On October 11, the memory of the Reverend Fathers of Kyiv-Pechersk, who rested in peace in the Anthony (Nigh) Caves, is honored. There are many shrines on Ukrainian land, and one of the main ones is the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The exploits of the Reverend Pechersky Fathers made this place holy and world-famous. The relics of more than 120 saints are kept here – there is no such number of patrons in any Orthodox monastery in the world.

The nearby caves appeared in 1057, when Saint Varlaam became the first Kyiv-Pechersk hegumen. Saint Anthony, seeking solitude, moved to another hill and made an underground cell for himself. But the monks gathered near St. Anthony. This is how another complex of underground caves of the monastery – Blizhni or Antonievi – was formed.

Previously, the memory of these saints was commemorated after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross holiday, for the first time it happened in 1670. Later, in 1886, Metropolitan Platon moved the celebration to September 28 (October 11 according to the new style), a month after the commemoration of the saints of the Far Caves.