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One of the Europe's holiest repositories of Orthodox relics. An architectural and artistic complex and museum are here united with the resting place of the imperishable remains of the Saints in the Near and Far Caves, where pilgrims have worshipped for hundreds of years.
SECRED PLACES AND STRONGHOLDS OF PECHERSK
The Uspenskiy Cathedral
According to legend the main church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was built by architects from Constantinople; who came to Kyiv following a divine command. The length of the golden belt presented to the Reverend Antoniy by Shimon the Varangian was used as a measure. Construction began in 1073.By 1089 the cathedral was decorated with paintings and mosaics. The cathedral was subsequently rebuilt. At first it had a single dome. In the 18th century it was turned in to a seven-domed building, abundantly decorated in the Ukranian baroque style. This is the burial place of the first Kyiv Metropolitan Saint Mikhail, the Reverend Feodosiy, the Kyiv commander and patron of the arts Konstantin Ostrozhskiy, the Saint Metropolitan Piotr Mogila, the Ukranian scientists Pamva Berinda and Innokentiy Gizel, the romantic heroine Natalia Dolgorukova and Field-Marshal Duke Piotr Romiantsev-Zadunaisky. In Soviet times the cathedral was turned into a museum. On 3 November 1941 the cathedral was blown up (it has never been established who was responsible- the Nazi occupiers or Soviet under-ground).
The Uspenskiy Cathedral was rebuilt in its original form in 1998-2000 (architect O.Grauzhis and others). In the north part of the interior there is a replica of baptismal church of St.John the Baptist, which adjoined the original cathedral.
Great Bell Tower
The Great Bell Tower of the Lavra is one of the most notable buildins in the Kyiv landscape. It is the highest freestanding bell tower in the former Russian Empire. Its height with cross is 96,5 m. The four-tier structure was built in 1731-45 (architec L-G.Shedel). The diameter of the lower tier at base is 28,8 m. The second tier is decorated with 32 Dorian columns; the third tier with 16 ionic columns, and the fourth tier with 8 Corinthian columns. There were hanging bells on the third tier (three small 18th century bells have been preserved). There is a viewing platform here, which gives a bird's eye view of the landscape. On the fourth tier there is a chiming clock (the mechanism weighing 4,5 tons was manufactured in 1903) , the clock bells chime every quarter of an hour.
Troitskaya Church
The church is situated above the Saint Gates-the main entrance to the territory of the Upper Lavra.In its present state after renovation and decoration in the 17th-20th centuries, it is an elegant Ukranian Baroque building with a golden dome, front figures and rich decoration. But the base of the building is an ancient stone church built in 1106-08 (you can see old Russian architectural motifs on the southern front of the building). According to legend, this church was founded by the Chernigov prince Sviatoslav, who became a Pechersk monk under the name of Nicholas the Saintly Vivid and dynamic compositions from the 18th century have been preserved inside the temple (by painter A.Galik and others). "Faces of the Holy Martyrs,'"The traders Cast Out of the Temple," The council of Nicarea."
Nikolskaya Hospital Church In the northwestern part of the Upper Lavra there was formerly a separate monastery for elderly and ailing monks. It was founded at the beginning of the 12th century. On this territory is preserved the Nikolskaya Church from the turn of the 17th century- an elegant Ukranian baroque building with an adjacent hospital barrack (now the premises is occupied by the lectorium). The State Historical Library of Ukraine is housed in the former Lavra Apothecary near the cells.
The Tomb of P.Stolypin
Under a black stone cross lies the Russian prime Minister Piotr Arkadyevich Tholepin- the initiator of the well-known agrarian reform. In 1911 he was shot by a terrorist-provocateur in the Kyiv Opera. In Soviet times the tombstone of this staunch supporter of the monarchy was dismantled, but in 1989 it was restored.
The Tomb of I.Iskra and V.Kochubei
Colonel Ioann iskra of Poltava and the supreme judge of the Zaporizhyan Host Vasiliy Kochubei warned Tsar Peter I that Hetman Mazepa was planning to go over to the side of the Swedish King Charles XII. Peter did not believe them, and he handed the informers over to the hetman, which ordered them decapitated (1708). When Mazepa later betrayed the Tsar, Iskra and Kochubei were buried in the Lavra as martyrs. On the tombstone there is an original verse epitaph, which A.Pushkin cited in the notes to poem "Poltava".
