MinCulture sets up commission to inspect holy relics in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

Holy relics of the Venerable Kyiv Pechersk Saints. Photo: citykiev

On March 5, 2025, the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine established a commission to inspect the incorrupt relics of the Venerable Saints of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in the Far and Near Caves of the monastery. According to a decree published on the ministry's website, information about the work and results of the inspection will be classified.

According to Order No. 214 of March 5, the Ministry of Culture instructed the commission to carry out an inspection by May 30 to verify "the presence of the relics of saints in the tombs of the Near and Far Caves of the National Reserve 'Kyiv Pechersk Lavra'" and to determine their historical and scientific value.

The document states that if the commission discovers "items falling under the definition of cultural property within the Law of Ukraine 'On the Export, Import, and Return of Cultural Property,' a corresponding list must be compiled and attached to the official report.

The Ministry of Culture has designated all information related to the commission’s work as 'restricted-access information.'

Volodymyr Shornikov, Director of the Department for the Protection and Preservation of Cultural Heritage, has been appointed head of the commission. The commission will be directly supervised by the Minister of Culture, Mykola Tochytskyi.

Previously, the UOJ reported that the Pochaiv Lavra condemned the planned inventory of the relics of the Venerable Saints of Pochaiv, calling it "vandalism and sacrilege."

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