Founder of Moscow may be buried in Kyiv: Exclusive interview with Kyiv Pechersk Lavra director

Takeaways:

• 300 years of church occupation. How has the Lavra changed after the expulsion of the Moscow Patriarchate?

• The Moscow Patriarchate left, but the monks stayed. What is currently happening on the territory of the Lower Lavra?

• The place was chosen by the Mother of God herself. What is the value of the Assumption Cathedral?

• Pasha Mercedes and Metropolitan Onufriy on the frescoes. How was the Lavra prepared for Russian occupation?

• Why did Moscow want to buy the Church of the Savior at Berestove, and is Yuri Dolgoruky really buried there?

• The revival of the Ukrainian Lavra. What future awaits the Reserve?

The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is one of the main shrines in Ukraine, and it is currently undergoing a historic transformation. After the Moscow Patriarchate left, a complex but extremely important process began – the return of the Lavra to the Ukrainian spiritual space.

Instead of Russian ideological constructs – Ukrainian history, instead of propaganda – true faith, instead of imperial layers – its own thousand-year identity. But this return is not only about a change of tenant. It is about purification, struggle, and new responsibility for the entire society.

– How would you describe in a few words the changes that have taken place in the Lavra after the Moscow Patriarchate left?

– The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is currently undergoing the most complex and most important historical transformation. It is returning to the Ukrainian sacred spiritual space, and this space is being freed from the Russian narrative, from Russian propaganda, from Russian ideology.

This is a very important period that depends not only on the Reserve, not only on the monks of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine who have already begun their service here. It depends on the entire society and how much we will take an interest in our historical and cultural heritage because this is our national shrine, which was created almost a thousand years ago. And it has served Ukrainians for a millennium.

It inspired, preserved the pantheon of saints, and inspired our most prominent historical figures. And Russia, understanding all of this, has done everything over the past 300 years to deprive us of this historical and cultural heritage.

The transformed Lavra must carry the spiritual values laid down in the 1150s during the monastery's founding by the Athonite monk Anthony. These elements of our identity in the Lavra were shaped by great Kyiv princes during the Lithuanian and Cossack periods by our heroic hetmans and by the entire vast list of outstanding Ukrainians connected to the Pechersk shrine.

And this Ukrainian identity, formed over centuries of our history, has always been a target for imperial Russia, which stole and distorted our heritage. It replaced everything with Russian markers, Russian narratives, and Russian legends. From key figures in our history, such as Prince Kostianty Ostrogski and Hetman Ivan Mazepa, to legendary, epic characters like Illia Murovlianyn-Chobitok, whom the Muscovites in the 18th century renamed Ilya from the city of Murom.

Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, view from the bell tower (photo: RBC-Ukraine/Vitalii Nosach)

– Has the Moscow Patriarchate completely left the Lavra?

– It cannot yet be said that the Lavra is fully freed from the influence of the Moscow Church. This issue is currently being considered in the courts, and it is one of the most difficult parts of the National Reserve's work.

Courts of first instance have ruled in favor of the state. Now, an appeal process is underway, and for a year and a half, the court has been listening to endless appeals from representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate asserting their right to continue possessing the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

It seems that these people are counting on returning and are waiting for the Russian Federation to win this war! That the attitude of the Ukrainian state toward the Moscow Patriarchate will change, and they will restore their control here in the Lavra.

Russian propaganda materials found in the Lavra (photo: RBC-Ukraine/Vitalii Nosach)

It’s important to understand that we’re talking about a huge complex of structures in the center of Kyiv. This is a territory with 79 sites, which were once transferred into the free, permanent use of the Moscow Patriarchate. During the management of the monastery (Moscow Patriarchate) on this territory, 17 new buildings were constructed – in violation of the law. Several fully operating hotels, shops, cafes, various businesses, and workshops producing church goods functioned here. All of this clearly operated with cash and without proper oversight.

These entities also enjoyed benefits. This was a vast economic module that essentially sustained a powerful structure for spreading Russian narratives in our country.

Entire propaganda departments, printed publications, video and radio studios – all were created here, recorded here, and broadcast to a massive audience. But in reality, many of these so-called traditional values were dictated by Patriarch Kirill and the FSB. On Google Maps, you can still see signs on Lavra buildings labeled Department of Propaganda of the Moscow Patriarchate in Ukraine. Unfortunately, part of the Ukrainian population believed in this propaganda – a fact we still feel today.

– Were some monks officially registered as residents right on the territory of the Lavra?

