Into the valley, into the chapel

The Assumption Monastery of the Caves is carved into a cliff. The date of it's foundation is disputed, although local monks assert that it originated as early as the 8th century but was abandoned when Byzantium lost its hold on the region. The current monastic establishment dates back to the 15th century. In 1921 the monastery was closed by the Soviet government. After the dissolution of the Soviet Union and Ukrainian independence the monastery was reopened to the public in 1993. The self-empowered garde of Kosaks protects the site with whips and sabre against wrong behaving people and the local Tatars, whom they consider as a threat. From the steps up into the entrance-hall-chapel, with a zoom recorder I catch the clouds of shouting swallows, monks and their herds of goats, sheep and cows in the valley, a huge modern drill carving deeper into the mountains on the other side and behind me tourists and helpers of the monastry pass. When i reach the chapel an old lady opens the gate to a grotte with a holy mary icon in silver, demanding to be kissed by believers.