Kiev, February 3, 2026
Photo: lavra.ua
The Ukrainian Ministry of Culture continued its abuse of the Holy Dormition-Kiev Caves Lavra with its announcement on February 2 of the transfer of two additional buildings in the Lower section to the schismatic “Orthodox Church of Ukraine” (OCU) for free use.
The transferred buildings previously served as the residence of His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine and the chancellery of the Kiev Metropolitanate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church before the state expelled the Church.
Culture Minister T. Berezhnaya justified the decision by claiming that the OCU “participates in preserving the national cultural heritage and supports Ukraine,” reports the Union of Orthodox Journalists with reference to the Ministry’s statement.
The Ministry also claimed that the activities of the [canonical] UOC brotherhood in the Lower Lavra “were connected with spreading Russian narratives.”
“The goal of transferring the Lower Lavra buildings is to create proper conditions for the full implementation of religious and monastic practices of the OCU community and continues the process of legally establishing its ministry at the Kiev Caves Lavra,” the Ministry states.
“Society has formed a clear demand for establishing the Lavra as a center of Ukrainian spirituality,” the state body argues. There is no explanation provided for the term "Ukrainian spirituality." The Kiev Caves Lavra has been the most important center of Orthodox Christian spirituality in Kiev for over 1000 years. If the state's concept of "Ukrainian" spirituality is different from Orthodox Christian spirituality, then this statement only proves there their "spirituality" is not the Orthodox spirituality that has enlightened Kiev and the lands now called Ukraine since the Baptism of Rus' in 988.
The OCU established its own “Kiev Caves Lavra” community on paper in May 2022 with the aim of replacing the Orthodox monks who have labored at the monastery for decades as successors to those who have served there for a millennium. The OCU group later grew to a handful of people, led by “Bishop” Avraamy Latish, who apostatized from the canonical UOC to become abbot of the new organization.
The Kiev Caves Lavra is owned by the Ukrainian state, having been inherited from the Soviet Union. On January 1, 2023, the state expelled the Church from the Upper Lavra, which contains the monastery’s main cathedrals. The schismatics first celebrated services there on January 7 of that year.
The Lower Lavra contains the monastic cells and the Near and Far Caves, which house the relics of more than 100 saints.
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