All I can say about the Pochayiv Lavra is “wow.” It is totally indescribable. But I’ll try. Officially called the Holy Dormition Pochayiv Lavra, this is quite a grand place with quite a history as well.
You can see my pictures here: http://poland.leonkonieczny.com/Poland%202011/Pochayiv%20Lavra/index.html.
The term Lavra originally referred to a series of caves or dwelling of hermit monks, but now generally can be thought of as equivalent to “monastery.” The Pochayiv Lavra is just that, a series of churches, other buildings, and residence of monks. At various times in history it has been a monastery for the Eastern (Russian) Orthodox Church, the Greco-Catholic Church, and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The latter is it’s current affiliation.
It is a lavish place, quite stunning, at time bordering on opulent. It is also a very holy place as a number of miracles are said to have occurred there. On the day we were there, we were not allowed to go into one particular church there because there was an exorcism going on. We could hear the “demonic” screams coming from within, reminiscent of the movie The Exorcist.
There are beggars around, sometimes lay on hay beds. One such bed was empty and I took a picture of Wojtek on it.
There are strict rules there, required of visitors. Men must wear long pants. Women must wear long skirts (Alicja “rented” one for her visit). Women must have their heads covered. We stopped at their restaurant/gift shop and they would not even speak to Alicja because here head covering had slipped off.
It’s thus a place of contrasts. The gold-gilded domes on the churches and ornate works inside, contrasted to the beggars on the streets. The thought of what a monastery is, contrasted by long, orthodox-style bearded monks talking on their cell phones or sending text messages. But one thing is clear, it is a very beautiful place, set high on a hill overlooking the whole area. Indeed, earlier in the day when Wojtek and I were climbing the castle ruins at Kremenets, what we saw glowing in the distance was the Pochayiv Lavra. It is indeed spectacular.
If you want to learn more, take the link at the beginning of this post. It really is something to see and learn about!
