Art show displayed on the wall of Lavra’s Cathedral on Forgiveness Sunday

On February 26, 2023, on Forgiveness Sunday, the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy used the facade of the closed Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra as one of the locations for an art tour by Swiss artist Gerry Hofstetter. This was reported by the Information and Educational Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Information Department noted that the Ministry of Culture arranged a light show in the Lavra instead of the traditional prayer on the day when Orthodox Ukrainians were preparing for their spiritual feat of the Great Lent.

“The Assumption Cathedral, built owing to the efforts of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, remains closed. This year, for the first time in many years, believers were unable to pray and traditionally receive a blessing for the Great Lent in their shrine,” the UOC underscored.

The authors of the message recalled that "this is not the first initiative of the Ministry of Culture, when the House of God is turned into an artistic platform."

“On January 22, in the Refectory Church in honor of Anthony and Theodosius of the Caves, a concert was held by the Kozatska Chorea group, which performance pieces were far from spiritual chants. This caused indignation among Ukrainian believers, who, in particular, wrote in the comments on the group’s Facebook page: ‘Prayer should sound in the Church during the war!’,” the Information and Education Department of the UOC noted.

As reported by the UOJ, Kostiantyn Krainy, Deputy General Director of the National Reserve "Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra", called the indignation of believers over the scandalous concert in the Refectory Church "whipping up hysteria".