Monastery of the Caves

monastery, Kyiv, Ukraine

Also known as: Kievo-Pecherska Lavra, Kyevo-Pecherska Lavra

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June 24, 2026

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The Monastery of the Caves, or Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, is a historic Eastern Orthodox monastery located in Kyiv, Ukraine. Founded in the mid-11th century, it is one of the most significant monasteries in the region's history.1

The monastery is renowned for its extensive system of catacombs beneath the surface, where the mummified bodies of early monks and saints are entombed. It also features several churches, including the Cathedral of the Assumption, which was rebuilt after being destroyed in 1941, and an 18th-century bell tower.1

While still in use as a monastery, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra also functions as a museum open to the public. It is a prominent landmark in Kyiv, situated in the Pecherskyy district along the high bluffs of the Dnieper River.1

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Anthony of Kiev
…for the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves), an institution that later acquired a reputation as the cradle of Russian monasticism. Reverting to his Athonite training, he sent to Constantinople (modern Istanbul) for architects to construct the new monastery complex at the mountain.
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…for the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves), an institution that later acquired a reputation as the cradle of Russian monasticism. Reverting to his Athonite training, he sent to Constantinople (modern Istanbul) for architects to construct the new monastery complex at the mountain.
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Kyiv
City layout
…is the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves), founded in the mid-11th century, one of the most famous and important monasteries in the history of the region. It was at the lavra that the monk Nestor helped compile the earliest surviving chronicle of the East Slavic state of Rus.…
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…is the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Monastery of the Caves), founded in the mid-11th century, one of the most famous and important monasteries in the history of the region. It was at the lavra that the monk Nestor helped compile the earliest surviving chronicle of the East Slavic state of Rus.…
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Russian Orthodox Church
The Monastery of the Caves (Pechersk Lavra) in Kiev, founded in the mid-11th century by the ascetics St. Anthony and St. Theodosius, was superseded as the foremost religious centre by the Trinity–St. Sergius monastery, which was founded in the mid-14th century by St. Sergius of Radonezh…
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The Monastery of the Caves (Pechersk Lavra) in Kiev, founded in the mid-11th century by the ascetics St. Anthony and St. Theodosius, was superseded as the foremost religious centre by the Trinity–St. Sergius monastery, which was founded in the mid-14th century by St. Sergius of Radonezh…
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