Thursday 9th December 2021

Kiev- Gorodetsky House : Pechersk Lavra

Leaving the hotel in near freezing temperatures, we once again noticed the beautiful iced branches and shrubs.  Berries, leaves and blades of glass were encased in ice.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Just around the corner from the hotel, we came across a small wooden chapel similar in design to the ones we had seen in Lviv’s open air museum.

The chapel was built in just three days.  It is the ‘Memorial Site in Honour of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes’ who lost their lives in 2014.

 

The unarmed protestors were apparently killed by pro-government security officers as they campaigned for justice, freedom and democracy

The four of us stood in awe when we arrived at Gorodetsky House. The architect responsible for this eclectic mix of stone sculptured animals that peer at you from this grey façade had an interesting and incredible imagination. The array of sculptures includes elephants, deer, the heads of rhinoceros and wild cats.  A family of frogs are perched on the building’s roof.

 

 

 

 

 

Security officers with guns nodded us through the tall black metal gates so we could get a closer look at this intriguing building.

Currently, this is a government building, hence the high level of security.  (Of course, we had no idea that only a few weeks later, we would see this edifice on television as news of the invasion of Ukraine was transmitted around the world).

Office workers come and go as we stand and marvel at their place of work.  Apparently, the interior is equally interesting and is open to visitors on Saturdays. Unfortunately, we will not be here on Saturday.

 

 

 

 

 

The house is also known as the House with Chimaeras and Hordetsky House.  Its Polish architect, Wladyslaw Horodecki designed the house for his own personal use.

A carousel with scenes of the city stood unused within the gated area.  After stopping to take a final look at the spectacular Gorodetsky house we left the guarded area.

 

 

A few steps further, we came across the ‘Chocolate House’ which is, as the name suggests, painted the colour of chocolate.  Somehow the building didn’t look as interesting as we remembered it looking when we were doing our research.

It boasted a Moorish and Byzantine designed interior plus stunning stained glass windows.  But, unfortunately its doors were not open to the public that day.

The closed blinds and posters advertising some event or other didn’t help enhance its appearance.  Anne and I both agreed that we preferred the structure adjoining the ‘Chocolate House’.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Unfortunately, we took a wrong turn and walked a long way before realising our error and adjusting our route.

Eventually we arrived at the Pechersk Lavra which is also known as the Cave Monastery.  Pechersk translates as ‘of the cave’ and the word Lavra indicates a senior monastery.

 

 

 

 

 

This religious complex is home to around one hundred monks and we saw many of them wandering around the site. Some appeared to be in their early 20’s; others were of course much older and had long grey beards.

The monks wore different sized headdresses. One monk’s headwear was quite high and covered with flowing black material.  I assumed that the headwear indicated a higher station in the monk’s hierarchy.

Beneath the many buildings there is a labyrinth of caves where the monks previously worked and worshipped.  A tour of the caves is a popular choice of many, one of the sights below ground are the mummified bodies of the monks.

This however is not for me and I stayed above ground with Dave exploring the cathedral and other buildings while Pete and Anne explored the caves.

Wandering around, trying each door we found that many places were shops selling postcards and memorabilia of the site and various religious icons.

However, one door we opened rewarded us with a stunning green iconostasis.

Light flooded into the chapel, which was wonderful to see, as many of the religious buildings we have visited recently have been very dark, making it difficult to view the interior.

 

 

We were now back on the main road but knew that there were more places to see within the site. A couple of minutes walk brought us to a notice advertising tickets and giving us individual costs for the caves, churches, bell tower, museums etc.

The member of staff at the entrance we had taken earlier had waved us through.  Anne and Pete had paid a fee directly at the cave entrance. If we had found this other entrance first, Dave would have gone down into the caves as originally planned knowing that I had plenty to see and somewhere to sit to write my notes.

The Gate Church of the Trinity is above the Holy Gates which forms the main entrance to the Pechersk Lavra.

After purchasing our tickets from a shivering lady in a small kiosk we walked through the magnificent Holy Gates.  Impressive frescoes, painted in the early 20th century covered the walls leading up to the entrance.

The weather was freezing, and the ground was extremely icy and slippery. Low cloud and fog enveloped the domes of some of the churches.

It seemed like we had the place almost to ourselves, there were just one or two other folk there, probably due to the extreme weather.

The museum of Micro Miniatures Museum unfortunately was closed due to relocation and we joked about the length of time it would take to move such tiny artefacts. The museum boasts an array of unbelievable tiny items with incredible details, like for example, a bas relief portrait of a ballerina on a segment of a cherry stone.

In the Historical Treasure Museum, we saw a skeleton of a queen from the 4th century.  A gold headdress was atop of what remained of her skull. Gold rings, bracelets and other items of jewellery were embedded in the remains of her bones. A child’s skeleton also lay encased in glass; it too, had items of precious jewellery embedded in its remains.

The Dormition Cathedral is a beautiful building; we stood for a while until the fog lifted so we could view all its cupolas at once.

 

 

 

 

 

Entering the cathedral, we were amazed that there was only one small chapel open to the public; this was mostly full with a large group of shivering tourists.  So, after a quick glance we left.  Later in the day, we learnt from Anne and Pete that there was a door in the chapel that led to the main body of the church which was stunning. Obviously, we just hadn’t seen the door with all the people stood around. What a pity!

A couple of the churches and chapels were closed for restoration.

Following signs after leaving the Perschk Lavra, we set off to see the famous Statue of the Motherland. Well, we walked and walked and never found it.  At one point, workmen pointed across the road and upwards, indicating that due to the appalling weather it wasn’t visible. This is difficult to believe due to the fact the statue is an astonishing 102 metres high, the sword in its hand is 16 metres, but it’s true!

 

 

After another long walk we reached a metro station and returned to our hotel. It was just before 4pm and the beautiful Independence Monument was also, once again shrouded in fog.  This iconic statue reaches a height of 61 metres.

 

 

After packing our cases in preparation for our early start home in the morning, we met up with Anne and Pete in the bar for a pre dinner drink.  Then once again we braved the freezing weather and walked to a restaurant for dinner.

The time we have spent here in Ukraine has been fabulous and we have seen and visited some interesting and beautiful sights.

We find the current situation of the country and its citizens to be heartbreaking.

 

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