UKRAINE: The Orthodox Caves Monastery, one of the country's oldest and most sacred religious sites, is in danger of collapse

Record ID: 572748

  • Title: UKRAINE: The Orthodox Caves Monastery, one of the country's oldest and most sacred religious sites, is in danger of collapse
  • Date: 7th March 2007
  • Summary: MONK WALKING UPHILL ALONG ANCIENT MONASTERY WALL VARIOUS OF LOOSE BRICKS IN MONASTERY WALL
  • Embargoed: 22nd March 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: Ukraine
  • Country: Ukraine
  • Topics: Disasters / Accidents / Natural catastrophes,Religion
  • Reuters ID: LVAC3JFR8NFN2WSE04QMHUZKEY6L
  • Story Text: The Orthodox Caves Monastery in Ukraine, one of the country's oldest and most sacred religious sites, is in danger of collapse, monks and architects have warned. Rain, snow, rising underground water and human negligence are threatening to reduce the site, in the capital Kiev, to nothing.
    Its golden domes have towered over the capital Kiev for a millennium. Awed by its mysterious beauty and intrigued by catacombs containing the remains of scores of monks, thousands pray every day at the Caves Monastery, spiritual symbol of Slav culture.
    But visitors are unaware of an impending danger -- the monastery is crumbling. Rain, snow, rising underground water and human negligence threaten to reduce the site to nothing.
    Monks and architects say time is running out and demand urgent action to protect the Caves Monastery complex, known in Ukrainian as the Pechersk Lavra.
    "Monks have preserved and protected this place for 1,000 years and prayed here. They are keeping this place for history and for generations to come. The problem is that no repairs have been carried out in the upper section of the sewage system, and to the hot and cold water supply. We have recently had some precipitation and we can see the snow is melting and the drainage system is blocked. Water has gone into the lower section and this is going on constantly," said Pavel, the senior priest who runs the monks' community.
    Pavel called on the Ukrainian government to take urgent steps to save the monastery.
    "The state must take heed. This is the only sacred place of such rank in Ukraine. It is no exaggeration to call this place the second Jerusalem. And we must preserve it, whatever the cost. We monks are ready to sacrifice our lives. And that is precisely what will do," he added.
    A few metres from Pavel's study, a picture of slow decay emerges .
    A supporting stone wall is riven with cracks as are church walls and seminary buildings. A chapel lists dangerously. Stone steps are worn and in danger of disappearing.
    A grand complex with striking bell-towers, resplendent churches, chapels, gates, monuments and seminary buildings, the Lavra was founded by monks near the the Dnieper river in 1051.
    Over the centuries it grew to become the main sacred site of Orthodox Christianity in eastern Europe. It now draws millions of tourists to its upper and lower sections, a short drive from Kiev's bustling city centre.
    The golden cupolas of the medieval Uspensky Cathedral, dominate the complex, and were mysteriously blown up during Nazi occupation in World War Two and rebuilt in 2000.
    The upper section is a museum under government control. The lower part is home to about 150 monks. Both are in a dire state.
    Monks and builders work feverishly to reverse the decline. Truckloads of sand and concrete arrive at the site daily.
    "The Lavra has been here for a thousand years and I am certain that it will be here for a long time to come. And we will continue to marvel in its architectural treasures. We need to hurry in order to preserve its main treasures, like the caves for examples, the key elements of this ensemble," said the Lavra's chief architect Tatyana Kulik.
    She believes the monastery's location on hills near the river is one factor in a long list of problems.
    "Time is running out. Caves have already fallen in. Time is quite simply running out," added Kulik.
    Caves collapsed metres away from the cell of St Anthony, the first monk to inhabit the caves almost 1,000 years ago. His remarkably preserved body is kept nearby.
    The underground passages lead to prayer niches and miniature chapels where flames cast shadows on icons barely visible through the darkness. Priests recite prayers.
    Experts still can not explain why the caves collapsed.
    Negligence, ageing sewage systems, mistakes in planning the city's drainage system and construction nearby also played a role, undermining stability underground.
    Lack of funding underscores all the difficulties. Ukraine's government, its eye cast firmly on public opinion, pays scant attention to historical monuments at a time when increasing public sector wages and pensions remain top items on the agenda.
    Architect and monks agree a short-term solution will be of little use to the ancient monuments. They want a long-term state plan to preserve the Lavra for future generations.
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