Cave Monastery, Ukranian history and life

Cathedral of the Assumption, Cave Monastery

The Cave Monastery was found in 1051 by Anthony about 3 km. outside Kiev. The original monastery was in a series of caves and later the buildings of the upper monastery were added beginning in the 12th century. Many come here on pilgrimage. The most imposing edifice is the Assumption of our Lady Cathedral. The original was blown up by the Nazis, so this is a reconstruction completed in 2000. Services were being held in the nearby Refectory Church (1895) where the monks prayed before their meals. The service is even stranger than a pre-Vatican II Catholic service. A lot of singing and chanting are done, while the Eucharist is conducted behind the iconstary. Most of the people both inside and outside the church seem to be in private prayer to various icons. They also write down the names of the living and dead who will be mentioned at the service. The caves themselves are used for services as well as a crypt burial space. 118 monks bodies underwent natural mummification and they are considered saints.

In the afternoon, our lecturer, Daniel, talked about Ukraine. All the Eastern Slav people were united as a country since the 7th century, called Kiev Rus. In 988, Vladimir the Great introduced Christianity to unite the country. In the 12th century, the mongols invaded all of Ukraine except the west. In the 15th century, the Poles conquered this western portion. They were defeated by the Cossacks in the 17th century. In 1654, the Cossacks signed a treat with the Russian Czar for protection against the Poles. This has resulted in western Ukraine being different than eastern and central Ukraine: Catholic vs. Orthodox, Ukrainian language vs. Russian, and a pro-European vs. pro-Russia orientation. In 1917, the Ukrainian people republic was proclaimed. In January, 1918 the western and central portions signed a unity treaty with the eastern portion. After 4 years of civil war, Ukraine became a republic in the USSR. In the late 20's, the Soviets started a de-nationalization campaign where they deported Ukrainians and imported other nationalities. In 1932-33, there was a manufactured famine, the crops were exported and over 10 million died. Stalin then proceeded to purge the intelligentsia in 1937-8 and over 2 million were killed or sent to Siberia. Today, 42% of the country is non-Ukrainian.

In 1991, Ukraine declared their independence. The political system seems to be stable with a 425 member Parliament, a president elected by the people (responsible for foreign affairs and with veto authority) and a judicial system. Daniel felt that the judicial system was confusing with multiple courts who can issue conflicting opinions.

What happened at the Orange Revolution? In 2004, four exit polls (other than the official one) predicted that the pro-European candidate had won, the opponent even conceded, then the official results were for the opponent. Over 10 million people protested wearing orange. The Supreme Court declared that a re-vote needed to occur, the protesters continued until the re- vote in 3 months. This was a historic change - the first protest against government, support for freedom of speech and the five TV stations actually stopped following the government line. An interesting fact, the next year the income tax paid by people doubled, people reported their previously hidden income. Ironically, the opposing candidate won at the next elections.

Independence Square, Kiev

The average salary here is about $300/mo. Four percent are considered rich, 12% middle class, and remaining near poverty level. Agriculture, natural gas, machinery and metallurgy are the primary industries. One of the problems is education, while 12 years of schooling is mandatory, there is a large gap between business needs and the university outputs, especially in science and business. Health care is free and quite good for most health problems. You call the hospital, describe your symptoms, and a doctor will make a house call. For serious surgery, there is a queue or you pay for a private hospital.

Overall, Daniel was hopeful for the future, "we have a lot of natural resources but industry must become more efficient. Most politicians are still former communists, but that will change with time. "