Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve raises concern over Sviatohirsk shrines
Exhibition organizers stressed the need to document the impact of the war on Sviatohirsk in order to preserve Ukrainian identity.
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve has opened a photo exhibition titled “Heritage Is Not/Doomed to Destruction,” dedicated to the monuments and cultural heritage of Sviatohirsk. The exhibition brings together archival materials and contemporary photographic documentation of destruction and damage caused by the war.
As part of the cultural and artistic project “Sviatohirya: Through the Centuries and the Flames of War,” the municipal institution Administration of the State Historical and Architectural Reserve in Sviatohirsk presented materials illustrating the history, cultural significance, and current condition of the region’s monuments.
The exhibition opening was attended by Maksym Ostapenko, director general of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve; Viktor Voinalovych, first deputy head of DESS; OCU “Bishop” Rafail Makarovskyi; Oleksandr Shevchenko, deputy head of the Donetsk Regional Military Administration; and Ihor Saletskyi, director of the Sviatohirsk Reserve.
Speaking at the event, Oleksandr Shevchenko said the exhibition was not only about losses, but also about memory, responsibility, and the determination to preserve what forms part of Ukrainian history and identity. He noted the symbolic significance of holding the exhibition at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, since the cultural heritage of Ukraine’s different regions forms part of the country’s shared history.
Earlier, the UOJ reported on the international reaction to the killing at the Sviatohirsk Lavra, which representatives of the Ukrainian authorities ignored.
