Kytaieve: A Walk Through Kyiv's Wild Valley

Kytaieve is one of the most beautiful places in Kyiv, a quiet and in places almost wild stretch of countryside within the city. Any Kyivan tired of the constant rush, bustle and worries can find solitude and rest here. It is a place for all seasons, perfect for walks in summer and winter alike.

The history of the area goes back to the 12th century, when a fortified town known as Peresichen is said to have stood here. The location was ideal for fending off enemy attacks: on the northwest side, ditches were dug and earthen ramparts raised, while on all other sides the fortress was surrounded by water. Sadly, the warriors of Batu Khan eventually overcame these defenses, and the fortress fell to the Horde. Only a small part of the once-mighty fortifications survives.

Kytaieve is also a deeply spiritual, one might even say sacred, place. In the 15th century monks of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra founded a cave monastery here, along with an above-ground hermitage (skete) of the Lavra. The hermitage was destroyed in the 1930s and revived in the 1990s.

In 1767 the famous Holy Trinity Church was completed at Kytaieve. It was designed by the renowned Ukrainian architect Stepan Kovnir. Unfortunately, the church also suffered under Bolshevik rule: in the same 1930s its bell tower was demolished. The bell tower was rebuilt in the 1990s, and church services resumed in 1991.

Kytaieve is home to many holy sites: relics of saints, burial places of monks, and miracle-working icons. There are also several churches here: the Holy Trinity Kytaiv Monastery, the Church of St. Seraphim of Sarov, the cave church of the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos, and the Church of the Holy Twelve Apostles.

So if you ever feel like visiting a place where you can feel calm and at ease, Kytaieve is just what you need. Nature, ponds and blissful silence — exactly the thing to recharge after a hard week!

Address: 15 Kytaivska Street, Kyiv.

Getting there: take a bus from Vydubychi metro station to the Prospekt Nauky stop.