– Yes. An absolutely strange situation occurred in the 2000s. The registration service, in some unknown way, registered about 70 monks in state-owned buildings that had only been transferred for use, not ownership. Now they claim that the Lavra is their private residence, and this is one of the reasons the court proceedings have dragged on.

– What is currently happening in the Lavra’s caves?

– Due to the fact that representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate had possession of this site for over 30 years (the caves were handed over to the Russian Orthodox Church in the late 1980s), a commission formed by the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine is now conducting an inventory of the sacred objects located there. This work is intended to ensure the preservation of the unique complexes of the Near and Far Caves for future generations.

– When might the inventory process be completed?

– We hope it will happen in the coming months. It will be a very important stage and a critical task for the Reserve because the Reserve is the one responsible for fully preserving all monuments, including the sacred items kept in the caves: iconostases, icons, and relics.

The state must understand what condition they’re in and how everything related to these sacred objects is managed because this is the heritage of the entire Ukrainian people. It must be placed under the control of the state, not individuals who are in no way accountable to Ukrainian society.

The territory of the Lower Lavra, where the monks of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate still live (photo: RBC-Ukraine/Vitalii Nosach)

– It’s known that monks from the Moscow Patriarchate still remain on the territory of the Lower Lavra.

– Yes, they live in the monastic cells and use part of the churches for prayer. As of now, until a court decision is made, around 140 members of the Moscow Patriarchate community remain within the Lower territory. They continue to live there. At this point, the Reserve, the monastery, and all of Ukrainian society are awaiting the court’s ruling on the legality of their use of buildings that belong to the State.

– Are they isolated?

– No. They can move freely. However, due to the ongoing court case, the Lower territory is currently closed to free access for worshippers.

– And how are these monks behaving?

– Fortunately, the period of intense confrontation around the Lavra, with numerous provocations, has passed. And I believe that some of the monks who belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate, who are Ukrainian citizens, hold pro-Ukrainian views and will serve the Lavra’s sacred sites and the Ukrainian people. I’m confident that, in time, the veil of Russian propaganda and influence will fall.

Dormition Cathedral (photo: RBC-Ukraine/Vitalii Nosach)

– Please tell us about the cultural and historical value of the Dormition Cathedral.

– According to church tradition, this site was chosen by the Virgin Mary herself. It is one of the most important places in the formation of Ukrainian history and culture over nearly a millennium. This location is tied to an incredible number of events that are significant for our country, the lives of prominent figures, and millions of ordinary people who prayed at this sacred site.

Its history is both grand and dramatic, marked by periods of rise, decline, destruction, and revival. The Great Pechersk Church (the Dormition Cathedral) was last restored only with the emergence of Independent Ukraine.

In 1941, the cathedral was almost destroyed, and only about one-eighth of the structure remained. Most of the walls were demolished, although the foundations and lower level partially survived, especially in the altar section.

The Dormition Cathedral, the main church of the Lavra (photo: RBC-Ukraine/Vitalii Nosach)

The revival of this cathedral is like the revival of Ukraine. After World War II, the Soviet authorities restored many historical and cultural sites across the USSR, but there was an unwritten ban on restoring the Lavra’s main church. The Dormition Cathedral could only be rebuilt during the time of Independence.

This year marks 25 years since its reconstruction. It is a major achievement for both the people of Ukraine and the state authorities, who made the decision to fully restore the shrine in just two years. Of course, there's still work to be done, but the completion of this cathedral’s restoration is a powerful symbol that Ukraine has truly become an independent state.

– Do the frescoes here reflect Russian narratives?

– When the Dormition Cathedral was being restored, a very important decision was made: to revive it in the style of the 17th–18th centuries. Many refer to this as the Ukrainian Cossack or Mazepa Baroque style.

We know what the interiors looked like thanks to the wonderful drawings made in the 1860s. Restoring the cathedral’s appearance as it was in the Mazepa era is one of the key tasks. Under the empire, all of the church’s baroque decoration had been destroyed, and the frescoes were repainted in the classic Russian imperial style of the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

That goal has been nearly achieved. What you now see are frescoes and an incredible iconostasis originally created with the support of Hetman Ivan Skoropadsky - all in rich Baroque style.

The Dormition Cathedral, view from the choir (photo: RBC-Ukraine/Vitalii Nosach)

Even here, despite the fact that the cathedral was restored with state funds, some tried to insert imperial narratives shortly before the full-scale invasion.

