Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Sviatohirsk Lavra
MONASTERY
(Svyatogorskaya Uspenskaya Lavra; admission 20uah 10am-5pm, after hours free, monastery's ex-
cursion bureau tours 10uah)
One of only three
lavra
(super monasteries) in Ukraine, Sviato-
hirsk monastery obtained this status in 2004. It is not nearly as ancient as Kyevo-Pecher-
ska Lavra (
Click here
)
founded in 1051 - monks moved in here in 1620, burrowing into
the chalk cliff, which they transformed into a five-storey dwelling, complete with several
chapels and monk cells. These
caves
now form the monastery's upper part. In the fol-
lowing years it grew to become a prominent religious centre, but in 1790 Catherine II de-
cided to close it, handing the surrounding lands to her lover Grygory Potemkin. The
monastery reopened in 1844 when its lower, riverside section was built. In 1920 the
Bolsheviks shot the monks and set up a hospital on the premises. But the clergy was back
in 1992, taking over the entire
lavra
by 2004. You can check out the riverside section of
the
lavra
on your own. Dress appropriately - no shorts or miniskirts are allowed. To visit
the caves in the upper part of the monastery, join a group of pilgrims organised by the
monastery's excursion bureau
(
9am-noon & 1-4pm)
, located at the far end of the
monastery's riverside section.
Artyom Monument
SCULPTURE
OFFLINE MAP
On top of a forested hill, the 27m monument of local Bolshevik leader Artyom was de-
signed in an unusual Cubist style by Ivan Kavaleridze, who created some of the worst
monuments in Kyiv. Fortunately, this early (1927) work is nothing to be ashamed of. As
dazzlingly white as the Sviatohirsk Lavra underneath, it looks like (and in many way is)
an idol of a rival religion, but together with the monastery they create a wonderfully
bizarre ensemble. The monument is a short hike or 30uah taxi ride from Sviatohirsk Lav-
ra.
Sleeping
Zeleny Gai
RESORT$
( 55 888, 55 844;
www.zeleniy-gay.dn.ua/
; vul 60 let Oktyabrya; s/d from 295uah; )
One of the better and friendlier Soviet
pansionaty
in the area. It's on the main road, about
700m from the bus station.
Roche Royal
HOTEL$$$
$$$
(
533 05, 050 701 7272;
www.rocheroyal.com.ua
; vul 60-letiya Oktyabrya 21; r from 1010uah;
)
Right by the bus station, Roche Royal sets new standards for Sviatohirsk's hospital-
