Russian strikes damaged the Dormition Cathedral. A fire ravaged part of the building, listed as a UNESCO world heritage site. The summit was destroyed and the fate of the frescoes of the lower iconostasis also raises concerns.
This attack adds to a long series of destruction and damage affecting religious buildings since the start of the Russian invasion in Ukraine. A place of worship is not simply a building. It is also people who meet there to pray, particularly to pray for peace. These are people who are not armed, the faithful who meet there.
A historic and living place
The Dormition Cathedral is one of the jewels of the Orthodox religion in kyiv. It is located within the monastic complex of the Lavra of the Caves, an emblematic place in Ukrainian Christian history. This sanctuary remains today an active place of worship, frequented by bishops, monks and many faithful. Â It is a very important historical place for the Church in Ukraine, but also a place that is still alive. In front of the cathedral, photographs of people killed in combat remind us of the weight of war.
The site thus has an important memorial dimension. “Attacking any place of worship is a serious attack on international law and even more so on the life of the Christian communities who meet there.”declares Monsignor Hugues de Woillemont, general director of the Œuvre d’Orient, who was already in Ukraine a month ago. In a press release, UNESCO indicated that it feared significant damage both outside and inside the building. In the aerial images, we can see that the roof has been partially destroyed. A facade of the cathedral was also gutted.
Hundreds of religious sites affected
In this war between Russia and Ukraine, religious heritage is far from being spared. A few months ago, the UN listed 150 sites that it itself was able to visit and observe. But the figure circulating is much higher. On several media, we are talking about 500 religious sites and buildings which are affected by this war.
The consequences of these attacks are visible in many regions of the country. By 2022, several churches located near kyiv already bore traces of fighting and bullet holes. “In fact, it is not new, it is a weapon of war and attacking Christians and other religions for that matter is always a very serious fact that we must denounce. We defend the protection of places of worship during any conflict »insists Mgr Hugues de Woillemont. Metropolitan Epiphanius of kyiv, primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, denounced “a crime against humanity, history and Christianity”.
The protection of places of worship therefore remains a priority in armed conflicts. Beyond the stones, it is also living communities, places of memory and spiritual symbols that are targeted.
