Surprising in its beauty, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra with golden domes rises on the hills of the right bank of the Dnieper River and is the cradle of monasticism in Rus, the stronghold of the Orthodox faith.
History of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
The history of the Lavra is inextricably linked with the Far and Near Caves. There are different opinions about when exactly the Monk Anthony settled in one of the Varangian caves, which now form part of the Far Caves. Most experts attribute this event to 1051. It was this date that they began to consider the year of the foundation of the monastery of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
After the Monk Anthony gathered around him 12 monks, new cells began to appear and the Far Caves of the Kiev-Pecherskaya Lavra began to be rebuilt.
However, the Monk Anthony always sought seclusion, so he moved to another slope, appointing in 1057g. the elder brother of the Monk Varlaam. There Antony dug himself a new underground cell. Now it is the Near Caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The bell tower of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
A large bell tower, located near the house of the abbot of the Lavra, was built in 1731-1745. The bell tower is presented in the form of an octagonal four-tiered tower decorated with a gilded dome. Its height, along with the cross, is close to one hundred meters. If you climb the bell tower on 374 steps, you can see the beauty of Kiev from a bird's eye view.
Every quarter of an hour the melodious ringing of the tower clock reminds us of the transience of the earthly life and of the time allotted to people for repentance and good deeds.
The relics of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
In the Middle Caves there are more than 120 open relics, and many are still hidden and the names of these righteous people are unknown. A well-known saint, who often comes to worship, is Ilya Muromets. Curiously, but in the caves of the Lavra his body was completely preserved, however, like the rest of the saints. Nearby are the relics of a baby boy from a pagan family. He was sacrificed by Prince Vladimir five years before the baptism of Rus. Later the relics of the child were placed in caves, and now childless couples ask about the holy remains of the addition in the family.
The pilgrimage to the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra continues to the relics of the legendary doctor Agapita, who saved Vladimir Monomakh himself. The heart of the monastery is occupied by the relics of Antony Pechersky, the founder of the monastery.
Icons of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra
Pilgrims who come to the Lavra from all over the world are sure that her faces are healed from any diseases. For example, the icon of Panteleimon with a part of his relics helps to see the blind, to recover oncology. It relieves kidney disease, blood, cardiovascular system.
Icon of the Mother of God "Pechersky praise" contains fragments of the relics of the Caves of the Saints. It relieves of blood diseases and endocrine system.
The gift of children is addressed to the holy baby John (relics in the Near Caves) and to the holy righteous Joachim and John (relics in the Far Caves).
Icon-painting workshop of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra restores and produces high-quality icons in different techniques (tempera, oil, mineral pigments). Here lay people, novices and monks.
There is the Museum of Microminiatures, the Museum of Book Printing, the Museum of Musical, Theatrical Art and Cinematography, the Museum of Ukrainian Folk Art, the Museum of Historical Treasures on the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
At the film studio. Dovzhenko, Ukrainian documentaries, was filmed a film-reflection "Secrets of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra". This interesting tape tells of the greatest Shrine, which is constantly reborn, no matter what.