The veiled Lavra

Dumenko in front of the veiled icon of the Dormition Cathedral. Photo: OCU

Everyone remembers the photos from the Lavra’s Refectory Church, where huge screens displaying images of Zelensky were placed in front of the icons of the Venerable Fathers of the Caves.

On August 15, 2026, the authorities staged a lavish celebration of the monastery’s 975th anniversary. And history repeated itself. Only this time, instead of screens, the icons were covered with fabric bearing the anniversary numbers.

There is nothing surprising about the fact that this did not trouble Zelensky as he delivered a speech in what he called “a place of Ukraine’s spiritual strength.” What is sad is that OCU head Serhiy Dumenko showed no reaction either. Standing against the backdrop of a veiled icon of the Baptism of the Lord, he delivered an emotional speech claiming that, through the efforts of Zelensky and the OCU, the Lavra is “breaking free from the shackles of the Russian World and returning to its roots.”

We can all see what this “return to its roots” looks like: believers and monks driven out, the monastery turned into a venue for concerts, symposiums and festive events. Just like a hundred years ago.

That is why the covered icon has become a symbol of what is happening to Orthodoxy – both in the Lavra and across the country.

Faith in Ukraine has not disappeared. It has simply been hidden from view – veiled.

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