The Romanian Patriarchate expressed its deep concern and sadness regarding the attack that affected the Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, one of the most important centers of Orthodox spirituality and a monument inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The Pechersk Lavra was founded in the 11th century and comprises a complex network of surface and underground churches. The church is a major spiritual and cultural center for many Ukrainians and an important pilgrimage site. Over centuries, relics of saints have been buried in the caves, according to UNESCO.
“Any damage brought to a place of worship and to a monument of such religious, historical, and cultural value represents a loss for all of Christianity and for the universal heritage of humanity,” the press office of the Romanian Patriarchate transmitted on Monday, June 15, and cited by Agerpres.
“We pray to God for the cessation of violence, for the restoration of peace, for the protection of human lives, and for the preservation of the spiritual and cultural heritage caught in the path of armed conflicts,” the same source added.
At least nine people died on Sunday night, June 14, in Ukraine following a Russian attack that included 611 long-range strike UAVs and 70 missiles. Four people died in the capital, Kyiv, and five in the city of Kharkiv. Kyiv mayor Vitali Klitschko said that as a result of the attack, the roof of the Cathedral of the Dormition in the Pechersk Lavra complex, a UNESCO World Heritage site, caught fire.
An AFP photographer confirmed that the church façade was damaged, the roof partially destroyed, with more than ten fire trucks intervening at the scene.
Epiphanius of Kyiv, the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, confirmed the damages and spoke of “a crime against humanity, history, and Christianity.”
The Russian attack on Sunday also left about 140,000 households in the northern part of Kyiv without electricity. A fire also broke out in the building of the National Cultural, Art, and Museum Complex, covering an area of 1,000 square meters, according to Ukraine’s emergency services.
Moldovan president Maia Sandu condemned the attack on the Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv as well. “The murderous regime in the Kremlin has once again demonstrated that it has nothing sacred. Those who claim to be defenders of Christian values have bombed one of the most important symbols of Orthodoxy, included in the UNESCO World Heritage, the Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv,” she wrote on Facebook, condemning the attack.
A similar message came from French president Emmanuel Macron. “‘Nothing justifies’ an attack on a universal heritage site,” he said. “Just as with the war of aggression that Russia has been waging against Ukraine for more than four years, nothing justifies this attack against our universal heritage,” he added in the message posted on X.
For its part, Russia denied striking the Pechersk Lavra and claimed, instead, that a Patriot missile was the cause of the fire.
(Photo source: Viktoria Ivanets|Dreamstime.com)
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