Editor’s Note: I had the great honor to receive a private guided tour of the Monastery of the Holy Dormition of the Holy Theotokos, in Kyiv, Ukraine, this morning. My guide was the young monk, Deacon Nicodemus, who made himself available on the spot, to show me the holiest places in this 1000 year old, cloistered monastery dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary.

This monastery was founded by 3 Catholic Saints: St. Nicetas of Novgorod (Jan. 30), who after life here as a monk became Bishop of Novgorod and died in 1108 A. D., before the Church in Ukraine went into schism from Rome, and Saints Anthony (May 3rd) and Theodosius (May 7th), Monks who lived before that same schism began in the Ukraine.  The tombs commemorating these latter two are seen in the video, though St. Anthony’s mortal remains are lost to history.  St. Nicetas is buried in the Russian Orthodox Cathedral of St. Sophia at Novgorod.

My visit was on the day after the feast of St. Anthony and 3 days before the feast of St. Theodosius, though I did not know it at the time of my visit.