Dionysius I was a 14th-century prelate who served as the Metropolitan of Kiev and all Rus' from 1384 to 1385. Born David in the Principality of Kiev around 1300, he began his religious life as a monk in the Kiev Caves Lavra. He later lived as a hermit near the Volga River before founding the Pechersky Monastery. After serving as the Bishop of Suzdal, he became a central figure in the ecclesiastical disputes regarding the leadership of the Russian Church during the late Middle Ages.