Kyiv’s spectacular Pechersk Lavra or “cave” monastery complex–one of the most sacred sites for orthodox Christians, is in danger of collapsing.
On our visit to Ukraine in 2005 I took the above photo of the Assumption Church, just one small portion of this vast and stunning complex. The most famous, and most threatened, portion is the tunnels underneath the complex and down to the Dnieper River.
The monks are hoping for support from the Ukrainian government and international organizations to preserve the site before it is too late. But as I suggest in my source note below, the attention this has gotten thus far in Western media is a deafening silence.
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Note on source: I first saw this story on either BBC or DW TV over a week ago, and had awaited a print/Web source to cite; but the only news item I have found through Google is a paid-subscriber item in Moscow Times. There is a blog post at Medieval News with a very thorough overview. I am surprised this has not garnered more attention.
