The Kiev
Pechersk Lavra is a major Orthodox monastery located in Kiev, Ukraine, also
referred to as the Monastery of the Kiev Caves. Founded in 1051 AD, during the
times of Kievan Rus' (a medieval state in Europe, from the late 9th to the mid
13th century), the monastery has remained a major center of Orthodox
Christianity in the Slavic world.
The monk
Anthony is credited with founding the monastery when he settled in one of the
caves that are now part of the Far Caves (also called the Caves of Theodosius).
This occurred most probably in the year 1051, which is the traditional date for
the foundation of the Kiev-Pechersk Monastery. As the community grew to twelve
monks new caves were excavated. Among those who joined Anthony in the early
years were Theodosius and Barlaam. In 1057, Anthony, who desired a life of
seclusion, named Barlaam as the first abbot and withdrew from the community to
new cave in a hill that today is part of the Near Caves (also called the Caves
of Anthony).
During
the early times when Theodosius was abbot (1062-1074), a wooden structure was
built over the Far Caves and the monks, whose number was reaching one hundred,
moved out of the caves. As the monastery grew the need for rules that would
govern the life of the community was recognized. Theodosius decided to use the
rules of the Studion Monastery in Constantinople.
The
Monastery of the Kiev Caves was supported generously by the princes of Kiev,
who donated not only money but land and buildings as well. Also, many of the
educated men of the area became monks at the monastery as it became the largest
religious and cultural center of Kievan Rus'. Of these monks twenty became
bishops during the twelfth and thirteenth centuries.
In the
mid 1070s the center of the monastery began to move to the area of the present
Upper Lavra with the building of the Dormition Cathedral. In time the Near and
Far Caves became places of seclusion and burial for the monks. In 1073, Anthony
became the first burial in the Near Caves, followed in 1074 with the burial of
Theodosius in the Far Caves.
During
the ensuing years the monastery was raided several times. Significant raids
happened in 1096, 1169 and 1203. In 1240, the invading hordes of the Tatars
came through Kiev, destroying the city and the monastery. During the times of
Tatar occupation the monks moved into the caves, to remain there for a long
time. After each raid the churches and buildings would be replaced and the
system of underground caves and catacombs would be expanded. In 1470 the
monastery was rebuilt again by Prince Semen Olelkovich, but was once again
destroyed by Tatars in 1482.
From
these times until the end of the sixteenth century little documentation remains
as historical materials were destroyed during each raid. Beginning in the sixteenth
century, reports by travelers provide descriptions of the caves and the
monastic life then practiced at the monastery. These reports noted the length
of the underground caves and also noted that liturgy was celebrated in the two
underground churches every Saturday. By the late sixteenth century the
monastery had once again recovered. At this time it was granted self-control
status by the Patriarch of Constantinople. This freed the monastery from the
control of the government of Kiev. The monastery was also granted the status of
a lavra.
Following
the Union of Brest-Litovsk in 1596, those who supported the union and became
Greek Catholics made an effort to gain control of the lavra, but the Orthodox
prevailed and retained control.
A major
fire in 1718 severely damaged the monastery and the main church, library and
archives were destroyed. Restoration of this damage took ten years. In 1720,
Peter I’s government prohibited printing of new books and imposed censorship on
all publications from the monastery. This severely limited the monastery’s
cultural influence.
By this
time, the lavra was large and had acquired much wealth. The heart of the
monastery remained the two underground labyrinths of tunnels, cells, and
catacombs, from which the name of the monastery is derived and in which monks
lived and were buried. But, the extent of the lavra grew beyond that. It owned
three cities, seven towns, some 200 villages and hamlets, and about 70.000
serfs. This ended in 1786 when the Russian government secularized the property
and made the lavra dependent upon the state.
At the
same time the government changed the organization of the monastery by
abolishing its custom of electing its own council. Thereafter the Metropolitan
of Kiev appointed the council. The Metropolitan also became the abbot of the
monastery with his residence within the monastery’s grounds. A trend toward
Russification of the monastery began in the late eighteenth century and
continued in time.
In the
early twentieth century, before the Bolsheviks' assumption of power,
Kiev-Pechersk Lavra was the residence of over one thousand monks. It was one of
the most famous centers of religious life in the Orthodox world, visited each
year by hundreds of thousands of pilgrims. The monastery was renowned for the
relics of many saintly monks. This changed after the Soviets assumed control of
the government in late 1917.
Changes
by the Soviet authorities began in 1921. Initially, the authorities confiscated
the relics and historical and artistic objects that belonged to the monastery.
Buildings were converted to commercial and other uses. Many of the monastery's
monuments were combined into a museum, the Lavra Museum of Religious Cults and
Way of Life, which also contained collections from other museums in Kiev. After
closing down the monastery completely in 1926, the Soviet government first
turned the grounds into a museum preserve, the All-Ukrainian Museum Quarter,
that consisted of a number of museums which emphasized anti-religious
propaganda, and included archives, libraries, and workshops before closing the
Quarter in 1934 and transferring the collections to new museums in Kiev. The
Soviet authorities removed all the bells during the period 1931 to 1932.
During
World War II the Soviet army mined the Dormition Cathedral before the advancing
Nazi forces. The explosives were then detonated after the Nazi forces had
occupied Kiev on November 3, 1941 severely damaging the cathedral. After the
war the monastery grounds were restored and renamed the Kievan Cave
Historical-Cultural Preserve, which housed a number of museums and
institutions. Also, a functioning monastery of about one hundred monks was
allowed to operate until 1961.
As the
atheistic times began to wane in the 1980s, the Soviet government transferred
in 1988 the area of the Lower Lavra, with the Far Caves, to the possession of
the Ukrainian Church of Russia in commemoration of the one thousandth
anniversary of the Baptism of Rus'. With the return of the Lavra to the Church
the monastic and spiritual life was slowly restored. During 1998 to 2000 the
city of Kiev rebuilt the Dormition Cathedral and returned it to the Church. As
new monks have joined elderly monks who have returned to the Lavra, the cycle
of services has been re-established, building on the primary duty of the monk
of never ceasing prayer.
Source: http://orthochristian.com/82144.html
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