On 14.07.2026 in Kyiv Pechersk Lavra resumed Far Caves Of Lavra Tours for pilgrims and after around 15.08.2026 all tourists and guests of Kyiv could get access to caves as well.

On the occasion of the opening His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine, Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, performed a prayer service for Ukraine. The vicar of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine Bishop Avraamiy took part in the service.

After the prayer service access to the Far Caves Of Lavra was opened for pilgrims.

The head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine noted that the opening of the Far Caves for access is a significant event for the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra because the complex of the Near and Far Caves constituted a unique sacred line known to everyone who came to Kyiv since the XIth century.

The Far Caves are the birthplace of monastic life in the Lavra because their original part, the so-called Varangian Caves, which were dug even before the arrival of the monks to this place became the place where the monks who became the founders of the Lavra found their first shelter.

It is worth noting that today in the Far Caves we can see the imperishable remains of 51 saints. In particular among them it is worth paying attention to Saint Theodore of Ostrog - one of the ancestors of the Ostroh princes.

The Far Caves, which are over a hundred years old, are one of the oldest shrines of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. Together with the Near Caves they form a unique system of man-made underground labyrinths in which the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery was born in the middle of the XIth century.

Initially the caves were a dwelling and a place of prayerful labor of the monks and later became an underground necropolis. The total length of the underground corridors is 293 meters.

Remind that Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Near Cave Tours resumption took place on 25.02.2026 and the access is actually opened for tourist groups.

The opening of the Far Caves is a step towards returning to Ukrainians one of the most important shrines of our history, culture and spirituality.

Welcome to visit Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Caves!

Organizers

Kyiv Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Orthodox Church of Ukraine
Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
Kyiv, Ukraine

Pavel Korsun
Tour Guide
Ukraine tours and Kyiv tours

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