Nearer Caves

Lonely Planet review

The entrance to the Nearer Caves is inside the Church of the Raising of the Cross (1700). Before the stairs head downwards. There's a table selling candles to light your way through the dark passages. The use of cameras is forbidden in the caves.

Underground, the mummified monks' bodies, preserved in glass cases, are clothed and you only see the occasional protruding toe or finger. The coffins are arranged in niches in the tunnels, underground dining hall and three subterranean churches. Antoniy, the monastery's founder, and Nestor the Chronicler are just two of the 123 bodies down here.

Tourists are only allowed into the first section of the caves, as many areas are cordoned off for Orthodox pilgrims and clergy. Monks frequently guard the entrance to restricted tunnels and are expert at spotting foreigners and nonbelievers.

Visiting the caves when they're not crowded can be a very moving experience. However, their low, narrow passageways are not for the seriously claustrophobic. If you visit on a busy day it's total chaos down there. The monks' bodies are believed to have healing powers and pilgrims will bow to kiss the feet of one, before quickly diving to the other side of the tunnel to kiss the hand of another. Lost in religious ecstasy or sheer novelty, people wave their lit candles dangerously close to your back and face. Particularly if you're a woman wearing a flammable headscarf you will, frankly, feel more vulnerable than in the mosh pit of a punk rock concert. It's an experience you will never forget, but if you like to take things calmly, choose a weekday visit. Really.