Antonian caves

The oldest shrine, the Anthony Caves, is located in Chernihiv, Ukraine. They are part of the Trinity-Ilyinsky Monastery on the Boldin Mountains and include the underground temples of St. Anthony, St. Theodosius of Totem and St. Nicholas-Svyatosha, chapels with relics and the cell of St. Anthony. The monastery and the first underground temple were founded by St. Anthony of Pechersk in 1069. The cave part of the monastery can be accessed through the Ilyinsk Church of the XII century.

The total length of the caves is more than 300 meters, the rooms are located in four tiers and are located above each other. The main shrines of the caves are the cells of St. Anthony, the tomb with the bones of monks killed in the XIII century by the Mongol Tatars, as well as the ancient cross that has been here since the foundation of the caves. Of interest is the Church of St. Theodosius of Totem, the largest underground church in Ukraine, whose height is 8.4 meters, which even allowed to arrange choirs in it. There is also an ancient underground church-bones - the burial place of deceased monks, abandoned in ancient times.

Since 1967, the Antoniev Caves have become part of the Chernihiv Architectural and Historical Reserve.