The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was founded in 1051, though the Primary Chronicle gives either 1051 or 1074. The monk Anthony, back from Mount Athos, settled in a cave on Berestov Mount and drew disciples. Prince Iziaslav I then ceded the whole mount to the monks. The complex is classified as Ukrainian Baroque, and its cave system, cut into loess, is among the largest of its kind.
The Great Lavra Belltower, 317 feet (96.5 m) tall, was built from 1731 to 1745 to a design by Johann Gottfried Schädel. The Dormition Cathedral, built in the 11th century, was blown up by Soviet forces on November 3, 1941. It was rebuilt in the 1990s and reopened on August 24, 2000.
UNESCO listed the site in 1990 and placed it on its endangered list in 2023. A Russian drone attack on June 14, 2026, damaged much of the cathedral's roof and set fires inside.
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