Catacombs and Guilded Domes

Dear Friends.

We are cooling our heels until the government offices open tomorrow (Monday). Lorelle decided to stay in our cozy apartment, so I went out to sight see on my own. Sveta, our facilitator, set up a tour to Pechersk Lavra, a vast complex (about 50 acres) of churches and tombs on the south side of Kiev that date to the 12th century. The translaters were twins from an English class at a local university who wanted to practice their English. They couldn't have been more pleasant. We were met by a guide at the site who was extremely knowledegable but had a machine gun delivery style that made it hard to ask questions. You can see a picture of the three of them above.

One of the churches was modeled after the Hagia Sofia in Istanbul (See to the left), not as large but more exquitely painted on the interior. Other buildings there dated to the 12th century and were in excellent condition. The catacombs were underground caves where recluse monks lived. Often when they died, they would be left in their cells (by request, not neglect). It was so dry and cool there that their bodies were naturally preserved. Because of this preservation, they were believed to be saintly, so the whole complex has become a nexus of sainthood and pilgrimage. The buildings have been destroyed by invaders and rebuilt several times so it is still a work in progress. Anyway, fascinating World Heritage site.

We finished the outing with a hot bowl of borsht in a little cafe overlooking the Dnipro River. We think of borsht as simply beet soup, but it had beef, onions, carrots and lots of other tasty stuff, really delicious. A fitting end to a lovely day.

Thanks for listening... David and Lorelle