The legend of the construction of the Assumption Cathedral is described in detail in the “Kiev-Pechersk Paterik.” “Four masters of the church, very rich people, came from Constantinople to the cave to Anthony and Theodosius, saying:“ Where do you want to build a church? “They answered them:” Where will the Lord call the place! “. They say: “When they prophesied their death, why, without setting a place, did they give us so much gold?”

Section 2 “The Word about the Arrival of the Masters of the Church from Constantinople to Anthony and Theodosius” describes how four Byzantine builders came to Saints Anthony and Theodosius and told an amazing story. Each of them, early in the morning at sunrise, when they slept in their homes, saw beautiful angels who said: “The Queen calls you to Vlacherna” (that is, to the Church of the Virgin Mary in Vlacherna in Constantinople). The builders “left, taking with them their friends and relatives, and they all came together, and all the words of the Virgin heard, and all were witnesses. Seeing the queen in the church, surrounded by many soldiers, they bowed to her. ” And she told them: “I want to build a church in Russia, in Kiev, and I order you to do it. Take the gold for three years, ”and said that the builders should come to Anthony and Theodosius of Pechersk. The Virgin Mary said: “Siy, Anthony, only having blessed, leaves this world forever, and Theodosius will go to the Lord for the second summer. You take as much gold as you need, and will honor you with what no one can give: I will give you something that the ear does not hear, and it does not come to a person’s heart. I will come and watch the church myself and want to live in it ”, gave the masters the power of martyrs – Artemy and Poliekta, Leonty, Akakia, Arefy, James and Fyodor, and said:“ Put this in the foundation. ” “And told us:” Go outside and look at the size of her. ” And they saw the church in the air. ” Before the eyes of the amazed masters, images of a church appeared in the air, so that they knew how to build it. “And when they returned, they bowed to her and asked,“ Oh, madam, and what name should the church give? “She replied that” I want to call in my name. ” She said: “The Mother of God will”

Greek masters and a local icon were received from the hands of the Virgin, she also told them by which to measure it, and they saw Anthony and Theodosius, and received gold from their hands for their work. The Greeks, however, solemnly stated that “they took the gold from not only your hands before many witnesses, but also brought you to the ship with them.” And you left your month for another month, getting ready to go. And today is the tenth day, as they left Constantinople. They asked the Queen about the size of the church, and she tells us: “For the measure, I put the belt of My Son, at his command.”

In order to determine a place for a new church, St. Anthony prayed for three nights. Once upon a time there was dew on all the earth, and on the site of the future church — dryly the other day, the whole earth was dry, and on the site of the future church — dew, on the third day, on the site, he prayed and blessed the place, and measured the width of a gold belt and length And, raising his hands to heaven, said Anthony loudly: “Listen to me, Lord, listen to me! To understand everything you want it! “And immediately the fire fell from heaven and burned all the trees and thorns, and, after drying the dew, made a clearing like a moat. Those who were with the saints fell like the dead. And from there, the beginning of that Divine Church.

The Mother of God Church was founded in 1073. Prince Svyatoslav himself, the son of Yaroslav the Wise, himself dug a ditch for foundations and provided generous donations to the new church, and 100 hryvnia of gold.

Many miracles accompanied the construction of the Theotokos Church, built using the golden belt of Simon. Ten years after the death of Saints Anthony and Theodosius, iconographers from Tsargrad came to the hegumen of the Pechersky Monastery of Nikon and told that Saints Anthony and Theodosius paid them gold and hired to paint the church. “They came from the same God-preserved city of Konstantinov to Hegumen Nikon  the scribes of icons, saying:” … we want to sue you: we were shown a small little church. And her paint a contract in front of many witnesses. And this church is too big. Here, take your gold, and we will return to Constantinople ”And the abbot said:“ What were those who hired you? ”The scribes described the look and the image, and the names were called Anthony and Theodosius! And the igumen says to them: “Oh, children! I cannot show them to you, because ten years ago they left the world, and, constantly praying for us, they constantly guard this church and protect their monastery and think of its inhabitants. ” And, upon this, the Greeks were terrified of the answer; brought many other merchants, Greeks and DAEC (Georgians), who traveled with them. And they said: “With them they pidryadzhalis, taking gold from those hands! And you do not want us to show them. When they have died, then show us the image of them, so that these may see, or they are. ” Then the hegumen brought out their icon before them. Seeing the Greeks and the Obie of their images and worshiped, saying that “truly! We believe that they are alive and after death, and they can help and save, and stand up for those who resort to them! ” And they donated to the monastery Musiy (smalt), which they brought for sale. She decorated the Holy Altar.

Seeing “this church is high”, the icon painters “angry that they were too big, wanted to return down to the mouth”, and then home, dissatisfied with their salaries, but “the same night there was a big storm on the river (on the Dnieper) … at Trepol, and the rook itself was going against the current, as if some force was drawing it. The following night, they again saw this church and the wonderful local icon, which told us: “People! Why are you in vain, and not obeying the will of my Son and Mine? When you do not listen to me, and if you want to run away, they will take all of you, and with Lodi, I will install in My church. And know that you will not leave there, but here, in my monastery, with a haircut, and end your life. And I will give you mercy at a future age for the sake of its founders Anthony and Theodosius! “… The next day I got up and wanted to flee down, and worked hard for rowing, and the rook went up against that … Obeying the will and power of God, surrendered to her, and soon under the monastery the rook itself accepted.”

Icon painters repented of their sins and remained in the Pechersky Monastery. “And later they ended their lives in monasticism in the Pechersk monastery and laid in their cave porch.”

As the Kiev Metropolitan Yevgeny Bolkhovitinov wrote in 1826, “After the foundation of the church in 1073, the construction of the cathedral began only in 1075 … In 1083, icon scribes came …; and at the same time Greek merchants brought mosaics to decorate the church … ”