Lavra and Rodina Mat

Yesterday we toured the Caves Monastery (Kievo-Percherska Lavra) and the Museum of the Great Patriotic War (WWII to westerners). The museum was closed, and we chose not to tour the interior of the Caves, though the exterior has some amazing architecture.

This is a monument to the Holodomor, near the Lavra, which is a somewhat controversial subject, even within Ukraine. Several million people starved to death in 1932-33 in Ukraine. Some believe it was a deliberate plan on the part of Stalin's Soviet government, others that it was an unfortunate result of famines that swept Eastern Europe. The monument also shows other famines beside the one in 1932-33, but I believe the Holodomor refers specifically to that period.

One of the exterior buildings of the Lavra. A bit hard to see, but the golden symbols across the front were gorgeous.

The same building viewed from a separate courtyard. It's more... artistic, maybe:)

A view of Rodina Mat (Mother Ukraine), taken from the grounds of the Lavra. The monument towers over the Museum of the Great Patriotic War. I have a much closer shot later.

Another 'artistic' shot of the Lavra. I'm not sure how well I show it in these photos, but the Lavra is huge, several acres of beautiful architecture, many buildings, and caves running beneath it all, where monks still to this day reside.

'War and Peace'. I credit Ania with the inspiration, though she could not get a shot she liked. I, on the other hand, having no chance of being a great photographer, liked the concept. So I took this shot of the Rodina Mat juxtaposed with the buildings of the monastery.

A closer view of the Rodina Mat, as I said, towering above a very impressive (at least on the outside) memorial to the Great Patriotic War. This picture really does not do it justice. It's huge, and Ania told me when it is open, you can take a lift all the way to the top of the sword. Interesting anecdote, they had to reduce the height of the sword so that it was not as tall as the highest turret of the Lavra (no pic because it is currently under renovation).

A view of Mariinsky Palace through the trees of Mariinsky Park, a huge park effectively connecting the Lavra complex to the center of Kiev. Ania, though freezing (fortunately for me I rarely get cold), walked me through the park rather than take the nice warm Metro.