Lavra reserve tells diplomats of monastery’s “deeply European roots”
Museum staff described the Lavra’s belonging to the Russian spiritual tradition as a “distortion of reality.”
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve organized an event for staff of embassies and international institutions in Kyiv. Organizers showed guests architectural monuments and the Near Caves while promoting the idea of the monastery’s “deeply European roots.”
During the visit, an air raid alert was announced in Kyiv, forcing the delegation to interrupt the tour and move to a shelter. Canada’s Deputy Ambassador Christiane Roy called the opportunity to see the holy site under the threat of war a “privilege” and noted the significance of the visit in the current context.
The reserve’s leadership claims such meetings help counter perceptions that the Lavra belongs to the Russian spiritual tradition – a view officials say does not correspond to historical data and amounts to a “distortion of reality.”
Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Ministry of Culture held a forum on identity in the Lavra’s Refectory Church.
