Do you know how was the pilgrimage boom dealt with in its epicenter – in the Near Caves in the summer of the 1830s?

Six watchmen-novitiates were responsible for the pilgrims’ comfort. The Guardian of these Caves Agius the Elder stated their duties as follows: “the first watchman is a sexton of the liturgy; the second one walks incessantly behind crowds of worshipers; the third stands in the caves at the tomb of St. Mark and gives water; the fourth stands to the side inside the caves, noticing and catching the thieves who steal money from the relics; the fifth stands at the door to the Ponomarnia (Sexton office), receiving the candles, incense, olive from the pilgrims and removing the candle-ends from the set candles inside the church; the sixth stands inside the Cave in a cramped place, where candles are even more snuffed out by lots of people and guiding the passing crowd in the darkness”.

However, they couldn’t manage to control everything. After all, it was worth putting a seventh “good and quick” novitiate: “…at John the Long-suffering for putting on a cap to those who wish”.

Since there was always a lack of “good and quick”, there were still six guards in the Near Caves, and no one could protect the relics of John the Long-suffering from passionate pilgrimesses.

Captions to illustrations:

Illus. 1. “Entrance to the Caves of the Kyiv Lavra” from the periodical “Russian Pilgrim” 1888  (from the collection of the National Preserve “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra”, accession number  КПЛ-Н-1733)

Natalia Lytvyn