The UOC commented on UNESCO's decision to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the creation of the reserve in the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has included the 100th anniversary of the establishment of the National Historical and Cultural Reserve «Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra» in the Calendar of Commemorative Dates for 2026-2027. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church noted that this date symbolizes the transformation of the monastery into a museum by the Soviet authorities and expressed concern about the current situation, which, in their opinion, threatens the spiritual life of the shrine.

on November 1, the Ukrainian Foreign Ministry announced the UNESCO decision, emphasizing that Lavra has a thousand-year history dating back to an 11th century cave monastery and is an important spiritual and cultural center. The reserve on its territory was created in 1926.

In turn, according to the Information and Education Department of the UOC, it was the monastic life that made Lavra the spiritual center of world Orthodoxy. The creation of the state reserve in 1926 is seen as an act of the Soviet policy of secularization, during which monasteries throughout the USSR were turned into museums. This model of state administration, according to the UOC, is still in place today.

The publication also notes that the existing administrative restrictions actually deprive the monks and believers of the UOC of the opportunity to fully pray in the ancient shrine. Thus, according to the Church, despite the international recognition of the historical significance of Lavra, its spiritual life and centuries-old monastic tradition are now under threat.

We shall remind you that the acting Director General of the National Reserve «Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra» Svetlana Kotlyarevska believes that in order to increase the number of visitors to Lavra it is necessary to develop the infrastructure of hospitality: to open coffee shops, souvenir shops, to ensure the sale of ice cream and even to create a special brand «Lavra coffee».