The caves of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, excavated around 1,000 years ago by the first Christian ascetics in Rus’-Ukraine, have been one of the greatest Orthodox shrines of the Ukrainian people for centuries. It was in these very caves that one of the oldest monasteries – the Pechersk Monastery – was founded, from which it derived its name.

The Lavra caves are monuments of underground architecture, archaeology, history, and culture. Today, they represent a complex system of interconnected underground passages linking cave chambers. The Lavra caves are man-made, dug into the high Dnipro hills at depths ranging from 5 to 15 meters in a layer of weakly cemented kaolinite sandstone. There are two cave complexes – the Near and Far Caves, with a total length of over 800 meters. The names "Near" and "Far" were given based on their distance from the monastery's main church – the Dormition Cathedral. The caves are located on two adjacent hills, separated by a deep ravine, where the famous wells of St. Anthony and St. Theodosius are found.

The primary written sources on the history of the caves in the 11th-13th centuries were chronicles, particularly The Tale of Bygone Years by St. Nestor the Chronicler. This work recounts the arrival of Anthony from Lyubech to Kyiv. Having taken monastic vows at Esphigmenou Monastery on Mount Athos, he was sent as a missionary to the lands of Rus'.

St. Anthony chose not to settle in any of the Greek-founded monasteries in Kyiv, as they lacked strict monastic discipline. Eventually, he took up residence in a small cave of Hilarion.

Over time, individual ascetics began to join St. Anthony, each digging their own cave. When their number reached twelve, they dug a large cave, a church, and monastic cells. The small caves of the first monks were eventually connected, forming part of a larger cave complex. Around 1061, as the monastic community grew, the first abbot, St. Barlaam, and the brotherhood built a church above the caves in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God. This marked the foundation of the "old" above-ground Pechersk Monastery, which was located on the site of today’s Far Caves, also known as Theodosian Caves.

Soon after, St. Anthony, who preferred solitude, moved to another hill, dug a cave, and lived there until his death. During his lifetime, several disciples settled around him, forming another underground complex, later known as the Near or Anthony's Caves. According to legend, before his death, St. Anthony gathered the brotherhood, bid farewell, and retreated to his cell, after which the earth collapsed inside. Attempts to excavate his body were unsuccessful, as monks were blocked by fire and water. Thus, his holy relics remain untouched near the site where St. Anthony's church was originally dug.

By the mid-1070s, the center of the Pechersk Monastery shifted from the Far Caves to the site of today’s Upper Lavra, where in 1073, the Dormition Cathedral was laid. As the new monastery developed on the upper grounds, the caves gradually became a monastic cemetery.

The burial rite in the caves significantly differs from the standard Christian tradition and originates from the Studite Rule.

In 1240, Kyiv was captured by Batu Khan’s hordes. For a time, the caves served as a refuge for the monastery’s brethren. Additionally, monks and villagers killed by the Tatars were buried in the caves.

From the 12th century onward, first within the Kyiv lands and later throughout the Kyiv Metropolis, veneration of the Pechersk ascetics began.

Almost no historical documents about the caves from the late 13th to early 14th century have survived. For 150 years, the monastery was on the verge of complete decline. Only in the second half of the 14th century, under the Lithuanian princes governing Kyiv, did the Pechersk Monastery begin to revive. Thanks to the efforts of Prince Volodymyr Olgerdovych, not only was the monastery's prosperity restored, but also the veneration of Pechersk saints. During this period, the Paterikon of the Caves was rewritten and distributed, including in Muscovy, attracting pilgrims from all over Rus' to Kyiv.

The period from the early 16th century to 1638 provides little information about the Lavra caves. However, traveler accounts from that time have been preserved.

In the 17th century, with the revival and strengthening of the Orthodox Church in Ukraine, the official canonization of Pechersk saints was raised.

Starting in the 1640s and continuing through the 18th century, the monastery conducted constant reconstruction work on the caves.

Since the early years of the Kyiv-Pechersk Reserve (established in 1926), dedicated researchers have worked there. By that time, unique studies of the caves were already being conducted.

Scientific research in the Lavra caves was interrupted by World War II. During the Nazi occupation in 1942, monastic activity was restored in the lower part of the Kyiv-Pechersk Reserve. The caves remained open to worshippers, and underground churches hosted religious services. The monastery on the lower territory remained active until 1961. The war severely impacted the preservation of the underground structures, leaving both cave labyrinths in an emergency state. Due to restoration work and the risk of soil collapse, the caves were closed to visitors. Only in 1965 were the Near Caves reopened.

The first serious post-war studies of the cave monuments in the Far Caves took place in 1967-1968.

In 1980, a special resolution by the Presidium of the Supreme Council of Ukraine established an interdepartmental commission for comprehensive research on the caves and the identification of the relics of significant historical figures.

In 1985, work on plastic reconstruction began. The data obtained has great scientific, cultural, and historical significance.

In 1988, during the celebration of the 1,000th anniversary of the Christianization of Rus’-Ukraine, the lower part of the Lavra was transferred to the Orthodox Church. Today, the Near and Far Caves are part of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, an active men’s monastery. The underground labyrinths of the Lavra remain a place of pilgrimage. They also attract numerous tourists and guests of Kyiv, unlike any other ancient landmarks. Today, the Near and Far Caves are perceived both as sacred sites and as unique historical monuments.