Synaxis Synaxis of the Fathers of the Kiev Caves Resting in the Far Caves

The Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers resting in the Far (Theodosius's) Caves unites the memory of the ascetics whose holy relics rest in the second, later cave system of the Kiev Caves Lavra, named after Venerable Theodosius of the Caves (†1074) — who introduced the cenobitic rule modeled on the Studion Monastery and is venerated, alongside Venerable Anthony, as a co-founder of Russian monasticism.

The feast was composed by Archimandrite (later Metropolitan) Varlaam (Yasinsky) in the late 17th century and is kept on August 28/September 10 — this date, having become established earlier than that of the Near Caves, later served as the model for aligning both feasts in 1886.

About 45 to 53 individually venerated ascetics rest in the Far Caves, according to various counts (the exact number varies across different lists), along with about 30 myrrh-streaming heads. Among the most venerated: Venerable Theodosius of the Caves (founder), Venerable Hilarion the Schemamonk (†1066), Hierarch Amphilochius, Bishop of Vladimir-Volhynia (†1122), Venerable Longinus the Gatekeeper, Venerable Pancratius the Recluse, Venerable Benjamin (a former wealthy merchant), Venerable Moses the Wonderworker, and Venerable Sylvanus (not to be confused with Venerable Moses the Hungarian and Venerable Sylvester, who rest in the Near Caves). Notably, the membership of the Far Caves Synaxis extends into the modern era: also resting here are Hierarch Filaret (Amfiteatrov), Metropolitan of Kiev (†1857), and Hieromartyr Vladimir (Epiphany), Metropolitan of Kiev (†1918, the first of the hierarch-new martyrs of Russia).

NOTE: the original stub was an unprocessed image caption from pravicon.com for a fragment of the icon "All Saints Who Shone Forth in the Russian Land" by Nun Juliana (Sokolova) — it has been reworked into a coherent description; the previously empty feast-date fields have been filled in.