Russell Valentino
Slavic and East European Languages and Cultures, Indiana University
Find me where the gymnastics and volleyball teams compete and then look across the street to see a housing complex that’s connected by now-derelict tunnels.
The largest building in this cluster just celebrated its 100th year of hosting showy sports events, but if you look behind the spectacle, you’ll find a system of interlinking tunnels and caverns down below that are even more labyrinthine. Be careful! One wrong turn and you never know where you’ll end up….
The medieval parallel
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, or “Monastery of the Caves,” founded by the legendary monk Antony, is comprised of a number of structures (churches, bell towers) and a system of narrow underground caverns and passageways that pre-date their use as an Eastern Orthodox site of worship. They have been associated with old Slavic beliefs in the powers of the “moist Mother Earth.” The entire place is extremely bright and showy on the outside and rather claustrophobic on the underground inside.
Find someone near you who can help you learn more
- Take SLAV-U223: Introduction to Ukrainian Culture (fulfills Gen Ed 200-level requirement)
- Take SLAV-R223: Introduction to Russian Culture (fulfills Gen Ed 200-level requirement)
- Explore research and teaching on Eastern Europe and Ukraine through the Russian and Eastern European Institute: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCyzQS2u2OEfjneoGyZ40lnA
