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Biography

Longinus the Gatekeeper of the Kiev Caves

Portrait of Longinus the Gatekeeper of the Kiev Caves

About Longinus the Gatekeeper of the Kiev Caves

Longinus served as gatekeeper at the monastery of the Kiev Caves. His short Orthodox notice remembers the way he carried out that ordinary responsibility: with prayer, diligence, and attention to the people who came through the monastery’s gates.

The received account credits him with discernment. It describes him as encouraging visitors who came with good intentions and urging others to repent. This is the spiritual portrait preserved by monastic tradition, rather than a detailed chronology of individual encounters. He was buried in the Far Caves. His October 16 commemoration is joined by the collective remembrance of the Far Caves saints on August 28. The consulted notice does not establish his birth or death year.

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