Kiev Patriarchate destroys a monument of architecture in Lutsk

"All these works were commenced unofficially after almost the whole building of the monument had been transferred to the permanent use by the UOC-KP eparchy in 2014 by the order of the head of the State Administration," explains deputy of Lutsk City Council Pavel Danilchuk. "And, although it is a monument of national importance, no one knows what earthwork and repair work has been carried out here for more than a month."

Pavel Danilchuk posted on his Facebook page photos of the "repair" in the cells of the ancient monastery. The deputy assumes that the premises are being prepared for the rooms of the future hotel.

In the photographs, in addition to the evidence of illegal repair work, Pavel Danilchuk recorded miraculously preserved frescoes, ancient murals of the walls of the monastery. How much has already been destroyed or can be found is unknown. "Artifacts previously found during archaeological excavations in the castle of Lubart, from the room where they used to be preserved, also disappeared," says Danilchuk.

Construction waste is thrown into the street, on the bank of the nearby Styr River. All works are conducted without the control of representatives of the reserve or archaeologists.

Brigidok Monastery is the abode of the first female Catholic order in Lutsk, a monument of architecture of national importance. The monastery is located in the historical and cultural reserve "Old Lutsk". The building was formerly used as a prison (on June 23, 1941, NKVD soldiers shot prisoners held here). Later, a musical school was made in the monastery premises. Today, part of the construction was given by the authorities to the Castle Archangel Monastery of the UOC-KP.

Read also