On the Feast of the Dormition, Epiphanius will lead a service at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in honor of the 975th anniversary of this Ukrainian shrine
On Saturday, August 15, the Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, Metropolitan Epiphanius, will preside over a festive liturgy at the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
The solemn service will also mark the 975th anniversary of the founding of the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
The joint prayer service will begin at 9:00 a.m.
The Kyiv Metropolis of the OCU has invited believers to join the service and celebrate this anniversary of the Ukrainian spiritual shrine together.
This was reported by the press service of the Kyiv Metropolis of the OCU.
On August 15, 2026, Christians of the Eastern tradition in Ukraine will celebrate the Dormition of the Most Holy Mother of God—one of the Twelve Great Feasts, that is, the most important feasts of the church year.
In 2026, the feast falls on a Saturday. The corresponding date is listed in the official calendar of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.
Meanwhile, after a three-year hiatus, the Far (Theodosius’) Caves have officially reopened at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve.
Currently, the underground complex is operating in test mode, and its first visitors will be believers and pilgrims.
As a reminder, on August 14, the Catholic Church commemorates St. Maximilian Maria Kolbe—a Polish Franciscan who died in the Nazi concentration camp at Auschwitz. The priest voluntarily agreed to die in place of another prisoner, a father. His act became one of the most famous examples of self-sacrifice and love for one’s neighbor in the 20th century.
