One of the most important Orthodox monastery complexes in the world that is under protection UNESCO-a, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, came under attack during the mass Russian attacks on Ukraine on the night between Sunday and Monday.
In the fire that broke out on the roof of the Cathedral of the Assumption, the main temple of the complex, a symbol of the spiritual and cultural history of Ukraine whose golden domes have been rising over the country's capital for centuries, about 800 square meters of the roof structure was damaged.
Assessments of other damages are ongoing.
The attack on the Lavra took place as part of one of the largest airstrikes since the beginning of the war. According to the Ukrainian Air Force, Russia launched 611 drones and 70 missiles during the night between Sunday and Monday.
What is damaged?
The fire engulfed the roof of the church, the most important building within the monastery complex. Firefighters managed to extinguish the fire during the morning, and the most valuable religious objects, relics and icons were previously evacuated from the temple.
According to the first estimates, the main walls and the iconostasis were not destroyed, but there are fears that the frescoes and other artistic elements suffered damage due to the smoke and water used to extinguish the fire.
Photo: AP Photo/Evgeniy MaloletkaThe roof burned down.
Russia rejects the accusations.
Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for International Affairs, Alexei Chepa, assessed that Volodymyr Zelensky is using the "fire" in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra to present Russia as a party that attacks historical and religious monuments.
Cepa, in a statement to the Russian media, said that the accusations against Moscow are primarily aimed at the Western public and that it is an attempt to create a political image that would increase the pressure on Russia.
The Russian Ministry of Defense previously announced that the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra complex was not hit by Russian weapons, but by a missile from the American anti-aircraft system "Patriot". In Moscow, they claim that one of the possible reasons for the failure of the system is that Western countries supplied Kyiv with ammunition that had expired.
Symbol of Ukrainian identity
The Kiev-Pechersk Lavra is not only a religious building. Founded in the 11th century, it is one of the most important spiritual centers of Eastern Christianity and has been a place of pilgrimage for Orthodox believers for centuries.
The complex includes churches, bell towers, monastery buildings and the famous caves where the saints' relics are buried. UNESCO describes it as a masterpiece of human creativity and one of the most important monuments of Ukrainian cultural heritage.
The Lavra has been on the World Heritage List since 1990, and since 2023 on the List of World Heritage in Danger due to the risks posed by the war to cultural monuments in Ukraine.
Photo: AP Photo/Evgeniy MaloletkaDamage assessments are underway.
Condemnations from Ukraine and the world
Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kiev and All Ukraine invited the faithful to "pray for the salvation of the holy place from destruction." The head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine assessed that it was "another Russian crime against humanity, history and Christianity".
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyi called the attack one of the most serious attacks on Christian culture since the beginning of the war.
UNESCO condemned the attack, stressing that "the damage to such institutions denies communities access to culture, education and common spaces that are crucial for recovery and social cohesion."
According to UNESCO data, since the beginning of the Russian invasion, hundreds of cultural sites throughout the country have been damaged, including museums, historical buildings, religious buildings and monuments.
The attack on the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra comes at a time when international organizations are warning that the war in Ukraine is taking on the dimension of systematic endangerment of cultural heritage.
According to the data presented by the Deputy Chief of Staff of the President of Ukraine Olena Kovalska, more than 338.000 civil infrastructure objects have been destroyed since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion in February 2022. Among the damaged or destroyed buildings are thousands of hospitals and educational institutions, almost 1.000 cultural buildings and hundreds of religious buildings.
Source: Reuters/CNN
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