The OCU has expressed support for the creation of a National Pantheon on the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

An employee of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve and, concurrently, the deputy abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery of the OCU, Avraam Lotysh, has officially expressed his support for the government’s initiative to build a National Pantheon on the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, calling this decision a “landmark event” for Ukraine.

In an interview with TSNtelevision, Avraam Lotysh emphasized that the creation of the memorial complex will allow the international community to learn about the heroes who made a decisive contribution to ensuring the country’s independence and sovereignty. The OCU representative noted: “Our national heroes, whom the whole world should know about, will be buried here.”

During the interview, Lotysh also expressed special gratitude to President Volodymyr Zelenskyy for his political will in bringing this project to fruition. According to him, it is precisely thanks to the head of state that the initiative to create the pantheon, as well as the installation of a bust of Hetman Mazepa, have taken on such scale and special solemnity. At the same time, the construction project has sparked public debate: earlier, concerns were raised in political circles that building such a structure on the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra could disrupt the historical appearance of the Orthodox shrine.

As a reminder, former People’s Deputy Ihor Mosiychuk previously sharply criticized this project, stating that large-scale construction on the grounds of the shrine—which is protected by UNESCO—would lead to its destruction. The politician expressed concerns about the preservation of the Lavra’s unique caves and historical sites.