The Church-Tower of St. Onuphrius is the largest of the fortress towers of the Upper Territory of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and the monument is a valuable example of defensive architecture of the early XVIII century. It was built in 1701 at the expense of Hetman Ivan Mazepa, who himself lived in it for some time. The building has the shape of an isosceles cross, like most Ukrainian wooden churches. The approaches to the eastern part of the fortress walls were guarded from the Onufriyivska Tower, and in case of a siege, flanking fire could be fired from it. Services were held in the church itself to guard, pilgrims and defenders of the fortress during the siege. Since 1718, this church is no longer used for its original purpose, all subsequent years and centuries, the church-tower served exclusively for economic purposes. From the end of the 18th century until the 1920s, it was used to store stocks of salted and dried fish, cereals, legumes, dried fruits, oil and other foodstuffs. In 1986, a new restoration of the building was started in the forms of the beginning of the XVIII century, which is still unfinished.
Address: 9 Lavrska street.
