Longinus of the Caves

Venerable Longinus (Loggin) of the Caves was gatekeeper of the Kyiv Caves Lavra, set to watch over the entrance gate. He is a saint of the Russian Church, honoured also by the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. His commemoration is on 16 October and on 28 August, in the Synaxis of the Venerable Fathers of the Far Caves.

Almost no information has been preserved about his life in the world. It is known only that he lived the ascetic life in the Caves monastery in Kyiv in the second half of the thirteenth century, where he fulfilled the office of gatekeeper and other obediences and was known for the humility and holiness of his life. Longinus's zeal and diligence were rewarded, and he was granted the gift of foresight: he helped people who came to the monastery with intentions pleasing to God, while others he rebuked sternly and strove to bring to repentance before God.

After his death Longinus was buried in the Far (Theodosius's) Caves of the Kyiv Caves Lavra. On the board in the cave an inscription has been preserved: fulfilling the monastic obedience in a holy and righteous way, he received from the all-⁠knowing God the gift of working miracles, so that he knew the hidden thoughts of those who entered the monastery and of those who left it.