Concert held at seized Cherkasy cathedral

Concert in the seized Cherkasy cathedral. Photo: OCU cathedral's Facebook page

A Baroque music concert by the Noire ensemble was held at St. Michael’s Cathedral in Cherkasy, which was seized from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The musical event was held inside the cathedral, which OCU supporters and the authorities have designated a “garrison church.” An orchestra was set up in the middle of the cathedral, with seating arranged for the audience. The program included excerpts from works by Antonio Vivaldi and Johann Sebastian Bach, as well as compositions by Henry Purcell.

The organizers said that on the Feast of the Protection of the Mother of God, which the OCU celebrates on October 1, “this music especially prompted reflection on maternal love, suffering, and hope – feelings close to many Ukrainian families.” The OCU thanked the ensemble for choosing the cathedral as the concert venue, saying that such events are “another opportunity to spend time together, find time for reflection, and support one another.”

Before its seizure on October 17, 2024, St. Michael’s Cathedral was the principal cathedral of the UOC’s Cherkasy Eparchy. It houses the relics of the Venerable Martyr Macarius of Kaniv, who suffered for the Orthodox faith in the 17th century.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the Cherkasy prosecutor's office had demanded that city authorities transfer the cathedral into municipal ownership

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