Historic artifacts to be moved to renovated facilities at Pecherska Lavra complex (10/11/98)

Historic artifacts to be moved to renovated facilities at Pecherska Lavra complex

by Roman Woronowycz
Kyiv Press Bureau

KYIV - There is no basis for rumors that have circulated in Ukraine and the Ukrainian diaspora that historic artifacts, books and printing presses belonging to the Pecherska Lavra (Monastery of the Caves, are scheduled to be turned over to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate, or to anyone else, according to a Kyiv city official and the director of the Orthodox museum complex.

"God forbid. Never. This will all remain a national spiritual center, and it will continue to belong to the nation," said Oleksander Bystriushkyn, director of the Cultural Department of the Kyiv City Administration, which holds responsibility for the grounds and the museums of the historic 10th century monastery.

Ever since the renovation of Korpus (building) No. 70 of the Pecherska Lavra complex, which houses the Ukrainian State Museum of Books and Printing, was announced earlier this year, the scuttlebutt heard in the Ukrainian diaspora has been that somehow the artifacts contained within would not survive the renovation project.

In the U.S., faxes circulated late this summer that the 52,000 priceless rare books, manuscripts and early printing tools housed at the museum would be turned over to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate, which has control over the lower Lavra grounds and retains the right to use the complex's churches for its religious celebrations.

In England, the buzz was that the archives lie in ruin; valuable books, torn and deteriorating, scattered about on the floor of the closed museum.

After a visit by a representative of the London-based Symon Petliura Society to the Pecherska Lavra to investigate the rumors, and after the issue was raised in Ukraine's Verkhovna Rada by democratic factions, Serhii Krolevets, the director of the Pecherska Lavra complex, said he decided that the situation needed to be clarified.

Mr. Krolevets assured journalists on September 24 during a hastily called press conference that all the documents and artifacts are secure and under the control of the state museum.

He explained that Korpus No. 70 had been long scheduled for renovation, but that a lack of city funds caused the work to be delayed. However, earlier this year it was discovered that gas fumes from a nearby underground gas storage cylinder were leaking into the museum and the city released emergency funds to have Korpus No. 9, slated to be the museum's new home, renovated quickly so that the museum could be transferred there.

Mr. Krolevets explained that, according to a governmental decree signed in 1990 (before independence), which still carries legal authority, Korpus No. 70 would be transferred to the Moscow Patriarchate after it was renovated.

He underscored, however, that the document calls only for the transfer of real estate, not the contents of the building.

That view was upheld by Sviatoslav Rechynsky, director of the press office of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Moscow Patriarchate, when contacted by The Weekly. "We have been waiting a long time for this building [Korpus No. 70] and for it to be remodeled. We are patiently waiting for the work to be completed and for the artifacts to be moved out," said Mr. Rechynsky.

Lavra Director Krolevets said that, in fact, he wants the renovation of Korpus No. 9, which is located at the center of the Pecherska Lavra complex, to be finished as quickly as possible, because even though Korpus No. 70 has a better security and fire prevention system than what will initially be in place in the museum's new location, the overriding concern is that gas fumes wafting through the old building may leave the artifacts contained inside vulnerable to further deterioration and even fire.

"I believe that the books need to be moved as soon as possible," said Mr. Krolevets. "With the gas storage tanks nearby, the danger is always present."

Kyiv City Cultural Director Bystriushkyn said he was happy that the museum would finally have a suitable new home. He said that the old building, in addition to its state of deterioration, is located nearly a kilometer from the central Lavra complex.

He added, however, that the museum is still looking for additional funds needed for an adequate alarm system and fire protection system, as well as for suitable display cases and museum equipment.

"Look at this beautiful building," commented Mr. Bystriushkyn as he took reporters on a quick tour of Korpus No. 9 to view the mostly completed renovation. "We hope that the initial funding will release other monies. We need about $250,000," he added.

He said that if the museum could find a benefactor, or benefactors, it would display a commemorative plaque honoring that person or organization.

The Pecherska Lavra complex, the historic home of Ukrainian Orthodoxy, which consists of a series of museums, churches and monasteries, as well as an extensive labyrinth of subterranean tunnels, has been undergoing renovation since 1995. The centerpiece of the historic monastery is the Uspenskyi Sobor (Assumption Cathedral), which also is currently under reconstruction. Work on the historic church is scheduled to completed by the celebration of the second millennium of Christianity in the year 2000.

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