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'One of the holiest places' — Why Kyiv's ancient Pechersk monastery is so important for Ukraine
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'One of the holiest places' — Why Kyiv's ancient Pechersk monastery is so important for Ukraine

by Kate Tsurkan

The Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, one of Orthodox Christianity's oldest and most sacred monasteries, was among the targets in Russia's latest overnight attack on June 15. Images of the religious site in flames sparked outrage and horror throughout Ukraine and the world. "(T)he roof of one of the holiest places in the Christian world — the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra — is burning," Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, wrote on X o

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'One of the holiest places' — Why Kyiv's ancient Pechersk monastery is so important for Ukraine

The Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, one of Orthodox Christianity's oldest and most sacred monasteries, was among the targets in Russia's latest overnight attack on June 15. Images of the religious site in flames sparked outrage and horror throughout Ukraine and the world. "(T)he roof of one of the holiest places in the Christian world — the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra — is burning," Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, wrote on X o

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Our reporting on literature, films, art, and traditions from Ukraine and the latest news on culture in Eastern Europe.

Ukrainian culture
Ukrainian culture has survived centuries of Russian attempts to appropriate Ukrainian art, silence Ukrainian artists, and erase the Ukrainian language. Modern Ukrainian writers, filmmakers, and musicians — some of whom are serving on the front lines — continue to develop Ukrainian culture and fight for Ukraine’s future.

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