs of Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

★ The Interactive Virtual reality tour of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.