Ukranian Museum of Historical Jewelry
The museum is located in the so-colled: Kovnirovsky building"- a stone edifice that once housed the Lavra bakery and bookstore. It was built in the 18th century by the architect S.Kovnir in the baroque style with picturesque figured fronton. The museum of historical jewelry was opened here in 1969.It houses a collection of unique pieces produced by the ancient Scythians (including the famous golden pectoral from the Tolstaya grave0, different pieces by the jewelry of Kyivan Rus, masterpieces by Ukranian makers of gold jewelry, rare examples of Judaic silver ritual accessories, a collection of coins and other exhibits.
Exhibition of Miniatures
On the territory of the Upper Lavra there is an exhibition of works by the contemporary master N.Siadristy. It is made up of miniature pieces created with the aid of a microscope. The hero of the famous story "The Lefthander" by N.Leskov shod a flea, but the works of N.Siadristy are even more delicate than those of Lefthander. Some of these works have no equal any-where in the world.
The CAVERNS
Special overland galleries lead from the upper Lavra to the Near and Far caverns. The Lavra caverns are a complex system of narrow underground corridors 1-1,5 meters wide and 2 -2,5 meters high, along which there are numerous shrines and relics. In ancient times people settled in underground dwellings dug in the solid layers of loam, sand and boggy loess on the high bank of the Dnieper. Here they were protected from bad weather and wild animals. In 1051 the Reverend Antoniy settled in an old cave in one of the hills. This was where the Far Caverns appeared. Antoniy and his disciples extended the underground corridors and built a church there. In 1062 Antoniy moved to a cave near the Upper Lavra, which was the beginning of the near Caverns.
The most remarkable Pechersk ascetics chose to live as hermits. They dug narrow caverns linked to the main corridor only by small holes for food and air and stayed there permanently. Two or three times a week, monks left the holy water at the holes. If the host and holy water were left untouched this indicated that the ascetic had died. They buried the dead monks in the caverns. The remains were embalmed and have been preserved to the present day.
The Peachersk Burials
The Orthodox Church canonized the ascetics of the Lavra caverns as saints. Soviet atheistic propaganda med to prove that the reason why the remains do not decay is the natural character of the ground and air in the caverns, new evidence is appearing of the extraordinary character of the Pechersk burials. Apart from the remains of the saints whose names are known, the caves also contain the heads of unknown ascetics, which shed a holy chrism. They have been many examples of their healing influence. Today visitors can view the caverns escorted by monks. Everyone who enters should take a candle. One should remember that the Lavra caverns are a very holy place, and one should enter in appropriate clothes and keeping peace and silence.
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SECRED PLACES AND STRONGHOLDS OF PECHERSK
The Uspenskiy Cathedral
According to legend the main church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was built by architects from Constantinople; who came to Kyiv following a divine command. The length of the golden belt presented to the Reverend Antoniy by Shimon the Varangian was used as a measure. Construction began in 1073.By 1089 the cathedral was decorated with paintings and mosaics. The cathedral was subsequently rebuilt. At first it had a single dome. In the 18th century it was turned in to a seven-domed building, abundantly decorated in the Ukranian baroque style. This is the burial place of the first Kyiv Metropolitan Saint Mikhail, the Reverend Feodosiy, the Kyiv commander and patron of the arts Konstantin Ostrozhskiy, the Saint Metropolitan Piotr Mogila, the Ukranian scientists Pamva Berinda and Innokentiy Gizel, the romantic heroine Natalia Dolgorukova and Field-Marshal Duke Piotr Romiantsev-Zadunaisky. In Soviet times the cathedral was turned into a museum. On 3 November 1941 the cathedral was blown up (it has never been established who was responsible- the Nazi occupiers or Soviet under-ground).
The Uspenskiy Cathedral was rebuilt in its original form in 1998-2000 (architect O.Grauzhis and others). In the north part of the interior there is a replica of baptismal church of St.John the Baptist, which adjoined the original cathedral.
Great Bell Tower
The Great Bell Tower of the Lavra is one of the most notable buildins in the Kyiv landscape. It is the highest freestanding bell tower in the former Russian Empire. Its height with cross is 96,5 m. The four-tier structure was built in 1731-45 (architec L-G.Shedel). The diameter of the lower tier at base is 28,8 m. The second tier is decorated with 32 Dorian columns; the third tier with 16 ionic columns, and the fourth tier with 8 Corinthian columns. There were hanging bells on the third tier (three small 18th century bells have been preserved). There is a viewing platform here, which gives a bird's eye view of the landscape. On the fourth tier there is a chiming clock (the mechanism weighing 4,5 tons was manufactured in 1903) , the clock bells chime every quarter of an hour.
