Epiphany Dumenko, head of the OCU, spoke in favor of establishing a National Pantheon of Heroes

Epiphany Dumenko, head of the OCU, announced an initiative to establish a National Pantheon of Heroes in Ukraine. In his view, such a step is necessary to restore historical memory and properly commemorate the names of outstanding statesmen and military figures.

According to “Interfax-Ukraine,” this statement was made on July 14, 2026, during a ceremony to “consecrate” a memorial to Hetman Ivan Mazepa on the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

In his speech, Epiphanius Dumenko emphasized the critical state of the historical heritage, noting that “there is practically not a single grave of our glorious ancestors.” The head of the OCU explained that the burial sites of many princes and hetmans have been lost or destroyed, and the remains of these figures themselves have been scattered across the globe.

He identified the search for and repatriation of the remains of historical figures as one of the state’s key tasks. In addition, it is proposed to turn the pantheon into a memorial to the modern defenders of Ukraine who gave their lives for the country’s territorial integrity.

As a reminder, we previously reported that an employee of the “Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” National Reserve and, concurrently, , the abbot of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery of the OCU, Avraam Lotysh, 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.