Pechersk Lavra

In January 2026 a Russian Drone Shattered Windows Across Two of Its Buildings

That was the first war-related damage to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra since World War II. The monastery complex on bluffs above the Dnipro River has survived Mongol raids, Soviet demolitions, German occupation, and nearly three years of active war. It is still open. The cave network beneath it, in continuous use since monks began excavating it in 1051 CE, still holds the mummified remains of over 120 Orthodox saints. Visiting it in the current context is a complicated thing – arriving at an active monastery in a city under intermittent attack – and that complication is part of what makes it one of the most significant sites in all of Eastern Europe.

The Lavra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It divides into the Upper Lavra (museums, grounds, bell tower) and the cave systems below. The site has been at the centre of a legal and religious struggle since Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022: the Ukrainian government terminated the lease of the Moscow Patriarchate branch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to use the monastery’s buildings. As of mid-2026, the Near Caves have resumed guided tours for small groups, though access rules can change during security alerts. Check current conditions before visiting.

The Caves

The Near Caves (Antonievska Pechera) extend about 230 metres underground; the Far Caves (Feodosievska Pechera) are longer and deeper. In July 2025, the first Orthodox liturgy in Ukrainian rather than Church Slavonic was performed in the Far Caves – the first such service in years, conducted by Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv.

Walking the cave corridors with a thin candle, the mummified saints in open niches along the walls, the narrow low passages, the occasional sound of prayers from deeper sections – this is one of the more atmospherically extreme visitor experiences available in any European city. Photography is restricted inside the caves.

The Upper Complex

The Dormition Cathedral (Uspenska Tserkva) was built in 1073, destroyed by Soviet authorities in 1941 (the Soviets claimed German forces did it; subsequent evidence has pointed otherwise), and rebuilt and reconsecrated in 2000. The interior has icons and frescoes in the Byzantine tradition.

The Great Bell Tower at the Lavra’s main gate stands 96.5 metres tall, completed between 1745 and 1748. It is among the tallest Baroque structures in Ukraine and one of the defining elements of the Kyiv skyline viewed from the Dnipro. The Motherland Monument sculpture (102 metres total height) is visible from the monastery gardens.

Around the Lavra

The National Museum of Military History of Ukraine (formerly the Museum of the Great Patriotic War) is on the same Pecherska plateau. In the context of an ongoing war, its exhibits on Ukrainian military history carry different weight than they did before 2022.

For food in the Pecherska area, street-level cafes on Klovsky Uzviz serve Ukrainian standards – borscht, varenyky dumplings, deruny potato pancakes – at reasonable prices. Kanapa restaurant at Andriyivskyy Descent, about 20 minutes’ walk away, does elevated Ukrainian cuisine with local sourcing. It is one of the most interesting restaurants in Kyiv and has remained open throughout the war.

Visiting Kyiv involves accepting an adjusted daily rhythm: air raid alerts, shelter locations at key sites, earlier evening activity. The city’s tourism authorities provide current safety guidance. Visitors have continued to come since 2022, in smaller numbers, and the city is functioning.