The Lavra wants to remove Russian narratives during the cathedral's restoration
During the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, there are plans to remove elements associated with Russian narratives and the influence of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Specifically, this includes portraits of the Lavra’s former governor, Pavel, and other symbols that appeared during the shrine’s reconstruction in the early 2000s.
The restoration of the Assumption Cathedral at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra following the Russian attack could become not only a large-scale restoration project but also an opportunity to remove symbols and meanings associated with the influence of Russia and the Moscow Patriarchate. This was stated by Maksym Ostapenko, Director General of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, during a press conference in Kyiv.
According to him, during the upcoming work, there are plans to review decorative elements that were added to the cathedral during the restoration of the shrine after its destruction in the 20th century. “I hope that as part of the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral, all Russian narratives that were incorporated there during the rule of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) will be removed,” Ostapenko said.
He noted that this refers not only to portraits of the Lavra’s former abbot, Pavel (Pyotr Lebed), but also to other symbolic elements which, according to the head of the reserve, conveyed certain ideological messages. “Therefore, I hope that not only will there be no portraits of Pavlo, but also no other symbolic, semantic narratives that were intended, unfortunately, to brainwash Ukrainians,” he added.
Ostapenko also emphasized that during the restoration, they plan to restore the artistic choices and style that were part of the original restoration project for the shrine. According to him, this involves recreating the traditions of Ukrainian Baroque, which are an integral part of the Lavra’s historical and cultural heritage.
The cathedral was damaged during a Russian attack
On Sunday night, Kyiv suffered yet another massive attack from Russia. One of the sites damaged by the strike was the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. As a result of a Shahed drone strike, the Assumption Cathedral was damaged. The strike caused damage to both the exterior of the cathedral and its interior decoration.
Other historic structures within the complex were also damaged. In particular, parts of the Lavra’s fortifications and the Ivan Kushnyk Tower sustained damage. According to Maksym Ostapenko, the preliminary estimate of the damage exceeds 500 million hryvnias. “We understand that this is a massive undertaking. The restoration could take about two years,” he noted.
One of Ukraine’s Most Important Churches
The Assumption Cathedral is one of the most famous structures of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and one of the symbols of Ukrainian Orthodoxy. The original cathedral was built as far back as the 11th century. Over the centuries, it has been destroyed and rebuilt numerous times. In 1941, the cathedral was completely destroyed, and the restoration of the shrine was completed in independent Ukraine in the early 2000s.
Today, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and remains one of the country’s most important historical and spiritual landmarks. The reserve’s administrators hope that the upcoming restoration will not only repair the damage caused by the Russian attack but also restore the Assumption Cathedral to the features that best reflect Ukrainian historical tradition.
