126 



THE NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC MAGAZINE 



Photograph by Nevin O. Winter 



AN OLD WINDMILL OUT ON THE) STEPPE) : UKRAINE) 



The windmill is a landscape feature as characteristic of the Ukraine as of Holland; but 

 the mills of this region are not nearly so picturesque as those kept in perfect repair by the 

 thrifty Dutch. Many of the Ukrainian structures seem ready to fall to pieces, and they are 

 seldom painted. Their mission is to grind the grain in a country which is so flat that there 

 is no such thing as water-power. 



entered through a holy gate. Each monk 

 has his own apartment, with a little gar- 

 den attached. Several hundred monks 

 live in the monastery and a number of 

 lay brethren are also allowed to dwell 

 there. 



In the principal church is preserved a 

 miracle - working icon, known as the 

 Death of Our Lady. It was brought 



from Constantinople and has received no 

 fewer than a hundred thousand kisses a 

 year. It is painted on cypress wood, now 

 black with age. Every line of the picture 

 is marked by precious stones and each 

 head has a halo of brilliants, while an 

 enormous diamond glitters above the 

 head of Christ. 



The wealth of the Lavra at Kiev is 



