Kiev Pechersk Lavra

Kiev: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kiev-Pechersk Lavra*
UNESCO World Heritage Site
State Party	Ukraine
Type	Cultural
Criteria	i, ii, iii, iv
Reference	527
Region**	Europe and North America
Inscription history
Inscription	1990  (14th Session)
* Name as inscribed on World Heritage List. ** Region as classified by UNESCO.

Kiev Pechersk Lavra (Ukrainian: Києво-Печерська лавра, Kyievo-Pechers’ka 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 1015^[1] the Lavra has been a preeminent center of the Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe. Together with the Saint-Sophia Cathedral, it is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It was named one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine on August 21, 2007, based on voting by experts and the internet community.

Currently, the jurisdiction over the site is divided between the state museum, National Kiev-Pechersk Historic-Cultural Preserve^[2], and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church as the site of the chief monastery of that Church and the residence of its leader, Metropolitan Volodymyr.

Etymology and other names

The reconstructed Cathedral of the Dormition, as seen in 2005.

The word pechera means cave. The word lavra is used to describe high-ranking monasteries for (male) monks 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 of 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 Principality of Chernihiv, 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 I of Kiev ceded the whole mount to the Antonite monks who founded a monastery built by architects from Constantinople.

Up-close view of the Great Lavra Belltower with its four tiers in 2005.

The Near Caves of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Sketch by the Dutch artist Abraham van Westerveldt made in 1651.

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 feature 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 Exaltation 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

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

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. It was built atop an ancient stone church which used to stand in its place.

Church of the Saviour at Berestove

Side view of the Church of the Saviour at Berestove seen with its campanile, designed by architect Andrei Melenskyi in the Classical style.

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 Volodymyr 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

Imperishable relic of saint Ilya Muromets in Kiev Pechersk Lavra

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,^[3] which had apparently brought about to the knowledge of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra around the world.

Burials

Pyotr Stolypin's grave

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

• Ilya Muromets - in the caves (ca. 11-12 century)
• Nestor the Chronicler - in the Near Caves (ca. 1114)
• Saint Kuksha - in the Near Caves (ca. 1114)
• Alipy of the Caves - in the Near Caves (ca. 1114)
• Agapetus of Pechersk - in the Near Caves (ca. 11 century)
• Oleg son of Volodymyr II Monomakh - in the Church of the Saviour at Berestove (ca. 12 century)
• Eufemia of Kiev 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)
• Skirgaila - regent Grand Duke of Lithuania (1397)
• 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 (ca. 19-20 century)

During the Soviet era, the bodies of the mummified 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. .

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 many 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. ^[4] The museum also provides tours to the catacombs, which contain mummified remains of Orthodox saints or their relics.

Museum on the lavra territory are:

• Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine
• Book and print history museum
• Museum of Ukrainian folk art
• Theater and film arts museum
• State historical library

See also

• Near Caves
• Yakun
• Šimon
• Lavra
• List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ukraine

References

External links

Kiev Pechersk Lavra Main buildings Dormition Cathedral · Great Lavra Belltower · Refectory Church Churches All Saints · Saviour at Berestove · Exaltation of Cross · Life-Giving Spring · Nativity of the Virgin · Conception of St. Anne · Gate Church of the Trinity Other institutions Near Caves · Far Caves · St. Nicholas Monastary Other constructions Debosquette Wall · Lavra fortification · Typography · Theological Academy and Seminary

Churches and monasteries of Kiev Cathedrals Saint Sophia Cathedral · St. Volodymyr's Cathedral · Resurrection Cathedral · St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral · St. Nicholas Military Cathedral1 Churches St. Andrew's Church · St. Cyril's Church · Church of the Saviour at Berestove · Church of the Tithes  · Church of the Theotokos · Troeshchina Church Monasteries Lavra of the Caves (Great Church · Gate Church · Refectory Church) · St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery · Vydubychi Monastery · Brotherhood Monastery · Trinity Monastery · Theophania Convent · Intercession Convent · Florivsky Convent · Kitaev Poustinia 1Demolished structures are in italics

World Heritage Sites in Ukraine Kiev: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings / Kiev Pechersk Lavra · L'viv - the Ensemble of the Historic Centre  · Struve Geodetic Arc (with nine other countries)  · Primeval Beech Forests of the Carpathians (with Slovakia)

Seven Wonders of Ukraine Sofiyivsky Park · Kiev Pechersk Lavra · Kamianets-Podilskyi Complex · Khortytsia · Chersonesos · Saint Sophia Cathedral · Khotyn Fortress