Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
Pechersk Lavra (Cave Monastery) is an Orthodox monastic complex in Kyiv. It was founded in 1051 as a cave monastery by monks from Mount Athos in Greece. In its early years, the monastery consisted of churches, chapels and cells built of wood, but as early as 1073, work began on the construction of a stone cathedral, the forerunner of the present Dormition Cathedral, which was completed in 1089. In the early modern period, the monastery became a centre of Orthodox pilgrimage for the entire Russian Empire. The 17th and 18th centuries were periods of great renewal for the monastery, which grew to its present size, including the most significant representations of Baroque and Rococo painting and architecture. In 1994, it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.