For centuries, an extraordinary architectural ensemble of one of the most significant shrines of the Orthodox world – the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra – has stood majestically on the slopes of the Dnipro River.

The Great Lavra Bell Tower soars high into the sky, golden church domes shimmer in the sunlight, and ancient temples and monastic buildings delight the heart. Deep underground lie the mysterious Lavra caves, illuminated by the glory and holiness of the Pechersk ascetics.

The foundation of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery was a result of the political, economic, social, and cultural impacts of the baptism of Kyivan Rus in 988–989 AD. According to "The Tale of Bygone Years," authored by Nestor, a monk of the Pechersk Monastery, in 1051, the ascetic Anthony founded a monastery in a cave. After returning to Kyiv from Mount Athos, Anthony visited many monasteries in his native land but found no place worthy of his soul. Thus, he decided to retreat to an ancient cave near the princely village of Berestove. Nestor the Chronicler wrote: "He came to the hill, loved this place, and began to live there, praying to God."

Anthony’s ascetic way of life earned him renown throughout Rus. Like-minded followers gathered around him, and Anthony tonsured them as monks, becoming their mentor and spiritual father, though he did not assume the position of abbot.

When the number of brethren reached 12, Anthony appointed Barlaam as abbot and, in 1062, moved to a neighboring hill where he dug a new cave. Thus, the caves, later known as the Near and Far Caves, were formed.

Around the first ascetics, a strong religious community quickly emerged. When the brotherhood grew to 100 members, Prince Iziaslav, at Anthony's request, donated the hill above the caves, where the first wooden church was built. Around it, new cells were constructed, and most of the brethren moved into them. Essentially, a new monastery was created here, while the caves became a burial site. A small number of monks remained in the caves to perform burial rites and daily liturgies. Since the monks initially lived in the caves, the monastery was called the Pechersk Monastery.

A significant event for the development of monastic life in Kyivan Rus was the adoption of the Studite Rule by Abbot Theodosius. Known for its detailed liturgical structure and strict monastic guidelines, the Studite Rule regulated monastic life at the Lavra and was later adopted by all monasteries in Kyivan Rus. Thus, Theodosius is regarded as the founder of monasticism in Ukraine-Rus.

The lives of the founders of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery, who endured the initial hardships, were seen as moral feats. The monks’ detachment from worldly temptations and their asceticism evoked reverence among the faithful, not only toward the residents of the Lavra but also toward Christianity in general. This garnered support from the authorities. Princes and boyars supported the monks by donating gold, silver, land, serfs, and various resources.

The Pechersk Monastery made an enormous contribution to the development of Ukrainian culture. This was facilitated by the concentration of educated individuals within its walls. As early as the 11th century, chronicle writing began here. The first known chronicler was Hilarion (later Nikon), the abbot of the Pechersk Monastery (1077–1088). Within the monastery’s walls, the first historian of our country, Nestor the Chronicler, lived and worked. In 1113, he completed "The Tale of Bygone Years," the first systematic chronicle of our nation’s history.

The talented ecclesiastical writer Theodosius is also well-known. His letters, teachings, and epistles have survived.

In the first half of the 13th century, Pechersk monks Nestor, Polycarp, and Simon created the "Patericon of the Kyiv Caves," which glorified the holy fathers Anthony, Theodosius, Nikon, Nicholas Svyatosha, and other ascetics, artists, and healers. The Patericon also contains much information about the monastery’s history, the spiritual life and daily routine of the monks, and the construction of the Lavra. This unique historical and ethnographic source, covering the 11th–13th centuries, was published in 1661 at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra printing house.

According to the Studite Rule, every monk was required to read manuscripts provided by the monastery library. At the time, the monastery had a significant collection of books, later supplemented by donations from Prince-Monk Nicholas Svyatosha.

In the 11th century, visual arts also flourished at the Pechersk Monastery, with monk Alipius as its brightest representative. He became the first iconographer of Kyivan Rus, learning the craft from the Greeks.

The Pechersk Lavra is also considered the medical center of Kyivan Rus. Its most famous physician was Agapitus. Other known healers include Alipius, Damian, Gregory, and others. Even grand princes sought medical help here. In the early 12th century, a hospital funded by Prince Sviatoslav Davydovych, the great-grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, was established. This hospital later formed the basis for the Mykilska Bolnytska Monastery, which included churches, a hospital, and a pharmacy, and became part of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Medicine in the monastery developed based on folk practices and knowledge from foreign countries.

Abbott Theodosius paid great attention to the Lavra's appearance and the well-being of its inhabitants. As the number of monks grew, the monastery expanded, new cells were built, and the Lavra was surrounded by a wall. In 1073, the stone Dormition Cathedral was solemnly founded. By the late 1080s, when its construction was completed, the Lavra’s influence extended far beyond Kyiv, becoming a center for training Orthodox clergy. Many Pechersk monks became missionaries, spreading Christianity to regions where paganism prevailed. By the early 13th century, about 50 bishops from the Lavra’s brotherhood were assigned to various parts of Kyivan Rus.

Despite destruction caused by the raid of Polovtsian Khan Boniak, the Lavra continued to grow. In 1106–1108, the Holy Trinity Gate Church was built. By 1108, the stone refectory was completed. At the end of the 12th century, a stone wall was constructed around the monastery. Near the Lavra, in Prince Volodymyr’s suburban residence in the village of Berestove, the Savior Church was built in the early 12th century.

In the mid-12th century, the Lavra achieved independence from the Patriarch of Constantinople. In 1159, Andrei Bogolyubsky, son of Prince Yuri Dolgoruky, granted the Pechersk Monastery the title of "Lavra," the status of a grand princely archimandrite, and a stavropegic monastery.

In 1230, the Lavra’s structures were damaged by an earthquake.

In 1240, Kyiv was destroyed and looted by steppe nomads. Churches and monasteries, like all of Kyivan Rus, suffered greatly from the invaders. However, the church was exempt from paying regular tribute to the Golden Horde. Church and monastic properties were declared inviolable, a privilege enshrined in charters issued by the Horde’s khans. Nonetheless, these privileges did not protect the church from violence or the destruction of its sacred structures. Stone church construction ceased, as did iconography, and many craft traditions declined.

In the second half of the 14th century, Ukrainian lands came under the rule of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania and later of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. In the 16th century, after the Union of Lublin (1569) and the Union of Brest (1596), Poland sought to consolidate its dominance over the Ukrainian people by converting them to Catholicism. Thanks to the efforts of Lavra archimandrites, the support of the Cossacks, townspeople, peasants, and a significant portion of the Ukrainian Orthodox nobility, the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery – a stavropegic monastery of the Patriarch of Constantinople – preserved its native faith.