The Grounds of the upper Lavra

There is no question that the Monastery of those days, when the first brotherhood settled on its the 13-th century - by tatar-mongols, in the 15-th century - by the Crimea tatars. The period between the 17 and 18-th centuries is the most fruitful in construction and restoring. The best architext and craftsmen worked here. Of special interest are the brick walls (25 feet high and 10 feet wide) with the battlements grounds, was very different from the Monastery of today. The Lavra grew up with the city and changed its aspect more than once.

The first brick structures were built in the 1070-s. In the 12-th century the general architectural ensemble of the Monastery had been accomplished when its principal grounds were enclosed by a strong masonry wall almost 29-feet high and 7 feet wide. Time and again the Monastery was dewasted, these in on top. They were built in the early 18-th century when Peter the great included the Monastery into the South fortification system of Kiev. The Lavra was enclased by high earth ramparts, defensive mounds and ditches. Though the Monastery had lost its military importance by the end of the 19-th c. it is still walled by its massive ramparts.

The Holy Trinity Gate Church

We enter the Lavra by passing the West Way beneath of the Church of Holy Trinity. Only most distinguished and notable piligrims made their way through this gate. In 1904 the projections of the outer wall were decorated with the ecclesiastical painting by a famous Ucrainian artist Izhakewitch. On the left wall one can see those Saints buried in the Near-by cave and Antony, on the right wall - Theodosius and the Saints of the Far-off (distant) catacombs.

Holy trinity was a look-out post as well and it resembled the Annunciation Church of the 11-th century over the famous Golden Gate of Kiev. The Church was built at the expence of Yaroslav's grandson, Chernigov Prince Svyatoslav, in 1106-1108, who took a monastic yow and lived here as the door-keeper of this church under the name of Nicholas the Pious.

While the exterior stucco work with great richness of detail and the roof in an attractive baroque style of the 17-18-th centuries as well as the paintings of the early 20-th century on its East fasade (executed by srtist SoninO give the church its present aspect, the old original building of the 12-th century has remained almost unchangad ever since. Its main body was made of plinth.

The church itself is on the first floor. It's a three-naved structure with two transepts, its dome rests on 4 cruciform pillars. The church has hollow clay pitchers inserted in the vault above the Altar for acoustic effect.

The iconstand was executed in the 18-th century by the lical craftsmen, it is an extremely delicate gilt wood-carving of big trunks of lime-tree.

The iron floor was put in 1732.

The fires and devastations ruined the original fresco paintings and the church was decorated anew in 1732-1734. The subjects of the murals were of religious character, though the technique of execution was greatly influenced by realistic approach and had local Ucrainian colouring in representation of characters and landscape.

The painting in the Portal represents "The Procession of the Pious to the Paradise". Among those whom the Church gave the right to enter the Paradise one can see Tsar, Bishops, Martyrs and Holy Maidens. The Paradise is full of fantastic animals and unusual plants.

Above the doorway one can see the mural dedicated to the New Testament subject "Jesus Goes to the Temple" (some call this composition "The Cleansing of the Temple" or "The Expulsion of the Dealers of the Temple").

The Evangelic story tells about Jesus entering the Temple and finding there men selling cattle, sheep and pigeons and money-changers, Jesus is full of indignation and starts to drive them out of the Temple.

The mural to the right represents one of the Acts of Apostol "Philip Baptized an Ethiopian Official". The composition was aimed to declare the victory of Christianity over pagan beliefes. It's rather a secular narrative illustration than an iconographic painting. It tells of an Ethiopian official coming back home from Jerusalem and meeting Philip. The official invited Rhilip to join him in his carriage and the latter started to tell him about the scriptures and Jesus Christ. On reschong a place where there was some water the official asked Philip to baptize him and Philip did it.

No less interesting is the story of the Western Wall of the church. It depicts the first Eccumenical Council conveyed by Roman Emperor Constantine in 325 in the town of Nibeya. It was the time of the first dissenters and the aim of the Council was to show intolerance towards apostasy and to outlaw one of the most dangerous heretics Ariy, a priest of Alexandria, who denied the Divinity of Christ, criticized the wealth of the church. The Council outcast Ari, who was excommunicated and exiled, but his teaching was rather popular in Germany, for example.

The central figure of the composition is that of the Emperor Constantine, he is in a red mantle. High Clergy and Laity stand round the throne, demonstrating the union of the Church and State. To the right, in the below corner, is the figure of Bishop Nicholas, "The Miracle Worker", who gripped Ariy's ear and is going to smash him in the face by his right hand.

A row of high armchairs stands at the wall. They were used by those aged Clergy Elders who attended the services at the Church.