Did you know that the Economic Department of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra followed the novelties in the market of industrial equipment in the early 20th century and tried to implement them in the Monastery?

In the autumn of 1906, the cellarer Hieromonk Severian emphasized that kneading dough with pitchforks in the Lavra’s Brethren bread cellar, which involved the work of 18 probationers, was extremely unprofitable and difficult. He offered to buy a mechanical kneading machine with a manual drive for the needs of the Monastery, install it in the basement of the Lavra’s bread cellar, and connect it to the steam engine of the Lavra’s Printing House, if necessary. Budget estimates dealt with the manufacture of mechanical dough mixers of different power capacities and the components of a mechanical steam bakery. They were provided to the Economic Department of the Monastery by Kyiv engineer-architect Kostiantyn Srokovsky and Moscow office of the “Werner & Pfleiderer” German company. It happened that same 1906 year. Quite probably, the equipment of the German company was chosen for the Monastery. The mechanical kneading machine, driven by the Dutch-made 10-horsepower “Brons Motor” engine and serviced by four workers was installed in the basement of the Brethren’s bread cellar in 1908.

Captions to the illustrations:

1. “Werner & Pfleiderer” kneading machine

2. The engine of the “Brons Motor” Dutch manufacturer