On Ukrainian Statehood Day and the Day of the Baptism of Rus’-Ukraine, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra was visited by the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, and European leaders who arrived in Kyiv to participate in the Ukraine – South-Eastern Europe Summit.
Among the guests were Romanian President Nikusor Dan, Moldovan President Maia Sandu, Serbian President Aleksandar Vučić, Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenković, Albanian President Bajram Begaj, North Macedonian Foreign Minister Nikola Dimitrov and other summit participants. For most of them, this was their first visit to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.
Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetyana Berezhna, together with First Deputy Ivan Verbytsky and Director General of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve Maksym Ostapenko, showed the Upper Lavra to European leaders.
The guests visited the Assumption Cathedral, where they saw the aftermath of the Russian attack and the ongoing work to preserve the shrine. They also viewed a tablet exhibition about the history of the cathedral and visited the memorial to Hetman Ivan Mazepa.
Such visits are especially important today. They allow international partners to see firsthand the consequences of Russian attacks on Ukrainian cultural heritage and understand why its preservation requires joint efforts.
