Russian attack against Kyiv’s holiest monastery shows Kremlin’s desire to wipe out Ukraine heritage, says theologian
by https://euobserver.com/author/anastasiia-furman/ · EUobserverFire at the main cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra during the night. Russia attacked it with a Geran-2 drone, the Russian version of the Iranian Shahed drone. Source: State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
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By Anastasiia Furman,
Prague
,
“After the start of the full-scale invasion, the question of who would control the Lavra arose immediately,” candidate of theological sciences of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and analyst at the Institute for European Security Studies Lubomyr Slonets said in an interview. He explained why today’s Russian attack on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra had a symbolic dimension.
A lavra is the highest status an Orthodox (or Greek Catholic) monastery can obtain. There are only twelve in the world, with the oldest being the Great Lavra of Saint Sabbas in Palestine from the fifth century.
Others include the Great Lavra on Mount Athos in Greece or the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Russia.
Ukraine is exceptional in this respect, because there are as many as four lavras on its territory – alongside the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv there is the Pochaiv Lavra in the west, the Sviatohirsk Lavra in the Donbas, and the only Greek Catholic lavra, the Univ Lavra near Lviv.
In the interview you will also learn:
- what the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra means for Ukrainians,
- why the Russians attacked it,
- what the difference is between the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Could you explain to readers what the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra means for Ukrainian history and culture?
The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Saint Sophia Cathedral and Saint Michael’s Monastery in Kyiv essentially represent the beginning of Ukrainian culture. These are among the oldest buildings, which at the time played one of the most important roles – as administrative as well as religious centres – in the history of Ukraine and, more generally, in the formation of Ukrainian identity.
And what is its significance today?
The same. The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is a symbol of the baptism of Rus (in the year 988, editor’s note), just like Saint Sophia Cathedral.
When we recall the materials on the start of the occupation of Crimea (2014), it began with Russian Patriarch Kirill visiting Crimea and bringing there the relics of saints. At the same time, Girkin (former commander of pro-Russian nationalists from the eastern Ukrainian Donbas, editor’s note) and other Russian agents were part of his delegation.
In the countries of the former Soviet Union, the Church did not play only a religious role. It was an important driving force behind the existence of statehood, and statehood was an important driving force behind the existence of the Church.
Even today, the struggle over the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is one of the pillars on which the revival of Ukrainian identity rests. After the start of the full-scale invasion, the question immediately arose: who would control the Lavra, who would have influence there, who would be the metropolitan – a Ukrainian or a Russian? To Europeans, it may seem like an ordinary church, but from Ukraine’s point of view it has always been a very important element.
What have the Russians caused by attacking the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra? What could be the cultural heritage consequences?
Enormous. It is one of the oldest churches.
Metropolitan Filaret had his seat precisely in the Lavra (after the collapse of the Soviet Union, Filaret headed the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and later sought its independence from Moscow, editor’s note). He convened the first synod of the 1990s there. It was in the Lavra that voting took place on autocephaly and the independence of the Church.
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Fire at the main cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra during the night. Russia attacked it with a Geran-2 drone, the Russian version of the Iranian Shahed drone. Source: State Emergency Service of Ukraine.
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Author Bio
Anastasiia Furman is a reporter for Deník N based in Prague. She covers developments in the European Union, its member states, and EU enlargement. She also writes about the United States and the Western Balkans — a region that has captivated her, likely once and for all. She studied law in Kyiv, Ukraine, and journalism and international relations in Brno, Czech republic.
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