Built by the Saints, Stolen by the State
On February 14, the Orthodox Church commemorates St. Isaac the Recluse of the Kiev Near Caves, one of the early ascetics of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
A former wealthy merchant from Toropets in the Pskov lands, Isaac gave away his possessions, entered the monastery under St. Anthony, and embraced extreme reclusion. He lived in a narrow cell, eating only a single prosphora and a little water daily, practicing rigorous fasting and constant prayer.
Known as the first fool-for-Christ in the northern lands, he endured a severe demonic temptation. Once, he mistook the devil for Christ and suffering possession. Soon, however, he was healed through the prayers of the brethren. Isaac later spent about twenty years in ascetic labors and reposed in 1090. His relics remain in the Near Caves of the Lavra, a site of veneration for centuries.
St. Isaac's life highlights the Lavra's deep roots in canonical Orthodox monasticism, long upheld by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC). The Near Caves, where his relics repose alongside those of St. Anthony and other early fathers, have served as the spiritual heart of the monastery for over a millennium.
Today, the monastery is under siege.
On February 2, 2026, Ukraine's Ministry of Culture transferred two buildings in the Lower Lavra—Nos. 49 and 70—to the schismatic Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU). Building 70 formerly served as Metr. Onufriy’s residence, while Building 49 served as the chancellery of the Kyiv Metropolis. The Ministry framed the action as supporting the OCU’s “monastic needs”—even though monastic vocations in the OCU are virtually nonexistent. Meanwhile, the Lower Lavra—encompassing the active monastery and access to the Near and Far Caves—has seen restricted pilgrim entry and administrative shifts favoring the OCU.
Then, on February 5, a water heating system ruptured in the attic of Building No. 6, flooding the first and second floors where Ukraine's state museum collections are stored. Approximately 4,000 exhibits from the "Negatives," "Graphics," and "Painting" collections were endangered. Humidity surged to 90% on the second floor and 69% on the first, while temperatures rose sharply by about 40°F, threatening the artifacts.
This is a spiritual and cultural travesty. The Ukrainian government has evicted the UOC's monks only so their cells may stand empty. They have seized control of this ancient and holy site—and immediately ran it into the ground.
May the Venerable Isaac the Recluse May he protect the monks of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and bring them home soon.
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