Troitskaya Church
The church is situated above the Saint Gates-the main entrance to the territory of the Upper Lavra.In its present state after renovation and decoration in the 17th-20th centuries, it is an elegant Ukranian Baroque building with a golden dome, front figures and rich decoration. But the base of the building is an ancient stone church built in 1106-08 (you can see old Russian architectural motifs on the southern front of the building). According to legend, this church was founded by the Chernigov prince Sviatoslav, who became a Pechersk monk under the name of Nicholas the Saintly Vivid and dynamic compositions from the 18th century have been preserved inside the temple (by painter A.Galik and others). "Faces of the Holy Martyrs,'"The traders Cast Out of the Temple," The council of Nicarea."
Nikolskaya Hospital Church In the northwestern part of the Upper Lavra there was formerly a separate monastery for elderly and ailing monks. It was founded at the beginning of the 12th century. On this territory is preserved the Nikolskaya Church from the turn of the 17th century- an elegant Ukranian baroque building with an adjacent hospital barrack (now the premises is occupied by the lectorium). The State Historical Library of Ukraine is housed in the former Lavra Apothecary near the cells.
The Tomb of P.Stolypin
Under a black stone cross lies the Russian prime Minister Piotr Arkadyevich Tholepin- the initiator of the well-known agrarian reform. In 1911 he was shot by a terrorist-provocateur in the Kyiv Opera. In Soviet times the tombstone of this staunch supporter of the monarchy was dismantled, but in 1989 it was restored.
The Tomb of I.Iskra and V.Kochubei
Colonel Ioann iskra of Poltava and the supreme judge of the Zaporizhyan Host Vasiliy Kochubei warned Tsar Peter I that Hetman Mazepa was planning to go over to the side of the Swedish King Charles XII. Peter did not believe them, and he handed the informers over to the hetman, which ordered them decapitated (1708). When Mazepa later betrayed the Tsar, Iskra and Kochubei were buried in the Lavra as martyrs. On the tombstone there is an original verse epitaph, which A.Pushkin cited in the notes to poem "Poltava".
Ukranian Museum of Historical Jewelry
The museum is located in the so-colled: Kovnirovsky building"- a stone edifice that once housed the Lavra bakery and bookstore. It was built in the 18th century by the architect S.Kovnir in the baroque style with picturesque figured fronton. The museum of historical jewelry was opened here in 1969.It houses a collection of unique pieces produced by the ancient Scythians (including the famous golden pectoral from the Tolstaya grave0, different pieces by the jewelry of Kyivan Rus, masterpieces by Ukranian makers of gold jewelry, rare examples of Judaic silver ritual accessories, a collection of coins and other exhibits.
Exhibition of Miniatures
On the territory of the Upper Lavra there is an exhibition of works by the contemporary master N.Siadristy. It is made up of miniature pieces created with the aid of a microscope. The hero of the famous story "The Lefthander" by N.Leskov shod a flea, but the works of N.Siadristy are even more delicate than those of Lefthander. Some of these works have no equal any-where in the world.
The CAVERNS
Special overland galleries lead from the upper Lavra to the Near and Far caverns. The Lavra caverns are a complex system of narrow underground corridors 1-1,5 meters wide and 2 -2,5 meters high, along which there are numerous shrines and relics. In ancient times people settled in underground dwellings dug in the solid layers of loam, sand and boggy loess on the high bank of the Dnieper. Here they were protected from bad weather and wild animals. In 1051 the Reverend Antoniy settled in an old cave in one of the hills. This was where the Far Caverns appeared. Antoniy and his disciples extended the underground corridors and built a church there. In 1062 Antoniy moved to a cave near the Upper Lavra, which was the beginning of the near Caverns.
The most remarkable Pechersk ascetics chose to live as hermits. They dug narrow caverns linked to the main corridor only by small holes for food and air and stayed there permanently. Two or three times a week, monks left the holy water at the holes. If the host and holy water were left untouched this indicated that the ascetic had died. They buried the dead monks in the caverns. The remains were embalmed and have been preserved to the present day.
The Peachersk Burials
The Orthodox Church canonized the ascetics of the Lavra caverns as saints. Soviet atheistic propaganda med to prove that the reason why the remains do not decay is the natural character of the ground and air in the caverns, new evidence is appearing of the extraordinary character of the Pechersk burials. Apart from the remains of the saints whose names are known, the caves also contain the heads of unknown ascetics, which shed a holy chrism. They have been many examples of their healing influence. Today visitors can view the caverns escorted by monks. Everyone who enters should take a candle. One should remember that the Lavra caverns are a very holy place, and one should enter in appropriate clothes and keeping peace and silence.
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