Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

This historical Orthodox Christian monastery is also known as the Kiev Monastery of the Caves. Together with the Saint Sophia Cathedral that we visited earlier, the monastery is UNESCO World Heritage Site. The Cave monastery dates as far back as 1051, when the monk Anthony settled in a cave here. The total network of caves has a total length of almost 400 meters. Above the ground, the monastery consists of serval buildings where the most famous is the Great Lavra Bell Tower and the Cathedral of the Dormition.

The bell tower was built in 1731 to 1745 and is 96.5 m tall. The Dormition Cathedral was originally built in the 11th century, but was destroyed during the Second World War. After the war ended, nothing was done to reconstruct the Cathedral, but after Ukrainian independence, the Cathedral was finally brought back to its old glory.