The way the Moscow Patriarchate was preparing ideologically for the occupation of Ukraine is visible in the St. Andrew’s aisle. Don’t you feel like you’ve entered a church somewhere in Russia? Even the ornamentation - it’s all completely uncharacteristic for Ukraine. This is purely imperial, the so-called Russian-Byzantine style developed in the 19th century, influenced by architecture from Mozhaysk, Kaluga, and Ryazan.

Its purpose was to promote and sustain the Great Russian imperial idea. Just before the war, without any official approval, the chapel was repainted in this style on the direct orders of the monastery leadership.

The key issue is that this part of the cathedral holds deep historical significance for Ukraine. St. Andrew’s Aisle was originally founded by Ivan Mazepa and was meant to be restored in Cossack Baroque, which aligns with his legacy. But the frescoes here seem deliberately designed to glorify Russian imperial traditions and Ukrainian figures who served those interests.

St. Andrew's aisle (photo: RBC-Ukraine/Vitalii Nosach)

These are figures who had certain connections to the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. But just look: Belgorodsky, Diveyevsky, Arzamassky, Voronezhsky, and so on. These are the saints most venerated by the Russian Church. Perhaps the most famous among them is Seraphim of Sarov - a Russian saint who is now officially considered the patron of Russia’s nuclear weapons. Was it accidental that this masterpiece appeared right before the war?

– So, do you plan to keep all of this as it is?

– That’s actually a very good question because perhaps it needs to be shown as an element of semantic warfare and how it works. A massive amount of work was done. Enormous sums of money were spent. But the narrative embedded here is purely about promoting the Russian world.

I’m sure the people behind it planned that in 2022 after the capture of Kyiv, Patriarch Kirill or one of Moscow’s other henchmen would serve here as a lesson to all the Mazepists.

– You mean they were preparing a residence?

– There were attempts to turn the Lavra into the residence of Patriarch Kirill back in the early 2010s. And this was seriously considered multiple times at the state level by vice prime ministers, ministers. And thank God it didn’t happen.

Fragment of a fresco in St. Andrew's aisle. Seraphim of Sarov in the center (photo: RBC-Ukraine)

– Was the transformation of the Lavra into a center of the Russian world in Ukraine a failure of state oversight, or are there perhaps deeper historical reasons behind it?

– There is a profound historical foundation for this because the empire understood the significance of the Lavra in promoting its own spiritual mission a long time ago. This includes the subordination of the Kyiv Metropolis to the Moscow Patriarch and the removal of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra’s stauropegial status under the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople. Few people know that until 1686, the Lavra was a stauropegion, meaning it was a self-governing institution directly under the jurisdiction of the Ecumenical Patriarch of Constantinople.

But over time, Moscow’s authorities began to use the Lavra as a tool to enslave Ukraine — a land that, during the early modern period, possessed all the features of an independent state.

What we know as the Hetmanate existed and was sustained by an identity rooted in the princely era. It was then revived in the times of Konstanty Ostrogski, Petro Mohyla, and Ivan Mazepa. And Russia, understanding this, tried to erase that identity in its imperial efforts. The Moscow Church played a key role in these processes in the 20th and 21st centuries.

It is crucial to realize that Russia is not fighting just for territory. It is fighting for symbols that it wants to bind to its neo-imperial idea. One must understand that gaining control over objects like the Lavra, Saint Sophia Cathedral, and other sacred monuments is a top priority for an imperial power.

– Is the cathedral currently used by monks of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine?

– The Reserve is creating conditions for the restoration of church services by representatives of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. It is very important to recognize and support the revival of the Ukrainian spiritual tradition after so many years of Russian dominance.

– Has anything changed since the Orthodox Church of Ukraine took over, particularly in terms of the decor?

– This work has only just begun. The Orthodox Church of Ukraine was granted the opportunity to serve in the Lavra’s churches only after the President’s decree and the decision of the National Security and Defense Council. But already, many elements typical of the Ukrainian style - of the Byzantine or Greek tradition - have reappeared here. These were once lost and replaced with Russian ones. So now, this process is ongoing. It is not easy to revive such a vast cathedral, whose history spans nearly a thousand years.

Cathedral dome (photo: RBC-Ukraine/Vitalii Nosach)

– Have you noticed any changes in the attitude of believers since the Orthodox Church of Ukraine ​​​​​ took over?

– In general, the category of believers has changed. Even their visual appearance - people dressed in dark clothing, with very tense expressions. There was a certain negative atmosphere.

This was on the level of feelings and visual impressions. Many of the people who used to come to services under the auspices of the Moscow Patriarchate, especially before 2014, were deeply influenced by aggressive Russian propaganda. There were also large numbers of tourists from Belarus and Russia. These people openly mocked everything Ukrainian, and that was part of official Russian propaganda going back to the mid-2000s.

