About the fallen cross in the Lavra
Peeling walls of the All Saints "Mazepa" Church in the Lavra. Photo: SES
On March 8, a cross fell from one of the domes of the All Saints Church in the Upper Lavra – the very church built by Mazepa. It was in this church that the National Reserve and the OCU held a widely publicized memorial service for the patron in 2024.
At that time, many interior photos were shared, but the exterior of the church was conspicuously absent. And for good reason. The church’s peeling walls have been in desperate need of repairs for years. And the cross didn’t fall because of a storm – there was no storm. The weather was calm and clear. It simply "got tired," as Klitschko might put it.
The Upper Lavra, where this "Mazepa" church stands, is under the jurisdiction of the National Reserve. It receives generous funding, yet none of it seems to reach the upkeep of the Lavra. In 2024 alone, nearly 30 million was spent on unjustified salary bonuses for employees.
This is what our "patriotic" Ministry of Culture calls love for Mazepa – peeling walls and neglect.
And there’s no doubt that if the monks are expelled and the Lower Lavra is "returned" to the state, its pristine buildings and churches will soon "get tired" too.
It is especially symbolic that the cross in the Lavra fell right after the creation of a commission to "inspect" the relics of the Venerable Fathers of the Caves. There are no coincidences like this.
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