“Center of political thought”: Officials share vision for Lavra in 2051

Officials at an event marking the Lavra’s 975th anniversary. Photo: Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Preserve Facebook page

Ukrainian state officials presented their vision of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra’s future by the time of its millennium in 2051. To mark the monastery’s 975th anniversary, the National Preserve produced a video in which government representatives shared their hopes for the Lavra’s development over the next 25 years.

Head of the Presidential Office Kyrylo Budanov focused on historical continuity between generations. “Connection, continuity, the history of generations – this is the same thing that existed a thousand years ago. Today we can feel it, touch all of this,” he said. Budanov also stressed the need for restoration work at the monastery: “The Lavra should be... put in order, everything that has been in decline for many, many years should be restored.” He did not specify what had caused the Lavra’s decline.

Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha called the monastery a thousand-year-old center of spirituality, history, culture, writing, traditions, and state-building. “I would very much like to see the Lavra in the fullness of its strength, its spiritual strength, as it should be and as it was for centuries, so that this mission – the mission of its spirituality – continues,” the foreign minister said.

Youth and Sports Minister Andrii Bidnyi described the monastery as an important diplomatic site. “The Lavra is a place of strength. It is a thousand-year-old center for the development of Ukrainian culture, art, diplomacy, science, and political thought. That is why every Kyiv resident and every Ukrainian feels their roots here,” the minister said, adding that he would like to see it “full of happy, smiling people.”

OCU head Epifaniy Dumenko also spoke among the state agents, saying that by the millennium he hoped to see the Lavra renewed, “completely free from the interference of the Russian World,” and filled with prayer for an independent Ukraine.

Deputy Economy Minister Tetiana Berezhna congratulated the Lavra on its 975th anniversary, saying the date confirms the monastery’s status as a center of Ukrainian state, spiritual, and educational life. “I hope and believe that in 25 years, on its millennium, the Lavra will attract many Ukrainians, as well as pilgrims and tourists from across the civilized world,” she concluded.

Earlier, the UOJ reported how much Switzerland and UNESCO had allocated for the restoration of the Lavra.

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