The Holy Faithful Clergy of the Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine openly holds the ancient Kyiv Rus Monestary adversely against it’s current legal status with the Moscow Patriarchate
This week I visited the grounds of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra which has been the highest ranking monastery of holy orders in Europedating back to as early as 1051. Adjacent to the Holodomor Museum the Arsenalna district (where Ukraine’s weapons arsental was notoriously stored deep underground in distant past), it is no wonder that the warmonger russian state covets this special place. During russia’s brutal invasion into Ukraine they have sought to erase Kyiv Rus history by making it their own. That’s why they seek to subjugate this ancient, holy, and geopolitically significant temple of God.
By going there and witnessing the architecture and speaking to the holy order, I have discovered that this 11th century monestary is not only significant to the origins of the early spread of Christianity throughout Europe, but has untold modern significance in the fight for religious freedom.
In fact, this holy fortress is the beating heart of the modern fight of church versus state amid one of the most brutal invasions today. The simple truth I have uncovered dispels the lies of many of Kremlin’s propagandists who feed lies to the public by exploiting our deeply intimate faith and using it as a tool of the war.
The confusion surrounding the politics of the modern schism of russia’s state-owned Orthodoxy in Ukraine has led to plenty of opportunity for disinformation war.
But the fact of the matter is, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is carrying out a mutiny against it’s russian Patriarchate which is closely tied to russia’s Kremlin regime.
This is one of the most rebellious mutinies in the world today in the political heart of Ukraine, surrounded by military and politicians who are fighting alongside this church for freedom from russia’s warmonger state.
Doing a quick google search, I realize that the mutiny of the Pechersk Lavra has gone largely unreported.
And, I am still learning the history of this ancient Monestary. However, Rome was not built in a day, so I figure I start writing about what I know now, instead of waiting…
I believe everybody should go to a sacred holy place and experience the rituals and ornate imagery of our sacred tradition passed down to us from generation to generation. For me, the church helps ground me and reflect on the what I hold most dear, like family… and our fight against the evil that seeks to destroy our freedom loving people.
I went to the Lavra with my mother-in-law to spend time and pray. I prayed for my family. And I prayed for the soldiers, everyone one of them that I’ve ever known ,either in person or through communicating on social media or reading about, and even the ones who have passed before I even met them.
In fact, every time I go to church, I pray for the soldiers, even in America, and it has been like that for years. That’s because to me they are the living saints.
I actually think the soldiers are the holiest people, in spite of being rough around the edges. They are martyrs and saviors and defenders. Sometimes I feel that their war-torn society placates their activities in order to cope with the killing they must undertake, and that actually downplays the fact that to accomplish the defense of mankind takes a certain higher awareness and consciousness that is extraordinarily trying. It is not an indiscriminate matter or normal thing. It’s a cross they must carry…. And even though I believe in what they do, I so deeply wish they didn’t have to do it. But Ukraine did not choose this war, and somebody has to defend society against corrupt greedy tyrants who only wish to enrich themselves through conquering and invasion.
When I am in a sacred place like the Pechersk Lavra, I look around at the beautiful statues and icons, many of them warriors from their own time, centuries ago. They are depicted with the same sacred royalty that I feel we owe to the military for sacrificing their entire lives.
A soldier recently told me he hates churches – and I think that’s very ironic since in Ukraine, russia is destroying churches. In fact, russia has destroyed over 700 churches in Ukraine. The soldiers’ work actually helps defend and salvage these sacred places of communal gathering which russia seeks to dismantle – places which hold holy relics and icons passed down by ancestors through the history which russia seeks destroy. To be honest, I don’t know how a soldier of Ukraine can truly despise the house of God deep in his heart, because even if they never make it to Mass because they are too busy at war, they closer to Judgement Dall than any of us, and they work on it all the time, not just one day of the week.
I love the Pechersk Lavra and walking the grounds, praying quietly, attending masses, and seeing the people who come to pray, as well as the holy clergy, including the priests, brothers, sisters, and nuns. It is like a vibrant sacred village, a time-capsule of resilience, tradition, and rule.
I spoke to a nun during a mass I happened to drop in on. There was a beautiful choir singing overhead, some of the most beautiful singing I have ever heard in my life. The nun was lighting candles and praying, frequently genuflecting the sign of the cross. She was dressed in long flowing black garb and a black knit cap, with a beautiful woven rope around her waist. She was praying and walking around with candles. We spoke outside of the building by the flower garden where other faithful were walking around and praying. I Just love the grounds and to see a little vibrant community of holy people….
I asked for her name and where she is from. She said she is from Ukraine. I wanted to know if this church was under the Moscow patriarch. She told me, yes, but it is not connected with any state…. Their faith operates in Ukraine, Belarus, and Russia.” From my interpretion, it was clear to me she wanted to convey her church’s separation from the Moscow state. But it still confused me.
I told her I would pray for her church…
I needed to get to the bottom of this. But, if I am to be honest, at first I was a little bit nervous to speak to the clergy when I learned that the church was somehow linked to Moscow. Perhaps it’s because we are in a war, and Moscow is actively targeting and persecuting my people.
When I taught summer courses at Ukrainian Catholic University in Lviv last year, I heard a first-hand account from one of my students who told me how small village churches with priests connected to Moscow would deny pro-Ukrainians confessions.
