Ukraine Approves National Pantheon Within Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

KYIV — The Cabinet of Ministers of Ukraine has approved the establishment of the Ukrainian National Pantheon within the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Preserve, adopting a framework for the creation of a national memorial complex on the grounds of the historic monastery.

Under Resolution No. 871, adopted on July 1, the Pantheon will operate as part of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Preserve under the authority of the Ministry of Culture. The Ukrainian Institute of National Memory has been tasked with developing the concept and organizational structure of the memorial, providing scholarly guidance, determining forms of memorialization, and organizing expert consultations and public discussions.

The Ministry of Culture will identify a suitable location for the Pantheon within the Lavra while taking into account cultural heritage protections, land-use restrictions, and Ukraine's international obligations. The ministry will also organize an architectural competition to select the design for the memorial complex, with participation from government officials, local authorities, historians, architects, religious representatives, international organizations, and members of the public.

The resolution also outlines procedures for the possible reburial of prominent Ukrainians currently buried outside the country. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory will verify the identities of individuals considered eligible for reburial and coordinate with foreign governments to obtain the necessary permissions for exhumation and repatriation of their remains.

The government said funding for the establishment, maintenance, and operation of the Pantheon will come from the state budget and other sources permitted under Ukrainian law.

The resolution follows the adoption of legislation by the Verkhovna Rada establishing the Ukrainian National Pantheon as a single memorial complex dedicated to the burial and commemoration of individuals recognized by the state as outstanding figures in Ukrainian history.

Previously, the UOJ reported that a cleric of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) said the Lavra has been "spiritually destroyed."