Head of the reserve notes that Lower Lavra is in permanent use by UOC

The Acting Director General of the “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” Reserve Oleksandr Rudnyk noted that in 2013 the Lower Lavra was handed over to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church for permanent use, reports Glavcom.ua on 5 January 2023.

"The facilities on the territory of the Lower Lavra were transferred to the use of the UOC in perpetuity by a government resolution of 2013," Oleksandr Rudnyk stressed.

According to him, the Church uses this territory and buildings as intended, pays for utilities and other services, and takes care of the territory, i.e. maintains the buildings and territory at its own expense, while the reserve only monitors the condition of monuments.

The Acting General Director reminded that there are 140 monuments on the territory of the reserve, of which 44 are of national importance and 96 of local, and a significant part of them is located in the Lower Lavra territory. These include the Near and Far Caves complexes, including the Varangian Caves, which extend beyond the walls of the Lavra.

As reported, the director of the reserve said about the commission to inspect the temples of the Upper Lavra.