An exhibition of church items seized from the Lavra during the Soviet era opens in London
The sacred objects taken from the monks of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra by the Bolsheviks are today controlled by Ukrainian authorities and Western collectors.
On September 14, 2026, an exhibition of liturgical objects from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, stolen from the monastery by the Bolsheviks, opened at the Victoria and Albert Museum in London. The majority of them are today controlled by the Ukrainian state. This was reported by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.
The exhibition features two pairs of silver-gilt Royal Doors, an icon, an altar Gospel in a silver cover, a diskos, and a gilded chalice depicting the Crucifixion. These items were created by Kyiv master goldsmiths and were kept for decades in the collections of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve after they were seized from the Church by the Bolsheviks.
At the same time, the Royal Doors currently belong to British businessman Arthur Gilbert. Following the plundering of the Lavra during the Soviet period, they were sold abroad.
The exhibition is organized in partnership between the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra" and the British museum, and will run until September 17, 2027. The British side views the project as an opportunity to present to the general public examples of Ukrainian Baroque ecclesiastical art.
As the Union of Orthodox Journalists previously reported, Britain had earlier announced the display of the stolen Royal Doors from the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra" came under state control following the decision to terminate the lease agreement with the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in 2023.
