Worshipers and clergy gather to celebrate Palm Sunday at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Ukraine’s most revered Orthodox site, in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, April 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Adam Pemble)
Kyiv, Ukraine (AP) —
Willow branches in hand, Ukrainians celebrated Palm Sunday at the country’s most revered Orthodox site, which was at the center of a religious dispute playing out alongside the war against Russia.
Dozens of believers filled the large refectory church of Antony and Theodosius, located in the monastic complex of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. Many more waited outside in the spacious courtyard and watched the service there.
Continue reading
The occasion marks the first significant religious service to be held at the complex after the Ukrainian government issued an eviction order on March 29 against Orthodox monks living at the monastery over their alleged ties to Russia. The monks had refused to leave the site before the eviction deadline.
Metropolitan Epiphanius, Head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, center, delivers the Palm Sunday service at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Monastery, Ukraine’s most revered Orthodox site, in Kyiv, Ukraine on Sunday, April 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Adam Pemble)
The Sunday service was peaceful with some police presence at the entrances to the complex.
Known in English as the Monastery of the Caves, the site contains a church, monastery and museum buildings. Its oldest parts date back to the beginnings of Christianity a millennium ago.
It is owned by the Ukrainian government, and the state agency overseeing the property told the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in March that it was terminating its lease. The move comes amid a broader crackdown on the UOC over its historic ties to the Russian Orthodox Church, whose leader Patriarch Kirill supported the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
After the service, Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of Ukraine’s pro-Kiev Orthodox Church, blessed the faithful with holy water in front of the church doors.
Metropolitan Epiphanius, head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, blesses believers who gather to celebrate Palm Sunday at the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra monastery, Ukraine’s most revered Orthodox site, in Kiev, Ukraine, Sunday, April 9, 2023. (AP Photo/Adam pemble)
Believers welcomed the eviction order.
I am very happy that this is finally happening, that the Kiev Pechersk Lavra will be freed from Moscow roots and renewed and brought to life,” Yulia Sencuk said in front of the church. “Through these events, we are more likely to bring our victory closer.
Palm Sunday marks the last Sunday before Easter and signals the beginning of a holy week of prayer and reflection for Christians. The day celebrates the entry of Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, where it is believed that he was greeted on the street with palm fronds. Orthodox churches use different reference dates to calculate Easter, which can be up to four weeks later than the holiday marked by other branches of Christianity.
Instead of holding the symbolic palms, many held willow branches on Sunday, in keeping with tradition in Ukraine.
Personnel from the Ukrainian Armed Forces were present along with civilians to celebrate the occasion in the church.
“It’s a very important holiday for me because it’s our tradition and it’s about our peace, our independence, our faith in God, in peace, in our…victory,” said Irina, a soldier who was in attendance. She spoke on condition that her last name not be released, according to army protocols.
Ukrainian soldiers ride on an APC at the front in Bakhmut, Donetsk region, Ukraine, on Saturday, April 8, 2023. (AP Photo/Libkos)
Check out this story on our website