Grottklostret Lavra i Kiev

Writer: Helena Bergström

Overlooking the Dnieper River, the Kiev Cave Monastery is one of Kiev's main attractions. The history of the monastery dates back to the 11th century, when Christianity was introduced to Kiev. In this cave monastery, also called Kievo-Pechersky Lavra, monks lived in underground cave systems, where they are now buried in glass tombs.

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Visiting the Lavra Cave Monastery

The Lavra cave monastery in Kiev is a site of great religious significance. The monastery attracts 200 000 pilgrims each year who come to pray, but also attracts many Ukrainian and foreign tourists. The monastery is interesting to see, both for the fine church buildings and for the interesting parts underground.

READ MORE: Kiev in Ukraine - travel guide to Kiev's gems

Underground in the cave monastery in Kiev

The earliest preserved part of the Lavra cave monastery is the underground caves, where monks lived their entire lives (!) in strict asceticism. We each got to light a candle and go down into these caves, where the dead holy monks lay in glass coffins along the corridors. A bit eerie almost! For many of the Ukrainian visitors, however, coming here seemed to be more of a religious experience.

Unesco World Heritage List

Since its foundation, the cave monastery of Lavra has been a prominent centre of Eastern Orthodox Christianity in Eastern Europe and, together with the Cathedral of St. Sophia, is a World Heritage Site. The buildings above ground have been destroyed a number of times, including by Mongol attacks, earthquake and fire, but have been tirelessly rebuilt.

Restaurant visit and evening party

The last evening we visited restaurant Pervak, also a restaurant with an amazingly cool interior! We sat and ate in a kind of "salon", decorated with old-fashioned furniture and bookshelves with antique books. They are really good at this with cool decor and atmosphere in restaurants here in Kiev! We then took a turn past the nightclub Barsky and continued to Arena Citi, where we danced all last night in Kiev... Thank you Ukraine and Kiev for a great holiday!