I have also heard reports of priests in collaboration with Moscow who were arrested in Ukraine, although these were isolated incidents.
One such case quite relevant to the Pechersky Lavra is that of Metropolitan Pavel (Peter Swan) who is currently on house arrest and undergoing a court case after Ukraine’s SBU pressed charges for interreligious hatred amid russia’s fullscale invasion into Ukraine.
And Kyrill Gundyaev, the Patriarchate of Moscow, is a corrupt politician and former KGB spy who openly supports Kremlin’s invasion. Before Kyrill became the Patriarchate, he was a russian oligarch who profiteered off a large tobacco company.
It is important not to underestimate the politics of religion in this war, especially with regards to inter/national security as many faithful have been affected by russia’s religious persecution, and this has necessitated the Ukrainain state to make obviously difficult decisions during wartime to investigate churches who report to Moscow, while still honoring the nation’s rights to robust religious freedoms.
Even though the Lavra gave me such a vibrant feeling while walking along the grounds, the prospect of speaking with its priestly order was all of a sudden intimidating for me, but then again, they seemed like such peaceful people, and i was in the heart of Kyiv, where freedom is actively defended, so I trusted the situation. It is ironic how America’s russian propagandists such as Tucker Carlson can attempt to falsely lead people to believe that Ukraine persecutes the orthodox church, when in reality, the fact that the Orthodox church is connected to Moscow is what really provokes fear.
And here I was, in the heart of Kyiv surrounded by Ukraine’s military, at one of the oldest historical churches in All of Europe —- trying to find out for myself whether it was connected to Moscow or not… And what I found was that I was standing in a place of direct opposition to sacrilegious evil….and it proves all of the lies about Ukraine persecuting the Orthodox church wrong, because here it was standing in the heart of Ukraine – .it was not only historical grounds from the 11th century…. It was history happening right before my eyes…. Amongst the people making it happen…. Good versus evil….
After speaking to the nun, I then approached another faithful, a man. I asked him if he spoke English but he suggested I speak to his friend who was walking by. He was wearing all black and a black hat.
I told him I am American and wanted to ask him a question.
“What is the preistly order of the church?” I asked.
“We are of the faithful of Christianity since…. “
“Since all of christianity?” I quickly interrupted.
“Our church dates back from before Ukraine, before Russia… Have you ever heard of Vlad or Olha?”, the priest responded.
“Yes, i’ve been reading up on them, they were really Great…” I told him, referring to warrior and Saint Vladimir the Great who first spread Christianity around Europe, and his grandmother Olha, who was a vehemently shrewd military strategist who avenged her murdered husband in some of the most epic special operations documented in ancient history).
“So are you under Moscow?” I asked for further clarification.
“Yes but only for document purposes, not nominally. We are independent,” said the Priest.
“When you say documents, do you mean legally?”
“Yes,” he responded. “We are legally owned by Moscow, but not nominally. We are independent.
“So when you say independent, does it mean you are autocephalous? (Autocephalous means is a word in the Orthodox face to denote status of a hierarchical Christian church whose head bishop does not report to any higher-ranking bishop.)
“We are under moscow legally, but we do not answer to moscow.” he reiterated. He did not confirm if he considered the church autocephalous.
“Okay well, I am roman catholic and my church answers to the pope, so I wanted to know if you answer to Kyrill…. Do you know Kyrill the Moscow Patriarchate?”
“Yes I know what you mean… but Kyrill Blesses the war… how can we answer to him?”
Then, as quick as lightening, the priest told me he has to go, and he walked away. I told his friend, the other preist who was standing by, that I would pray for them, and I gave them my name and country of origin, Alexandra from America.
The Moscow Patriarchate is owned by the Kremlin. Therefore what both the nun and the priest told me, with regard to their church’s relationship to the Moscow patriarchate, …. It is clear that the faithful of Perchersk Lavra do not see themselves governed by Moscow nor its Patriarchate Kirill, they view their church as people under God, and wish to be independent ….. in spite of legal documentation by russia which state otherwise. Kyiv clearly understands this, as the church is clearly thriving inside the Heart of Ukraine’s political capitol. Furthermore, the fact that the ancient church with papers connected to Moscow continues to operate is proof that Ukraine does not persecute the Orthodox church. Rather, Ukraine is allowing this church to thrive and its people to break free through a schism not based solely on politics – but of a moral and spiritual consciousness to break free from the russian leaders that prosecute war.
Not only this, but with this philosophy of mutiny from Kremlin being the predominant policy of the faithful order of the Pechersky Lavra, it might require further investigation to confirm whether the Orthodox churches from which this church is linked to within Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia, as well as any other church legally boun to the Moscow Patriarchate, also expresses a mutiny and schism with its authorities.
There is a mutiny in the Perchervsky Lavra…. a mutiny against Moscow…. Against tyrannical government and regime. And it thrives in the heart of Kyiv….
The Pechersky Lavra is not only an ancient sacred place, it is symbolic of the most significant fight of good versus evil in modern times.
What will happen in the future is uncertain. But the trajectory is visceral. The mutiny of the faithful order at the Pechersky Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine against Kremlin’s Moscow’s Patriarchate could be the beginnings of one of the greatest Christian schism known to modern Christian history…
– Alexandra Zakhvatayev
Kyiv Free Press 
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