The Epiphany or Theophany Monastery (better known as ''Bratsky'', or ''Brotherhood Monastery'') is an Orthodox

monastery A monastery is a building or complex of buildings comprising the domestic quarters and workplaces of monastics, monks or nuns, whether living in communities or alone ( hermits). A monastery generally includes a place reserved for prayer whic ...

Podil Podil ( uk, Поділ) or the Lower cityIvankin, H., Vortman, D. Podil (ПОДІЛ)'. Encyclopedia of History of Ukraine. is a historic neighborhood in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. It is located on a floodplain terrace over the Dnieper betwe ...

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian invas ...

, in the vicinity of

Kontraktova Square Square of Contracts or Contract Square ( uk, Контрактова площа, translit.: ''Kontraktova ploshcha'') is a square in the historic Podil neighborhood of Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. The square is an important economic, cultural, ...

. Its history has been interwoven with that of Mohyla Academy which now occupies the remaining monastery buildings. The monastery is supposed to have been founded by

Patriarch Jeremias II of Constantinople Jeremias II Tranos (c. 1536 – 4 September 1595) was Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople three times between 1572 and 1595. Life Jeremias Tranos was born in Anchialos, from an influential Greek family. The exact date of birth is not kno ...

(†1595). Patriarch

Theophanes III Theophanes III of Jerusalem ( el, Θεοφάνης Γ΄ Ιεροσολύμων) was the Greek Orthodox Patriarch of Jerusalem from 1608 to 1644. The early life of Patriarch Theophanes is largely unknown. As the successor to Sophronius IV, Theopha ...

Jerusalem Jerusalem (; he, יְרוּשָׁלַיִם ; ar, القُدس ) (combining the Biblical and common usage Arabic names); grc, Ἱερουσαλήμ/Ἰεροσόλυμα, Hierousalḗm/Hierosóluma; hy, Երուսաղեմ, Erusałēm. i ...

had it reorganized as a local brotherhood school, hence the name.Overview
by

Sergei Bulgakov Sergei Nikolaevich Bulgakov (; russian: Серге́й Никола́евич Булга́ков; – 13 July 1944) was a Russian Orthodox theologian, priest, philosopher, and economist. Biography Early life: 1871–1898 Sergei Nikolaevich Bul ...

Its benefactors included Petro Sahaidachny (whose tomb was on the groundsOld Kyiv
),

Petro Mohyla Metropolitan Petru Movilă ( ro, Petru Movilă, uk, Петро Симеонович Могила, translit=Petro Symeonovych Mohyla, russian: Пётр Симеонович Могила, translit=Pëtr Simeonovich Mogila, pl, Piotr Mohyła; ...

(who raised its status to that of collegium), and

Ivan Mazepa Ivan Stepanovych Mazepa (also spelled Mazeppa; uk, Іван Степанович Мазепа, pl, Jan Mazepa Kołodyński; ) was a Ukrainian military, political, and civic leader who served as the Hetman of Zaporizhian Host in 1687–1708. ...

(who asked Osip Startsev to design the five-domed

katholikon A ''katholikon'' or catholicon ( gr, καθολικόν) or ''sobor'' ( Slavonic: съборъ) refers to one of three things in the Eastern Orthodox Church: * The cathedral of a diocese. * The major church building (temple) of a monastery corre ...

in a style known as Mazepa Baroque). Mazepa's church, belfry, and most other buildings of the monastery were demolished by the

Soviets Soviet people ( rus, сове́тский наро́д, r=sovyétsky naród), or citizens of the USSR ( rus, гра́ждане СССР, grázhdanye SSSR), was an umbrella demonym for the population of the Soviet Union. Nationality policy in th ...

in 1935. The remaining buildings have been either reduced to ruins or rebuilt with significant alterations (as was a

refectory A refectory (also frater, frater house, fratery) is a dining room, especially in monasteries, boarding schools and academic institutions. One of the places the term is most often used today is in graduate seminaries. The name derives from the La ...

church, dating from the 17th century).

References

Eastern Orthodox monasteries in Ukraine Buildings and structures in Kyiv Baroque architecture in Ukraine Religious buildings and structures completed in 1620 Demolished Christian monasteries in Ukraine Buildings and structures demolished in 1935 Ivan Mazepa 1620 establishments in the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth {{Ukraine-struct-stub