50°26′02″N30°33′41″E / 50.4340°N 30.5614°E /50.4340; 30.5614
| Near Caves | |
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 The Near Caves of theKyiv Pechersk Lavra. Drawn by author Abraham van Westerveld in 1651. | |
 Interactive map of Near Caves | |
| Official name | Ближні печери (Near Caves) |
| Type | Architecture |
| Reference no. | 260088/33 |
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TheNear Caves or theCaves of Saint Anthony[1] (Ukrainian:Ближні печери,Blyzhni pechery;Russian:Ближние пещеры,Blizhnie peschery) are historic caves and a network of tunnels of the medievalcave monastery ofKyiv Pechersk Lavra inKyiv, the capital ofUkraine. The Near Caves have a total length of 383 metres and are 5 to 20 metres deep (see map).[2]
The Near Caves were founded when in 1057, Saint Varlaam was appointed as the firsthegumen (abbot) of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra bySaint Anthony. Monk Anthony withdrew himself from the monastery and later settled on a new hill, where he dug out a new underground cell, now called the Near Caves.[citation needed]
The Near Caves contain the underground Church of Saint Anthony, the Church of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, and the Saint Varlaam Church. The caves also have a total of 79 surviving burials, among them beingNestor the Chronicler, the icon artistsAlipy and Grigory, the doctorAgapit, the prince-ascetic Nikolai Sviatosha, the holymartyrKuksha, as well as the remains of the epic heroIlya Muromets. During the examination of the remains, it was established that Ilya Muromets had died from a stab wound.[2] According to a legend, a force ofangels transported him from the place where he had died to the Lavra caverns.[2]
The Near Cave's main temple is the Church of the Elevation of the Cross (Khrestovozdvizhenska), which was constructed in theUkrainian Baroque style from 1700-1704. The church's carvedicons of 1769 have survived to this day. From the 19th century, the church served as a burial vault for the Kyiv Metropolitans. The oldrefectory of the church is connected to the brother's cells, aNeoclassical style building with a four-columnportico dating from the 1830s.
At the foot of the hill stands the Near Cave's belltower, which was designed and constructed by architectStepan Kovnir in 1760. Also, the headstones of a number of well-knownKyivans can be seen in front of the Khrestovozdvizhenska Church, namely, the headstone of the general-governorAleksandr Bezak, which was designed by architectMikhail Ikonnikov in 1860).[2]
Beneath the Near Caverns, two olddraw-wells were recently discovered. According to the legend one of them was dug by Saint Anthony and the other by his best-known disciple,Theodosius of Kyiv.[2] Beside the draw-wells, a chapel was built, now known as the Church of the Life-Giving Spring, built in honour of the Icon of the Mother God.
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| Other constructions | ||
| Miscellaneous | ||
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