Vydubychi Monastery, Eastern Orthodox monastery in Pechersk district, Kyiv, Ukraine.
Vydubychi Monastery is an Orthodox monastic complex on a hillside above the Dnipro in Kyiv's Pechersk district. Its centrepiece is Saint George's Cathedral (1696–1701), crowned by a blue dome with gold stars, with a smaller green onion dome beside it. The refectory Church of the Transfiguration (1696–1701) and the 1727–1733 bell tower stand nearby, and the 11th-century Saint Michael's Church survives in its western part.
Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavych founded the monastery in 1070 along the Dnipro River as a religious center for his family and following generations. Most of the current buildings were rebuilt in Ukrainian Baroque style during the 17th and 18th centuries after earlier structures were damaged by natural events.
The name Vydubychi comes from the legend that, when Prince Vladimir had the idols of Perun thrown into the Dnipro, people shouted "Perune, vyduibai!" ("Perun, come up!") at the spot where the idols washed ashore. Another explanation points to a crossing where ferrymen used dugout boats called duby. The monastery is now a working monastery of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, with a pottery workshop, a vine-weaving workshop and a Sunday school.
The complex is reachable on foot from Vydubychi metro station, which also connects to regional train services and bus routes. Visitors should wear comfortable shoes, as the grounds sit on a sloping hillside and include different elevation levels.
Medieval support walls were built to protect the hillside structures from landslides and Dnipro floods that threatened the monastery multiple times. Some of these walls remain visible today and show the engineering skills of builders from that period.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 93,470 contributors worldwide.