The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra honored the venerable Nestor the Chronicler, a historian, writer and monk whose name is associated with the development of written culture in Ukrainian lands. The Day of Memory of Nestor the Chronicler is celebrated on October 27, the Day of Ukrainian Writing and Language. For the Lavra, his figure combines religious and cultural history: here he is revered as a saint and one of those thanks to whom the monastery became a center of literature and knowledge. On this occasion, the Deputy General Director of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra National Reserve for Scientific Work, Kostyantyn Krainiy, the head of the Pechersk District State Administration and employees of the district libraries laid flowers at the monument to Nestor the Chronicler. On the eve, the monastery brethren solemnly transferred the relics of the saint from the Near Caves to the Church of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. An all-night vigil was held there, and on the morning of October 27, a festive liturgy was celebrated, led by His Beatitude Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine. The relics of Nestor will temporarily be in the temple for worship by the faithful during the solemn services. In addition, monks and seminarians joined the team of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve to write the Radiodictation of National Unity in the Refectory for the first time. The Director General of the National Reserve, Maksym Ostapenko, hopes that in the future, on this day, the Lavra will gather scientists, monks, and everyone who loves the Ukrainian word every year. “I hope that it is here, in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, that events will take place that will continue our historical tradition, our word, our language. And at the same time, they will unite the public, scientists, all those who are interested in the Ukrainian language and the brethren of the Ukrainian Lavra – direct successors of the tradition of Nestor the Chronicler,” Maksym Ostapenko noted. The Guardian of the Far Caves, Archimandrite Makariy, also wrote a joint dictation in the Refectory. For him, it was a moving experience and strengthened his desire to join the Radio Dictation every year. “It was truly a poignant moment. When Ukrainians from different parts of the world joined the broadcast – Antarctica, Canada, Switzerland, Germany – I personally felt the power of Ukrainian roots and the Ukrainian spirit. Every conscious Ukrainian should write this dictation,” Makariy shared. In the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, respect for the Ukrainian word is inextricably linked with the memory of Nestor and his work, which is preserved by museum workers and monks. Today, the Ukrainian language once again fills the sanctuary — it sounds in prayer, during excursions and cultural events, as well as in ordinary conversations. As it should be in a Ukrainian Lavra.