Now, we see significant changes. This was especially noticeable during the most recent holidays. A huge number of people came with children, wearing national dress, bringing positive energy. Ukrainian language and singing are heard. Of course, Russian is also heard. But people communicate freely with each other. There’s a sense of freedom and, at the same time, a sense of spiritual belonging - not through coercion, but through the awareness that you are continuing the Ukrainian spiritual tradition. That feeling exists.

Bell tower of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra (photo: Vitalii Nosach)

The number of people is increasing every month. We’re seeing more interest in the Lavra as a Ukrainian sacred site, and Ukrainians are starting to come here specifically for Ukrainian narratives, history, and spirituality.

– Was it here, two years ago, that a service was held in Ukrainian at the Lavra for the first time in 300 years?

– Yes. The first Ukrainian service took place on Christmas two years ago. We must remember that the spiritual occupation of the Lavra was not carried out solely by the Moscow Patriarchate. This process was launched by order of Peter I, after Mazepa. And with each passing year, this occupation deepened: new narratives were introduced, and the Lavra was gradually turned into a mouthpiece of imperial influence. Unfortunately, this was fully realized in the 19th century. And over all these centuries, the first free prayer in the Ukrainian language took place only in 2023.

– What can you tell us about the Church of the Savior at Berestove?

– Before us stands one of the greatest monuments of the 12th century, connected to the famous Kyivan prince Volodymyr Monomakh. It was built specifically as a princely church and became the burial place of the Monomakh dynasty. According to historical sources, the founder of Moscow, the son of Volodymyr Monomakh - Yuri Dolgorukiy, who at the time was a Kyivan prince - is buried either in this church or nearby.

By the way, in the late 1990s, the Moscow city administration formally requested that the territory of this church be transferred to Russia. Of course, the request was rejected.

Church of the Savior at Berestove (photo: RBC-Ukraine/Vitalii Nosach)

This church is truly remarkable. It has been rebuilt several times and now combines several different styles – from the Princely era, Neo-Gothic, Baroque, and Classicism. In addition to sections with unique images from the early 12th century, the church has preserved frescoes commissioned in the 1630s by Petro Mohyla, Metropolitan of Kyiv and all Rus, and Archimandrite of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

The frescoes depict Petro Mohyla himself and even preserve his signature. Although they were painted 500 years after the church’s founding, their style fully corresponds to the Greek tradition of that period.

The Church of the Savior at Berestove has not survived in its entirety – during the Princely era of the 12th century, it was three times larger. After being destroyed during the Mongol invasions, the church was rebuilt by the outstanding Ukrainian and European spiritual leader of the 17th century, Petro Mohyla.

– Have any princely graves been preserved here?

Archaeological research has been conducted in the church and the surrounding area since the 19th century. From the mid-20th century, the main goal of archaeologists was to find the burial site of the prince who founded Moscow. But they were unsuccessful.

During the excavations, more than 700 burials were discovered here, mostly of local residents. However, much of the church’s territory still remains unexplored.

The Church of the Savior at Berestove from the inside (photo: RBC-Ukraine/Vitalii Nosach)

– But are all the discovered remains still kept in Ukraine? They weren’t stolen?

– Yes, they’re all still here.

– Are services held there now?

– The Church of the Savior at Berestove has a special usage status – it functions as a museum and is open to all visitors, but only from April to October.

– How do you see the future of the Lavra? As a spiritual center, a historical museum, or a national symbol of Ukraine?

– For me, it’s a synergy between museum professionals, who preserved the Lavra’s sacred treasures over the last century, and the ancient Lavra traditions laid down by Saints Anthony and Theodosius. This synergy should serve Ukrainian society, help us endure the hardest trials, and most importantly, not only transmit the past, but also point toward the future.

We have an outstanding pantheon of historical figures who prayed in the Lavra, built it, created remarkable monuments, and honored and preserved its sacred sites. Ukrainians must not only know them but also respect them and follow their example.

We must reclaim our connection to this thousand-year lineage of spiritual and national leaders, warriors and artists, scholars, and public figures. And on the foundation of these historical personalities, build the future of ourselves and of all of Ukraine.

I dream that the State and the Church will be able to unite their efforts to preserve the Pechersk Lavra as a site of world cultural heritage, where the Ukrainian spiritual tradition is reborn based on Christian and universal values, and that in 25 years, it will celebrate its 1000th anniversary as both a global shrine and a national cultural treasure of Ukraine.