new ones fall off; In this case, it happens that on the side of the cliff one can see in the section the opening of a cave, the front part of which has fallen down along with the slope of the hill, while the continuation goes deeper into the mountain, representing a passage clearly outlined in the forest, usually covered up to 2'3 of its height with blackish earthy sediment. Some of the primitive caves in historical times received a new purpose, which obscured their original significance from the attention of researchers. In the 11th century, monks who devoted themselves to hermit life sought refuge in caves for desert living. In the chronicle legend about the founding of the Pechersk Monastery it is indicated that St. Anthony settled in a ready-made cave, into which the Berestovsky priest, later Metropolitan Hilarion, used to come to pray, who, according to legend, dug it; then this cave was expanded by the works of Anthony and his associates and turned into a whole cave monastery; Whether the monks of the 11th century used ancient, primitive caves, or, following their example, dug new ones, in any case, the religious significance of the caves became generally known and the origin of every newly opened cave was usually attributed to the time of desert dwelling. As a result of a preconceived opinion, researchers and describers of antiquity, having received information about each newly noticed cave, assumed that it pointed to a monastery that once existed in that place; sometimes they actually found in the chronicle or in archival documents traces of a monastery that existed approximately in a given area at a later time, sometimes the very existence of a cave gave rise to speculation about the existence of a monastery, the historical traces of which have not reached us. So the late M.A. Maksimovich, on the basis of a cave discovered near the village of Lesnikov, pointed out the existence of an ancient Gniletsky monastery in that place; in information reported in the Kyiv provinces. reports 1857 - 8 about the caves near the village. Pirogov, they are indicated as traces of ancient desert habitation; The town of Pokhilevicht suggests the remains of churches and monasteries in caves near Mezhyhirya, Svitka and Lesnikov, etc.
Without denying that many caves acquired religious significance in Christian times in Rus', that they were expanded by monks and turned into monastic cells, and even cave churches, I believe that the origin of cave structures dates back to another, much more
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more ancient era, and that initially they served as dwellings for the primitive inhabitants of the banks of the Dnipro in the Stone Age.
In a small space (about 100 versts) along the Dnipro, from Mezhygorye to the village of Monastyrka, I managed to inspect or collect information about 45 caves dug in the forest; of which only 7 ') can be attributed, with greater or lesser probability, to the number of caves that had a connection with desert habitation. Bot list of caves known to me:
1) At Mezhyhirya. 1
2) At the Kirillovsky Monastery in Kyiv there is a group of more than 20 caves.
3) In Kyiv at Askold’s grave 2). 1
4) „ „ in the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery... 2
5) " " in the grove near the military gymnasium.... 1
6) Near the Kitaevskaya desert.. 1
7) In the village. Pirogov and between Pirogov. and Kitaev. desert. 6
8) At the village Lesnikov. 1
9) At the village Markhlievki. 1
10) On the tract, called. "Viper Yar". 5
11) At the village Kovina on Chernechiy Khutor. 1
12) At the village Zlodievki. 1
13) At the village Pike fish. 1
14) At the village Monastery. 1
15) At the village Macedon. 1
16) At the village Skitka. 1
Thus, the largest group of caves known to me is located at the Kirillovsky Monastery. The hill on which the monastery is located is separated from another hill adjacent to it on the southern side by a deep branched ravine, on the slopes of which there are caves at different heights. Many of them have been cleared of sediment recently
About the Caves near Mezhyhirya, in the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, near the ss. Lesnikov, Kozina, Monastyrka and Skitka.
O The Ata Cave was discovered during the construction of the descent from Pechersk Mountain to the bridge in 1858. It was then examined by Yarof. N.D. Ivanishev, but before further work was carried out, it was filled up.