Kyiv - Kyivo Pechers'ka Lavra, Memorial to the famines and Museum of the Great Patriotic War

Orthodox Easter Monday saw us heading towards the Lavra, an massive monastic site on the top of a hill. On the way we came across these soldiers practising for Victory Day later in the week.

After that we discovered the National Museum to the Memorial in Commemoration of Famines Victims in Ukriane. There were three big famines in Ukraine, one each in the twenties, thirties and forties. Ukraine was the bread basket of the Soviet Union. Following poor harvests and unrealistic quotas set by the Soviet leadership led to millions starving. Stalin wanted to eliminate the Slavic people. Millions of people died, particularly during the famine of 1932-1933. It was known as Holodomors. 

The Candle of Memory Memoral with the museum underneath

Memorial inside the museum

An Angel of Sorrow, one of a pair

This sculpture is called 'Sad memory of childhood'

In her hands she is holding 5 ears of corn as a symbol 'Law of five ears'.

The Millstones of Destiny

It was an incredible place to go and so sad. As I said the Ukrainians were brutally treated.

At last we reached the Lavra. It is here that Christianity was brought from Byzantium by two monks St Antony and St Feodosiy who chose to live in one of the caves in the hillside. As time went by others joined them and the complex grew. After a time the caves were used as catacombes for burying the dead. Like Sergiev Passad north of Moscow it is a seminary for training priests for the Orthodox Church as well as being a monastic site. Though I believe its activities were restricted in the Soviet times it didn't actually close.

I can't find all the buildings on the Internet and I gave David his book back, but here are the pictures I took while we were there. We did go into one set of caves, but it was hot and claustaphobic in them and particularly busy as it was Easter Monday and a public holiday.

The Lavra from the park. As in St Petersburg where no building in the centre can be higher than the Hermitage, so no building in Kyiv can be taller than the Lavra bell tower.

Trinity Gateway

Wall painting

Bell tower

Dormiton Cathedral, rebuilt in 2005 after the original was destroyed in during WW2.

These wall pictures painted on leather and were on sale in the cafe. This is an Easter design.

The beginning of the Easter Monday procession of monks

Outside the cathedral doors

Across the site. It is a big place.

Saints Antony and Feodosiy founders of the site

View of the upper site from the bottom of the hill leading to the caves.

Down to the churches above the caves

Onion dome anyone - assume they are for graves.

 

From the Lavra site this amazing statue can be seen standing above the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. Lavra was very busy and steep so we took ourselves off to Victory Park.

As with the one in Moscow it is dedicated to the victory of the allies during the Second World War. At the centre was an amazing museum telling the story of the war from the Ukrainian point of view. The war for all the European countries was awful, and St Petersburg truely horrific, but Ukraine suffered more than most as the tide of war rolled over the countryside with many millions being killed. I forgot to buy an photography ticket so couldn't take any photos but it was very well done. Each room had clear explanation of the theme of the room and, where appropriate, particular things to look for such as a Florence Nightingale medal awarded by the Red Cross to a particularly brave nurse. It told the same story as the one in Moscow but from a very particular point of view.

Outside was is the statue of the woman who is made from titanium and stands 62m high and holds aloft a 12 ton sword.

These reliefs are in the tunnel which is just to the right in the first picture.

The Motherland statue close up

Underneath her is a room dedicated to the Defenders of the Motherland with all the names engraved on the walls. The one in Moscow was very dark as it was in the centre of the museum. This one was very light. 

It was an interesting day and such contrasts. All very informative and moving in their different ways.

One more post to go.

In Kyiv city

On our first full day we met my colleague David who is head of School 9. He is married to a lovely Ukrainian lady, Aliona. The night before they had attended the Easter vigil and were then entertaining later in the day so we didn't meet Aliona then. David met us by the Golden Gates, Zolti Vorota. This used to  be the main gate into the city when Kyiv was the capital of Kyvian Rus and had ramparts all around it. Now it stands in splendid isolation but is a popular landmark and museum.

The wooden structures show the shape of the rampart and have viewing platforms built into them. Above the gateway is the chapel. Yarouslavl the wise stands guard outside.

From the viewing platform we could see this building which we walked past each day.It seems a real mixed up muddle of styles.

David took us back to the park of the playground to this stone which is supposed to mark the beginning of the city.

As in any Orthodox city there are lots of churches but there are three famous ones plus the Lavra complex, more which later. St Sofia's Cathedral and St Michael's Cathedral face on another down a long poschad. St Sofia's is the original and oldest church in Kyiv, built in 1037. St Michaels' is a reconstruction as it was destroyed in the thirties as having 'no historical value' despite having been built in 1108.

St Michael's main dorr

The bell tower

The place to collect holy water

The priests conducting a service outside, blessing everyone's Easter produce

Waiting to have their Easter produce blessed



The Holodomor monument (more later)

Entrance to St Sofia's.

The third big church is St Andrey's which was designed by an Italian Bartolomeo Rastrelli and is very ornate. It is placed at the top of the steep street Andrew's Descent.

This was the one church I managed to photograph inside. As it was the week after Easter the sanctuary doors are open so everyone can see inside. Usually they are only open on Sunday and not everyone gets to see inside. As you can see it is very ornate inside.

Kyiv is built on three hills so there is a lot of going up and down. In the metro some stations are so deep that there is a stop half way up the escalators. They seem to be much deeper than the Moscow ones. A fernicualar railway runs from the river to the top of the hill. The train is nothing special but the stations are rather beautiful.

Standing at the lower station

Stained glass arches

View to the river

 

Stained glass window

David had to leave soon after this and we carried on walking. Above the river is a series of parks where we liked to sit and people watch over a cold drink - Kyiv got hotter and hotter while we were there.

This is the friendship arch. Sadly a lot of rock music was being played here and it was rather noisy.

These statues stand behind the arch. Ukraine likes it statues even more than Moscow does!!

We had our evening meal in a 'traditional' Ukrainian restaurant. They got in a muddle with the order and Peter got a very small meal, but the setting was unusual with everyone dressed in costume and musicians playing.