The OCU invited representatives from Mount Athos to the celebrations marking the 975th anniversary of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

The OCU announced that it will hold solemn events at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra to mark the significant date—the 975th anniversary of the monastery’s founding— as well as the day commemorating St. Anthony of the Caves. Representatives from one of the monasteries on Mount Athos will take part in the celebrations. This was reported by the OCU press service.

The festivities will begin on Thursday, July 9, at 5:00 p.m. The celebrations will culminate with divine services to be held on Friday, July 10, at 9:00 a.m. It is noteworthy that the celebrations will follow the traditions of Mount Athos, which “symbolizes the spiritual connection between the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and Mount Athos, established over nine centuries ago.”

The organizers also reported that during the celebrations, a delegation from the Esfigmen Monastery (Mount Athos), led by Hegumen Archimandrite Bartholomew, will visit. It is with this monastery that church tradition associates the ascetic journey of St. Anthony of the Caves before his return to Kyiv. The OCU emphasizes that the current monks of the Esfigmen Monastery are the direct custodians of the very same Athonite tradition that the Lavra’s founder brought to the hills of Kyiv.

As a reminder, we previously reported that an employee of the “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” National Reserve and, concurrently, the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monasteryof the OCU, Avraam Lotysh, officially expressed support for the government’s initiative to build a National Pantheon on the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, calling this decision a “landmark event” for Ukraine.