A century-old photo of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, which was then one of the centers of spiritual life, was published online.
The photo was shown in the Facebook group "Club of Native Kyivan".
The following post was left with the photo: "April 1918. Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Monks accompanied by a German officer. On the right is the Lavra bell tower, in front is the Holy Assumption Cathedral."
It is worth mentioning that during this period, which dates the photo, or rather in 1917, which became a key year for the Ukrainian national movement, the Kyiv Cave Monastery also played a significant role. In particular, in September of that year, when the first Ukrainian gymnasiums were founded in Kyiv, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra launched Ukrainian classes.
The Central State Historical Archive of Ukraine has the text of a speech by priest Marynych of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. He delivered it during a meeting of the Lavra brothers on December 1, 1917, calling for the creation of an autocephalous church independent of the all-Russian church structure.
There are also records of the Lavra monks about the events of January 15-25, 1918, when battles with the Bolsheviks were taking place in Kyiv, during which the Lavra provided shelter and assistance to the soldiers of the Central Rada.
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, as one of the centers of spiritual life, played a role in supporting Ukrainian identity and culture. Thus, in 1918, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was not just a religious center, but an active participant in the social and political processes taking place in Ukraine. And here is another photo dated March 30, 1918.
Earlier, we published a photo of what Maidan Nezalezhnosti looked like after World War II.