On the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Independence of Ukraine the country’s embassy in Bulgaria and the National Library "St. Cyril and St. Methodius" presented the exhibition "Kiev-Pechersk Lavra - sanctuary of Ukraine".
Its official opening, on the 12th of September, was attended by many guests. Welcoming speeches were given by the director of the library - Assoc. Prof. Dr. Krasimira Alexandrova, the mayor of Sofia - Mrs. Yordanka Fandakova and H. E. Dr. Mykola Baltazhi, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Ukraine in Bulgaria.
The event was attended by the director of the Kiev-Pechersk National Reserve - Mr. Lubomir Mihailina. He spoke about some important moments in the history of the complex - one of the main centers of Orthodoxy in Eastern Europe. The castle contains many architectural monuments: underground cave systems used as monastic cells and chapels, walls, churches, bell towers ... The year of its establishment is considered to be 1051; when the monk Antoniy dug a cave on one of the hills on the banks of the Dnieper River in Kiev and settled in it; over the centuries many churches and other sites have been built there. Today on the territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, located on 30 hectares of land, there are 144 monuments of architecture built from XI to XX century. A large number of pilgrims and tourists visit the sanctuary each year. Above and beyond the historical and architectural monuments, more than 70 000 exhibits with sacred significance are kept within its funds.
We are glad that you can see the beauty of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra through the photographs, but at the same time they serve as an invitation to visit it in person and see this spiritual sanctuary.
The state puts a lot of effort in maintaining all the monuments on its territory. During the Second World War the most important temple was destroyed–the "Sacred Assumption". But after the presidential decree in 2000 it was completely rebuilt in the way it looked back in the 17th century. The "Kiev-Pechersk Lavra has great cultural and national importance for Ukraine. In 1990 it was declared a heritage site under the UNESCO protection.
The exhibition at the National Library includes unique photographs of the monastery complex and albums presenting the Ukrainian culture and history. Central place among the exhibits has The Life of St. Ivan Rilski, printed in 1671 in the printing-house of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, which is now part of the collection of the National Library "St. Cyril and St. Methodius".
Photos: "Diplomatic spectrum"
|
