In 988, they decided to build an above-ground monastery. Over time, the caves were turned into an underground cemetery. The caves also contain a church where the names of the monastery's seven hygumens are carved.

The first above-ground monastery was wooden, so fires destroyed it several times. In 1054 Prince Yaroslav the Wise gave Vidubichi to his son, Prince Vsevolod, who decided to build a church of stone. The church was devoted to the Archangel Michael.

In the 12th century the Vidubitskiy Monastery became famous as a centre of chronicle writing. Between the late 17th and early 18th centuries, a number of wonderful buildings went up on the site.

St. Michael Church was finished in 1088 after 17 years of construction.

Originally, it was a six-column, cross-formed temple only 19 meters long by 13 meters wide. Its walls, arches and pillars were frescoed.

The frescoes were lost, however, when the cathedral's eastern wall was destroyed.

In the 17th century, glue paints were used on the wall of the southern vestibule to ensure the survival of some frescoes.

The walls of the cathedral still contain graffiti that was applied during the 11th and 12th centuries. There are people's names, initials, crosses of different kinds, depictions of people and depictions of mythical animals.

St. George Cathedral. Colonel Michael Miklashevsky put up the money to build the cathedral, which was completed in 1701.

The unknown architect made five towers the centrepiece of the building, which is located in the middle of the monastery.

The central dome is surrounded by four small domes with crosses. Paintings of tempera hang above the three temple entrances. "The Wonder of St. Michael" is above the western entrance, "The Annunciation" above the northern one, and "The Archangels Council" above the south one.

The cathedral's interior was painted in Baroque style. A special adornment of the temple is a five-tiered gilded icon of lime that Anna, the wife of hetman Daniel Apostol, presented to the monastery.

The Refectory. Colonel Miklashevsky put up the money for the Savoir Refectory at the same time he funded the church.

The colonel's taste in art affected the refectory's appearance. The plaster around cornices and friezes has been shaped to look like plants -- a decorative touch that conjures up peasants' huts. The exterior of the refectory is exactly as it was originally.

But the interior has been partially converted into a nice restaurant. You can try special "monastery cuisine" in there. By the way, the wine that the monks make is fantastic!

The Bell Tower. The tower was completed in 1733.

The building is square and has baroque floors. On the ground floor are steps leading to St. Daniel's Church.

Originally, bells were suspended from oak beams on the second floor. In 1778 the bells were removed because the building began sloping.

In 1833 the building's foundation was fixed and the architect Melenskiy built the third floor in classicist style.

A two-story annex was added to the side of the entrance in 1913.

The first floor contains a small shop where candles and other ritual accessories are sold. The second floor was equipped as a vestry and library.

Since the late 18th century, many famous cultural figures, scientists and military leaders have been buried in the monastery cemetery.

Besides the attractions of the monastery itself, another reason to visit is the nearby Central Botanical Garden of the Ukrainian Academy of Science. It has a superb collection of plants.