Cabinet reveals details of pantheon construction at Lavra

Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Photo: monastery's website

The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has adopted Resolution No. 871, which defines the mechanism for creating the “Ukrainian National Pantheon” on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The document was published on the government portal.

According to the resolution, the pantheon will operate as part of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve. The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory has been tasked with developing the concept and structure. It will also provide scholarly support for the project, determine forms of memorialization and organize public discussions.

The Ministry of Culture and Information Policy has been instructed to determine the specific location of the pantheon on the territory of the Lavra, taking into account the requirements of cultural heritage protection legislation. The ministry must also hold an architectural competition to develop the design for the memorial complex.

A separate set of tasks concerns the possible transfer of burials. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs, together with the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, will verify the identities of persons buried outside Ukraine who are proposed for reburial in the pantheon. After that, cooperation with foreign states is planned in order to obtain permits for the exhumation and transportation of remains.

Funding for the creation and maintenance of the pantheon is to come from the state budget, as well as from other sources not prohibited by law.

Earlier, the Verkhovna Rada adopted the law “On the Ukrainian National Pantheon,” which provides for the creation of a single memorial complex for the burial and commemoration of persons whom the state classifies as outstanding figures of Ukrainian history.

As the UOJ reported, the authorities plan to honor “outstanding representatives of the nation” in the memorial complex, including the leadership of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA).

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