Strike on Kyiv cathedral highlights rush to preserve Ukrainian artifacts
David I. Klein
July 1, 2026 at 1:09 p.m. ET
An Ark III 3D scan at Kyiv Pechersk-Lavra in Kyiv, Ukraine. (Photo © 2026 Paul Safko)
For those working to safeguard Ukraine’s religious and cultural heritage, the threats of moisture, sunlight and mishandling have taken a backseat to bullets, bombs and looting.
Up against four years of destruction and counting, a dedicated cadre of scholars, artists and museum workers in Ukraine and around the world is working to preserve and immortalize what they can — if not physically then digitally.
In mid-June, Russian drones struck an 11th-century church, Ukraine’s most important religious site. The church and its associated cave and monastery complex, called the Kyiv Perchesk-Lavra, is revered by Eastern Orthodox Christians globally and contains hundreds of icons and relics, including a crypt of saints from across the centuries.
The June 15 strike started fires in the Dormition Cathedral and damaged several other buildings on the grounds, which will take an estimated 10 million euros to restore, according to Ukrainian officials. The strike was among the most damaging to Ukraine’s cultural and religious heritage since the outbreak of the full-scale war in February 2022.
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https://religionnews.com/2026/07/01/strike-on-kyiv-cathedral-highlights-rush-to-preserve-ukrainian-artifacts/