Then and Now: The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra's Rebirth Under the UOC 1990—2025
The "Life-Giving Spring" Church of the Lavra, restored by the monks of the UOC. Photo: UOC press service
Nearly 37 years ago, on June 24, 1988, the Soviet authorities began transferring the buildings of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to the Church. This was recalled in the Facebook group “SvitViry (World of Faith).”
The group writes:
“This was the territory of the Far Caves. In 1990, the authorities transferred the territory of the Near Caves and the buildings located there to the monks – the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the gallery and bell tower, the church in honor of the Icon of the Mother of God ‘Life-Giving Spring,’ as well as a number of other structures. Most of the buildings transferred by the city authorities were in a condition just short of collapse.”
They also posted photos of the Lavra buildings taken at the time of the transfer, alongside photos taken many years later after the restoration of the monastery, with a link to the press service of the UOC. Almost all examples show that the buildings were fully restored by monks and believers.
As a reminder, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, in justifying the termination of the lease agreement with the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, claimed that the buildings of the Lower Lavra exhibited “inadequate maintenance of an architectural monument of local significance.”
An entire photo gallery can be found at this link to the UOJ’s Serbian branch.
Read also
Educating at the Icon Corner: The Rise of Orthodox Homeschooling
Amid surging conversions transforming American Orthodoxy from an immigrant faith to one of evangelization, a parallel wave rises: Orthodox families increasingly embracing homeschooling to weave liturgy, traditional values, and faith-centered learning into daily life.
The Scandal of the Icon
The Seventh Ecumenical Council declares that proper Orthodox veneration of icons demands physical greeting—kissing and bowing—as inseparable from honoring the prototype, anathematizing those who refuse to kiss them.
Why I Decided to Start Covering My Head
The conviction grew and I began to consider, “Why would I wear a head covering at the monastery and not to my home parish?” Shouldn’t I be honoring God in His house wherever it is located? Aren’t the presence of angels always part of our worship on earth? And what about all those icons I am reverencing? Every female saint that I honor for her spiritual strength, her boldness on earth and faithfulness to the Lord, is wearing a veil.
Love Is Better Than Prayer
In the final year of her life, St. Scholastica—the twin of St. Benedict—prayed for one last night of heavenly talk with her brother. God sent a storm to override Benedict's strict prayer rule. Love triumphed over rigid piety, and she who loved more prevailed.
Does Rasputin Discredit the Romanovs?
Nicholas, Alexandra, and their children resisted the “spirit of the age” to their final breath. They chose to die rather than forsake their duty to God and their country. That is what makes them saints: their fidelity, holiness, and love. Rasputin’s shadow may linger, but it doesn’t eclipse their light.