The head of the OCU awarded the director of the "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra" Nature Reserve with an order

The head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), Epiphany Dumenko, met with Maksym Ostapenko, director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, during which he presented the official award—the Order of Archangel Michael, First Class. The award ceremony was held to mark the reserve director’s 55th birthday. This was reported by the OCU’s press service.

The meeting took place on August 5, 2026, at the residence of the head of the OCU on the grounds of the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery. In addition to the award ceremony, the parties discussed the further development of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and the creation of conditions for the “spiritual life” of the monastery. Particular attention was paid to educational initiatives aimed at informing the public about the state of preservation of Ukraine’s holy sites and cultural heritage.

Representatives of the OCU also took part in the official meeting: Makariy Papish, “guardian” of the Far Caves, and Evfimiy Fursenko, “dean” of the churches of the Upper Lavra. It is worth noting that this event took place against the backdrop of the recent distribution of positions among representatives of the OCU clergy at the Lavra.

As a reminder, we previously reported that approximately 140 monks and novices of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church continue to reside on the grounds of the Lower Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, despite the termination of the agreement with the monastery. This was reported by Maksym Ostapenko, head of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve, who noted that the issue of the monastic community’s continued presence must be resolved through the courts.