Coming up the snowy hill from the Park of Eternal Glory, it appears that most of the visitors to Pechersk Lavra enter by the main gate. I noted, however, that there was a small staircase leading over a snowy hill on the left, and decided to explore. This took me into the Monastery by the back way. The thought of sneaking up upon this great monastery--which is said to be the most sacred Orthodox site in all of eastern Europe--appealed to me greatly. I didn't want to see it by the guidebook, but let it unfold to me in its own way.
The first sight one has upon cresting the little deserted hill is the small and slightly dilapidated Church of the Transfiguration. This Church, not properly a part of the monastery and outside its walls, was once a local parish church for the local neighborhood. It has four golden domes over the main nave of the church, and a protruding bell tower. (At first I wondered if the domes symbolized Peter's statement in Luke 9 about building three tabernacles, but there are four domes instead of three). I like this church. It is small and somewhat unobtrusive. While it might be a centerpiece in another city, here, next to the monumental Dormition Cathedral and related buildings, the Transfiguration Church is considered by some as a mere footnote.
None of us should waste our lives worrying whether we happen to be a humble Transfiguration Church or the Soaring Cathedral in the Square. There is something appealing about standing on our own foundations, giving the service that we are able to give. The sun glints as beautifully off of the domes of the little Transfiguration Church as from the highest pinnacles of the Cathedral.
No comments:
Post a Comment