The catacombs of the Ostroh Academy, shrouded in legends, are also part of the NaUOA museum complex. These premises were in an abandoned state. During the operation of the monastery, the cellars under the church had a cult purpose. They were used for the burial of honoured persons – founders and patrons, members of their families. Tiny rooms in the undergrounds – crypts – were specially built for burials. During the existence of the monastery, 19 people were buried here,: they were mostly representatives of the Volyn Catholic nobility. Among the famous ones were Jan Samuel Lubkivsky and his family, as well as the Yelo-Malynsky family, the monastery`s founders.
After the monastery`s closure in 1832, soldiers of the tsarist army destroyed the burials. Then the catacombs were not used for more than 160 years. In Soviet times premises were used as a landfill.
The undergrounds have been put in an order in the time of the revived academy. The first students, under the guidance of Ostroh archaeologists, cleared all the basements. In the process of research and clearing, they found the bones of people previously buried here. Now the undergrounds look like in Capuchin times, the human bones found during the excavation are reburied in four side crypts.
The catacombs of the Capuchin monastery is a unique and mysterious place. Those who visited them said that they do not feel fear or discomfort, but an atmosphere of tranquility and energy. Indeed, place, where sincere prayer has been heard for a long time, have a special aura. Not surprisingly, the undergrounds of the Ostroh Academy got their legends. One of them, compiled by university students, says that a successful session is guaranteed if you spend one night in the dungeons. Some believes that the wishes made in the crypts come true.
Now visiting the undergrounds is possible only during excursions.
