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Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Far Caves, Eastern Orthodox Christian Monastery
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Far Caves, the Ukrainian Historical Place
"Far Caves, Eastern Orthodox Christian Monastery. Part #2, of the Lavra virtual tours."
Far Caves, full virtual tour map
Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra (Kyievo-Pecherska Lavra), also known as the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves,
is a historic Eastern Orthodox Christian monastery.
The Far (Feodosiev) Caves are a complex of underground caves of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery.
The relics of 49 canonized saints rest in the Far Caves. Nowadays the total length of the
underground corridors is 293 m, the Varangian ones - 200 m.
One of the founders of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery, Theodosius of the Pechersk,
was buried in 1074 in his cell in the Far Caves, which are also called Theodosievs
after the name of this saint. The relics of Theodosius were found in 1091 and solemnly transferred
to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. In 1240, when the troops of Khan Batu captured Kyiv,
the relics were hidden to avoid desecration. The burial place was kept secret and forgotten over time.
There is an opinion that they are buried either under the cover of the Assumption Cathedral or in the Far Caves.
During excavations in 1988, the cell of St. Theodosius, dug by him in 1058, was discovered. The vaults of this
room are in perfect condition. Near the monk’s cell there is the largest structure of the caves - the Feodosia Church.
At this time, in the Far Caves there are three underground churches: the Nativity of Christ, St. Theodosius and
the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. The latter is the oldest underground church of the Far Caves and the entire Kiev Pechersk Lavra.
During the Soviet era, the bodies of the 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.
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