A Sunday Surprise
We happened to be in Kiev for Easter where big festivities were planned for the breaking of the fast. Walking into the restaurant on the sunny Sunday morning we accepted a glass of wine and were greeted with Christos voskrese (Christ is risen). We were unable to respond in Ukrainian. We were then directed to a nearby table holding decorated hard-boiled eggs and paska, a special decorated bread which is always torn and never cut. The breakfast buffet held special Easter fare. One of our gals understood the language and translated much of the food for us. This was a total surprise and a real treat.
After breakfast we headed to the Lavra Monastery where long lines of people stood quietly with their baskets of food to be blessed by the priest. Because of the crowds and the holiday the monastery caves were closed. That was disappointing as I was looking forward to seeing the caves and mummies.
The magnificent 11th century Cave Monastery is a collection of gold-domed churches and underground labyrinths lined with faithful monks who were mummified by the dry soil. Monks who lived in natural caves with the goal of spreading Christianity founded it in 1051. Spread over two rolling hills southeast of the center of Kiev, and located along the Dnipro River the Monastery of the Caves (Perchersk Lavra) is an active, functioning monastery compound containing restored churches and towers, as well as a printing works and miles of maze-like underground tunnels where ancient crypts hold ecclesiastical treasures. For centuries Orthodox Christians from throughout Europe traveled on pilgrimages to the famous monastery. Many compared Kiev to Rome as a religious destination.
Entering though the main entrance our guide led us to a complex diagram to explain what was where as everything was written in Ukrainian. She said, “This 11th century (1051) monastery consists of 86 buildings and eleven churches. At its zenith 1200 monks lived and studied here. Now there are 100 monks. Straight ahead is Holy Assumption Church. It has been damaged and rebuilt several times since 1073, but in 1941 Nazi planes reduced it to a pile of rubble. In 2000 this present cathedral was rebuilt in the same spot as the original one. There is a concert hall in the church.”
Moving past the crowds she continued, “Although similar, don’t confuse this bell tower with the one we saw yesterday. This bell tower was built in 1744 by a German, after he won a competition. At 96 meters (104-feet) it is the tallest monumental structure in Ukraine and is the center of the monastery. It consists of four stories. A library was housed in the first two stories. Three of the original 13 bells remain on the third story and the clock is on the last story. There are 239 steps leading up to the top.”
Monks have a three-year probationary period. Monks do not marry but priests do. The monastery was closed in 1922, became a museum, and reopened in 1988. Proudly our guide stated, “Gorbachev came for the occasion.”
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