Young adult fantasy novel where young girl was priestess-in-training in a dark sacred cave

Question

Years ago in elementary school, I read a young adult's fantasy novel. The story was about a young girl training to be a sacred priestess of some kind with a monk (?) in a holy sacred caverns that had to be kept dark. She and the monk who I think was blind were the only ones allowed in. There were some books or relics in the caverns. She was either blindfolded or in complete darkness for some time. The main characters were the young woman and the (blind?) monk attending her.

I want to say the cave was part of a monastery or some religious building. Eventually, her training is interrupted, and they catch someone in the caves, or she is 'rescued' from the caves.

The majority of the first chapters of the book went into detail about her training, being in the dark in the caves, and the monk who followed her. She may or may not have been an orphan but the idea was a priestess of this sacred cave was trained from childhood to become 'the' priestess of it and keeper of the relics in it I suppose.

Answer 1

This sounds like The Tombs of Atuan, by Ursula LeGuin. Arha (originally named Tenar) is selected as high priestess of the dark powers of the Tombs. She is trained, mostly by other priestesses, but there are also monks, in the lore of the great underground labyrinth into which only she is allowed to go. Before the entrance to the labyrinth proper is a lesser maze where the other priestesses are allowed, but no light is permitted.

The first half of the book covers Arha's life and training around the Tombs. The second half deals with her relationship with Sparrowhawk, the titular Wizard of Earthsea. He has come for the treasure immured at the end of the labyrinth, in which Arha initially traps him. Eventually, he convinces her to change sides and aid him.