Kiev's underground monastery

Friday 20 April

 I have had stomach cramps all night and have an iffy tummy.  I forgot to bring Immodium tablets with me.  I haven't started taking the Paraclens tablets yet (they are herbal tablets which my friend Anne recommended to me to prevent iffy tummies), but obviously the time has come to start taking them.  So I'm not on full form today, but we are looking forward to Galina, our guide of yesterday's tour, taking us on a private tour of the Kiev monastery of Lavra today,

After a leisurely breakfast ( I avoid spicy foods and salami) we meet Galina outside McDonalds.  We take the metro to the Lavra monastery.  The metro was built by the Ukrainian army deep underground; it doubles as bomb shelter.  In emergency, there are doors which will hermetically seal the shelter off.  Ventilation has been built into the system.

The escalators leading down to the Metro are extremely fast compared to those on the London underground, and they are the longest escalators in Europe.  They seem to go on forever. We take the tube and alight near the Lavra monastery.  This is supposed to be a two and a half hour tour.  (It lasts 5 and a half hours, and we don't even stop for coffee!)

We spend at least half an hour standing outside the metro station while Reg questions Galina on the timeline of Ukrainian history, as he is really interested in it.  Galina obviously loves being questioned, and is an expert on this subject, and doesn't seem at all concerned about all the extra time this is taking.  I stand listening to their discussion; it really is very interesting to hear how the Ukraine has battled for independence, and what the country has been through to get there.

On the way to the monastery, we learn that the founder of Moscow Yuri Dolgoruki , came from Kiev, and is buried underneath a nearby church.  However, the Russians want him to be buried in Moscow, so have negotiated for his body to be returned to them.  Russia and Ukraine have their differences:  Galina says the only way to deal with the Russians is to meet "force with force".   The Russians supply the Ukrainians with gas and oil, so could be said to have the Ukrainians "over a barrel" (excuse the pun).  On the other hand, the Russians' gas pipeline to Europe runs through the Ukraine - so the Ukrainians have a bargaining point here.

We go past the tomb of the unknown soldier, commemorating all those soldiers lost in World War 2, which for the Ukrainians was 1941 -1945.

There is another monument, to commemorate the fact that Stalin deliberately starved 10 million - yes, 10 million - Ukranians during 1921-1922 and 1932-1933.  Stalin wanted to get rid of the power held by individual farmers who farmed their own lands. (Galina tells us that Ukraine has the most fertile soil in Europe - it grows an enormous harvest of wheat, and is known as the "breadbasket of Europe"). So Stalin surrounded each village with troops, took all the food, and starved all the villagers to death.  He did this all over Ukraine, and he did it in winter, so that the people could not find any alternative food eg garden worms, grass. Shockingly, we learn that some people were driven by hunger to eat their own children.  Galina said, the persecution of 6 million Jews in the Holocaust was an evil thing - but so was Stalin's murder of these 10 million Ukranians.

We look inside all the beautiful golden-domed churches on the monastery site, including the Lavre Cathedral.  Galina tells us that the Cathedral was built by 12 Byzantian builders, who all independently were told in a dream by the Virgin Mary to leave their homeland and build this cathedral on the Lavre site. Pilgrims come from all over the world to this site, to pray, receive forgiveness for their sins, and be healed - Galina tells us that the Lavre monastery is for Orthodox Christians the equivalent of Lourdes in France. Whether or not one agrees with the Orthodox response to Christianity - lots of ritual and splendid icons, wall and ceiling paintings, gold and splendour - I don't think one can fail to be in awe of the architects, craftsmen and artists who designed the churches and cathedrals, and who adorned the magnificent church interiors with such breathtaking skill.  I paarticularly loved 2 wall paintings depicting when Jesus calmed the storm and when the Emmaus road travellers recognised Jesus as he broke bread at supper.


We are about 4 hours into the tour and I am  definitely flagging, and we haven't even been into the underground "cave monastery" yet.  I use the toilet (one of those stand-up "put-one-foot-either-side" types, and ask if we can sit down for 5 minutes.  We share the one bottle of water I brought with me.

We hold a candle each as we negotiate the labyrinth of tunnels in the underground monastery,  Galina is still explaining what everything is, and who the saints are whose bodies are encased in various alcoves amongst the tunnels.  The bodies(including those of the 12 Byzantian builders) apparently by "a miracle of God" have never decomposed, and have been in situ for hundreds of years.  The bodies in the glass protective cases are covered, apart from one or two hands showing.   The hands are black, and look dried up as if they were made of wood.

Galina is telling us the names of all the saints as we reach each body, but by this time I am absolutely exhausted and can't take any more information in.  I can't wait to get out!

We all catch the bus back to Independence Square, and walk with Galina as far as the end of our road, where we kiss, and I give her my email address, and we part company.  Galina's tour was absolutely excellent, but too long for the average tourist.  Reg says he was partly to blame for this, because of all his questions; I resolve to say nothing that could inflame the situation at this point as we are both very tired!  Besides, the history of the Ukraine is fascinating.

Reg and I walk ever so slowly back to our hostel.  I joke with Natasha the hostel receptionist, that, oh dear, I'm feeling my age and need to rest.

After a 2 hour sleep Reg and I are refreshed.  We find the perfect place for dinner, a bustling, pub-like bar/restaurant,  where a band in the cellar are playing live music, old stuff, including Eric Clapton, Roy Orbison and The Beatles .  My tummy is still unsettled so I have grilled salmon which is delicious,and Reg has Chicken Caesar salad and chips.  Afterwards Reg has apple pie (which looks similar to the delicious apple strudel-type cake that our Ukrainian friend Valentyna makes) and I have cheesecake.  Reg has tea and I have Americano.  The meal is expensive by Ukrainian standards, about £30 inclusive of a beer and orange juice. This is our last night though and during our 5 and a half hour tour we didn't have any lunch!!  Tomorrow we catch the 6.15 pm overnight train for Moscow.