The Saint Uspensky Cave Monastery, one of the spiritual centres of Orthodoxy, can be found right outside of Pskov in north-west Russia. The monastery is believed to have been founded in 1473, when the first church – built into the side of a hill - was consecrated. Since that day the monks at the monastery have not stopped their service to God. Nowadays it is the only monastery in Russia that throughout all of its history has never closed its doors and stopped working for one reason or another. The Uspensky Cave Monastery is home to the Assumption of the Virgin and Tenderness of the Mother of God icons. The monastery is known for the many miracles believed to have taken place there and is where the right hand of the Holy Martyr Tatiana and relics from other saints are kept. Every year on the 28th of August (the 15th according to the church calendar), Orthodox Christians all over the world celebrate the Assumption of the Virgin Mary. The holiday is one of the 12 most important that take place after Easter. For the Pskov Cave Monastery this celebration is particularly important – it is the day the monastery itself was founded. On the day of the celebration - when there is not enough room for all of the cathedral’s worshippers to fit inside - the church service is held outside, in front of the church. On this day the fortress walls surrounding the church serve instead as the walls of the cathedral and the sky above as its cupola.