A petition to demolish Archangel Michael monument published on KCC website
Archangel Michael on the Lyadsky Gate. Photo: news.church.ua
A petition has appeared on the website of the Kyiv City Council demanding the removal of the monument to Archangel Michael from Independence Square.
The author of the petition believes that the symbol given to us by Catherine II should be removed from the central square of the capital.
"It is necessary to remove the symbol given to us by Moscow's Catherine II in 1782. It is timely because now we are reclaiming our own, original symbols! Guided by the Law of Ukraine 'On Condemning and Prohibiting the Propaganda of Russian Imperial Politics in Ukraine and Decolonizing Toponymy' No. 3005-IX dated March 21, 2023, the symbol of Kyiv introduced by the Russian Empire must disappear from our central square!" explain the authors of the petition.
They propose to replace the monument to Archangel Michael with a statue of the Virgin Mary or Archangel Gabriel.
"The Virgin Mary has been the Intercessor of Ukraine for centuries. She was especially respected by the Cossacks, and most Ukrainian churches are dedicated to the Mother of God. It was Gabriel who brought the Good News and is a powerful protector of Ukraine. Today, we need symbols that are in line with our true Ukrainian history!" wrote the activists.
About a hundred signatures were collected within the first two days out of the necessary 6000.
Archangel Michael is the spiritual patron of the city and has been revered since the baptism of Rus. The first Metropolitan of Kyiv, Michael, blessed the construction of a monastery in honor of Archangel Michael to commemorate the victory over the devil. The grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, Sviatopolk, who bore the Orthodox name Michael, founded the Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral. The love of Kyivans for Archangel Michael has been preserved since princely times, and from the 16th century, this reverence was recorded in the coat of arms of Kyiv voivodeship. In 1995, after the collapse of the USSR, the coat of arms of Kyiv returned the Archangel Michael to its shield. The Archangel is a symbol of the spiritual victory of God over the devil, of Christianity over paganism, of light over darkness.
Earlier, the UOJ published reflections: "Donate for demolishing the church", or What awaits the demolishing nation.
Read also
In Podgorica, multi-thousand procession held on city's patron saint day
Thousands of believers walked in a procession through the capital of Montenegro, honoring the memory of Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Streaming.
Persecuted UOC parish in Zeleniv reads Great Canon
A Bukovynian Orthodox community, deprived of its church in 2024, conducts Great Lent services in an adapted facility.
Patriarch Bartholomew warns against unacceptable peace for Ukraine
The head of the Constantinople Church stated that to achieve peace in Ukraine, the leaders of nations must take the "narrow path of justice."
MinCulture opens Lavra's Near Caves only for groups and by reservation
The Ministry of Culture's statement says that "the opening of the Near Caves for believers is not only a long-awaited and outstanding event in church life but also a sign of the indestructibility of our faith".
Metropolitan Onuphry reads Great Canon at Intercession Convent of Kyiv
The Primate of the UOC led the Great Compline with the reading of the second part of the Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete at the capital's Intercesssion Convent.
OCU “hierarch” selling fake ID documents sent to pre-trial detention center
The Ivano-Frankivsk court has chosen a preventive measure for the OCU "bishop" suspected of issuing fictitious ordination certificates for the rank of deacon to evade mobilization.