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Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Near Caves · Saints and Scripture

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  SPEAKER_00: Welcome to the Saints and Scripture Podcast.
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  SPEAKER_00: Today is Monday, September 28, 2026.
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  SPEAKER_00: Today we remember the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Kiev Near Caves.
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  SPEAKER_00: This is a special day set aside to honor the many monastic saints who lived in the caves of Saint Anthony near Kiev.
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  SPEAKER_00: The Synaxis is a general commemoration of these monastic fathers.
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  SPEAKER_00: It was originally celebrated on the first Saturday after the leave taking of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Cross, which is after september twenty first.
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  SPEAKER_00: But in eighteen eighty six the celebration was moved to september twenty eighth, to avoid overlapping with the Synaxis of the Saints of the Far Caves, which is on august twenty eighth.
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  SPEAKER_00: The near caves were damaged by an earthquake at one point, and during their restoration in sixteen seventy, the relics of many ancient ascetics were uncovered.
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  SPEAKER_00: A church was built in honor of the exaltation of the venerable cross over the caves, and later in seventeen sixty a stone church was constructed there.
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  SPEAKER_00: There are two canons dedicated to these monastic fathers.
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  SPEAKER_00: One was written by Hieromonk Melitius the Orphan, and the other by Saint Demetrius of Rostov.
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  SPEAKER_00: These canons are part of the services honoring the fathers of the Kiev Caves.
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  SPEAKER_00: The list of saints commemorated includes many monks, bishops, martyrs, and wonder workers.
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  SPEAKER_00: Some of the well-known names are Monk Anthony I Founder, Monk Abramius the Lover of Labor, Monk Olypius the Iconographer, Martyr Anastasius the Deacon, and Bishop Ephraim of Piraeus Laval.
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  SPEAKER_00: Others include Monk Nestor the Chronicler, Monk Nicholas Svayatosha, Prince of Chernigov, and Nun Juliana, Princess of Olshansk.
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  SPEAKER_00: There are also many others whose relics were found and venerated, such as Saint Ephraim the Priest and Saint Eustathius, who was a goldsmith before becoming a monk.
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  SPEAKER_00: In addition to those named, there are many more saints of the Kiev Nir Caves whose names are not known, but who are honored for their ascetic deeds.
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  SPEAKER_00: The service for this day includes a hymn that says, Who can praise your saints, O good one?
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  SPEAKER_00: I try to count their number, but they are multiplied more than the sands of the sea.
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  SPEAKER_00: O Master Christ, who have numbered the stars and named them all, grant their petitions for us.
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  SPEAKER_00: There is also a general commemoration of the monks of both the near and far caves on the second Sunday of Great Lent, when all the monastic fathers of the Kiev Caves are celebrated together.
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  SPEAKER_00: The synaxis of the venerable fathers of the Kiev near Caves reminds us of the many holy men and women who dedicated their lives to prayer, fasting, and service to God in this sacred place.
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  SPEAKER_00: Let us pray.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lord help us to follow the example of the holy fathers of the Kiev near Caves.
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  SPEAKER_00: May their prayers and lives inspire us to grow closer to you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Keep us faithful in our own journey of faith.
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  SPEAKER_00: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God.
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  SPEAKER_00: Amen.
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  SPEAKER_00: Lord help us to follow the example of the Holy Fathers of the Kiev near Caves.
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  SPEAKER_00: May their prayers and lives inspire us to grow closer to you.
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  SPEAKER_00: Keep us faithful in our own journey of faith.
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  SPEAKER_00: In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God.
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  SPEAKER_00: Amen.