Kievo-Pecherska Lavra

Kievo-Pecherska Lavra (Lavra means "street" in Greek), The "Caves" Monastery is a huge tourist attraction, and justifiably so. It dates back to the introduction of Christianity as the new state religion of Rus. St. Anthony is said to have left Greece and settled in Kiev in 1051 to spread the word, living in a cave on the banks of the Dnieper. He apparently started expanding the natural caves in the area, creating an extensive underground network where monks spent entire lifetimes meditating, praying and writing. Below are photographs of the church on the upper level of this working monastery and headquarters for the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. 100,000 religious pilgrims come from all over the Orthodox world to worship
here.