Its mission is the preservation of the architectural complex of the oldest Orthodox monastery of Ukraine (first mentioned in 1051), its artistic and historical and cultural heritage. The Lavra architectural ensemble is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which occupies about 26 hectares, has long been conditionally divided into two parts, Upper and Lower. The Upper Lavra encompasses the most famous above-ground monuments: the Dormition Cathedral, the Trinity Gateway Church, Church of the Saviour at Berestove, the National Folk Decorative Art Museum, the Museum of Books and Printing of Ukraine, Museum of Theatre, Music and Cinema of Ukraine, and the Museum of Historical Treasures of Ukraine. In the territory of the Lower Lavra, there is an Orthodox Men’s Monastery.
In the hill below it lie the labyrinths of the Near and Far Caves, an extensive system of man-made underground corridors, in which there is an underground necropolis, a holy place for Orthodox Christians.