Kiev, September 16, 2026
Photo: spzh.eu
For more than 1,000 days straight, believers of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have gathered outside the Kiev Caves Lavra to hold continuous prayer for peace and for the monastery’s survival.
Every day, Orthodox Christians come to stand watch at the walls of the Lavra, keeping up an unbroken prayer vigil to the Lord and the Mother of God for peace, justice, and the preservation of the holy Kiev inheritance of the Theotokos, reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists.
“We’re still here, still praying to the Lord for the Lavra, for peace, and for justice,” writes the Save the Lavra Telegram channel. “The prayerful defenders of the Lavra have been here for more than a thousand days now. Because the Mother of God needs to know we won’t abandon her holy Kiev inheritance.”
Whatever the weather or the circumstances, the Christian people have kept up their prayer service outside the ancient monastery.
The believers say their commitment comes from a deep spiritual need to protect the UOC’s holy site from desecration. They want to stop the mistreatment of the sacred place, prevent the monks from being driven out, and preserve the Lavra for future generations.
Their vigil comes as the state has been steadily pushing the Church out of the Lavra complex. The Kiev theological schools that once operated on the grounds have already been removed, most of the churches on the property have been seized from the UOC, and access to the Caves themselves, with the hundreds of relics of saints held within, has been cut off. The monks have managed so far to resist expulsion.
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