On December 7, 2021 in the city of Kiev, the mother of Russian cities, a new church was consecrated in the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, The church is dedicated to the Venerable Monk Agapite of Pechersk, who is considered the first doctor of Kievan Rus.

Not arbitrarily does the Orthodox Church pray for deliverance from deadly pandemics (epidemics) and fatal ulcers in each Divine Liturgy, calling on the holy healers, including the Venerable Agapite. Through his prayers the sick were healed.  He also gave them herbs to take that he cooked as food for himself and because of the herbs they began to call him doctor. He treated the brethren of the monastery, ordinary laymen and even Prince Vladimir Monomakh himself expecting nothing in return. The venerable one was an image of humility, of unshakable  faith, and he turned many to Christ. And now we, too, have the audacity to ask that through the prayers of the Venerable Agapite, “the Lord heal us in body and spirit and help us live our lives so that we will be the children of eternal salvation” (in the words of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphrius).

In the year 1910, the imperial family donated funds for the construction of the church and a hospital wing. After the revolution, the buildings were given to the city’s infectious diseases hospital, from which the monks of the Lavra inherited a terrible inheritance - horrifically dilapidated buildings. The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Kiev and All Ukraine, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry said “It would have been easier to build a new church, but we restored the old one,”. He led the consecration of the temple in honor of Agapite of Pechersk.

During the divine service, His Beatitude was joined by metropolitans and bishops, sons of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, bishops from different cities of Ukraine, as well as guests from Belarus and the United States, all met at the birthplace of yet another large holy temple.

“May the Lord, through the prayers of St. Agapite and under the protection of the Mother of God, grant us all health, and so that those hours of difficult times never return to our lives, because when faith is taken away from people, the only need for union with God, which makes the person a human, then it becomes very difficult and frightening, ”says Metropolitan Paul, наместник of the Lavra.

At the sermon, the Primate of the UOC (Ukrainian Orthodox Church) spoke about the life and martyrdom of the holy Great Martyr Catherine, whose memory we celebrated on the day of the consecration of the church. “In her youth, St. Catherine completed her beautiful, radiant path of earthly life. If we also live according to the sacred laws and commandments of God, then our earthly path will also be beautiful and our very lives will preach about God, and the Lord will fill us with His grace. Therefore, our life is measured not by years, but by the good deeds that we do. Then we will live with peace and joy, and after our repose we will be vouchsafed to an eternal blissful life in Heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord, to whom we send glory and worship forever and unto the ages of ages! 

During the service, the sacristan of the Lavra was elevated to the rank of archimandrite. Also, at the end of the celebration, the benefactors of the newly consecrated church were given awards and the children who sang at the service were presented with gifts.

Author: Galina Duzenko