Lavra Director Calls for Kyiv Monastery to Become a 'Ukrainian Vatican'

KYIV — The director of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra called on Ukrainian ambassadors to help transform the monastery into a "Ukrainian Vatican" during a tour of the historic complex this week, describing the effort as part of a broader campaign to reshape international perceptions of one of Orthodoxy's most significant monasteries.

Speaking to approximately 50 Ukrainian diplomats and their family members on Thursday, Lavra Director Maksym Ostapenko said the monastery should become "the Ukrainian Vatican" and urged ambassadors to help remove what he described as the influence of the "Russian world" from the site. He also encouraged diplomats to identify supporters of the initiative in their host countries, arguing that international backing would be essential to achieving the project's goals.

During the visit, Ostapenko and other Lavra officials presented a lecture aimed at countering what they characterized as common misconceptions about the monastery's history. They highlighted the contributions of Hetman Ivan Mazepa to the Lavra's development, discussed damage caused by a recent Russian strike on the Assumption Cathedral, and provided ambassadors with materials they said could be used in their diplomatic work. Diplomats also toured the cathedral, viewed exhibits documenting wartime damage, and photographed areas affected by the recent attack.

The delegation included current and former senior Ukrainian officials serving abroad, among them Ambassador to the United Kingdom Valerii Zaluzhnyi. The diplomats were shown the damage to the cathedral and heard presentations linking the preservation of the Lavra to Ukraine's broader cultural and historical identity. The visit concluded with a group photograph and remarks encouraging continued cooperation between the monastery's administration and Ukraine's diplomatic corps.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a state official said the monks' presence affected tourism access at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.