PREVIEW

A priest stays by the bells in the Great Lavra Bell Tower during a service in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, Kyiv, Ukraine, July 9, 2026. This year, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra marks 975 years since its foundation and commemorates Reverend Anthony of the Caves, the monk who established the monastic tradition in Kyivan Rus and co-founded the Lavra. The highlight of this year’s celebrations was the visit of an official delegation from the Monastery of Esphigmenou on Mount Athos. On the night of June 15, the altar and the roof of the Dormition Cathedral were struck by a Russian drone, starting a fire.