Pochaiv Lavra

Pochaiv stands on a hill above the Volhynian plain and is one of the largest monastic complexes in Ukraine, built up from the sixteenth century with a Baroque Dormition cathedral at its centre, raised in the 1770s by the Potocki family, and a Trinity cathedral of 1912 in the Russian revival manner. The monastery keeps a rock said to bear the imprint of the Virgin's foot, with a spring below it, and pilgrims come in very large numbers.

Background

The monastery sits on a hill 60 metres high within Pochaiv, with Kremenets 18 km to the northeast and Ternopil 70 km to the south. It is first recorded in 1527, though local tradition puts the founding three centuries earlier, by monks who came from Mount Athos or from the Kyiv Monastery of the Caves. The Russian Church granted it lavra status in 1833, and by the end of the 19th century pilgrims were arriving from the Balkans and all over the Russian empire. The Trinity Church went up in the early 20th century on the orders of archbishop Antonii Khrapovitskii, a contrast to the Baroque Dormition Cathedral. The monastery is linked with Saint Amphilochius of Pochayiv, canonized in 2002.

Source: Wikipedia, "Pochaiv Lavra"

What's there

• The Dormition cathedral - the 1770s Baroque church at the centre of the complex.
• The Trinity cathedral - a 1912 building in a deliberately archaic Russian style.
• The footprint rock - the relic and spring at the heart of the pilgrimage.
• The hilltop position - the gold domes visible far across the Volhynian plain.

When to go

April to October is the comfortable season. Major feast days bring enormous crowds. The complex opens early and closes in the evening.

Things to know

The dress code is strict and enforced: skirts and headscarves for women, no shorts, and wraps are not always available. Photography is restricted inside. On feast days the crowds are overwhelming.

Nearby

Kremenets is northeast, and Vyshnivets is southeast.

Key facts