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Adam Zivo: Putin is vandalizing Ukraine’s Christian heritage

A 1,000 years of history is at risk

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On Sunday night, Russia vandalized Ukraine’s religious and cultural heritage by bombing a thousand-year-old monastery in central Kyiv. The holy site is among the most revered in Eastern Orthodox Christianity, equivalent in significance to Paris’ Notre Dame, yet that provided no protection against Moscow’s nihilistic war machine.  

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Nestled in the very centre of the Ukrainian capital, the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra — also known as the Monastery of the Caves or the “jewel of the Orthodox world” — is a compound of creamy white and turquoise towers, topped with hammered golden domes overlooking the Dnipro river. Its elegant buildings, adorned with crosses and painted icons, sit above ancient labyrinths of underground crypts and chapels where one can find frescos and Christian artefacts. 

Adam Zivo: Putin is vandalizing Ukraine’s Christian heritage Back to video

The “lavra” (a term reserved for the highest echelon of Orthodox monasteries) is widely beloved by Ukrainians and an essential landmark for foreign visitors. Yet, over its thousand year history, it has suffered repeated destruction at the hands of eastern invaders. 

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