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Packing Kyiv’s 1,000-year-old Lavra Cathedral for Orthodox Christmas, hundreds of worshippers heard the service in that church in the Ukrainian language for the first time in decades, a demonstration of independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.
Richly decorated with golden icons and panels, the cathedral – part of the complex known as the Monastery of the Caves and a UNESCO World Heritage Site – put up a video screen outside for the overflow of worshipers, despite the frigid temperatures of -10 Celsius (14 F).
Overlooking the right bank of the Dnieper River, the cathedral and monastery complex has been a pilgrimage site for centuries. And for the first time in the 31 years of Ukraine’s independence, the service there was held in the Ukrainian language. Ukrainian army troops in uniform were among those singing well-known Ukrainian carols.
Ukraine’s government on Thursday took over the administration of the revered Lavra complex from the Moscow patriarchate and allowed the Ukrainian church to use it for the Orthodox Christmas service. The move highlights the long-running tensions between the two churches exacerbated by Russia’s war in Ukraine.
“It’s a first victory” for Ukraine, said Oksana Abu-Akel who hailed it as a significant step in the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s efforts to cut ties with Russia after it started the war more than 10 months ago. “This is the first time in 300 years that there is really our own service here. Every person feels this joy. It is a victory for all Ukrainians.”
Ukrainian Culture Minister Oleksandr Tkachenko said Thursday that the Lavra complex had been taken over by the state after the lease of the Moscow-controlled church expired on Dec.
