 The Near Caves were founded when in 1057, Saint Varlaam was appointed as the first hegumen ("abbot") of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra by Saint Anthony.Monk Anthony withdrew himself from the monastery and later settled on a new hill, where he dug out a new underground cell, now called the Near Caves.The Near Caves contain the underground Church of Saint Anthony, the Church of the Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple, and the Saint Varlaam Church.