Dumenko presents awards to staff ahead of Soviet-era Reserve’s anniversary

Dumenko presented awards to the Reserve's employees at the Refectory Church of the Lavra. Photo: OCU

Dumenko presented awards to the Reserve's employees at the Refectory Church of the Lavra. Photo: OCU

The head of the OCU, Epifaniy Dumenko, presented awards to employees of the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra" and performed a "thanksgiving prayer service" at the Refectory Church on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the creation of the Soviet museum complex on the monastery's territory, reports the OCU press service.

On this topic Ostapenko: Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra would not exist without Soviet-era reserve
The reserve director spoke about the Soviet museum’s role in saving the monastery, while stressing the need to rethink its history.

According to Dumenko, at the height of the Bolshevik persecution of the Church, the Reserve played an important role in preserving the unique spiritual and cultural heritage of the Lavra, and the scholars and atheist workers of the museum in the 1920s–1930s "protected the spiritual and material treasures of the Lavra."

The head of the OCU then presented orders, medals, and certificates to representatives of the museum complex, headed by the director of the Reserve, Maksym Ostapenko.

Recall that the resolution of the VUTsIK (All-Ukrainian Central Executive Committee) of September 29, 1926, on transforming the Kyiv Caves Lavra into an "All-Ukrainian Museum Town" marked the beginning of the Soviet authorities' liquidation of monastic life. In 1930, the Soviet regime finally closed the monastery and evicted the brethren, after which the Caves monks were subjected to arrests, exile, and executions, and the monastery's valuables and church utensils were confiscated by state bodies.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that the UOC responded to the call to celebrate the anniversary of the museum in the Kyiv Caves Lavra.

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