Serbian Orthodox theologian Marjan Aleksich wrote about the struggle for the centuries-old stronghold of Orthodoxy – the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, on the web source stanjestvari.com.

“We have witnessed how during the days of Great and Holy Lent, when every Orthodox Christian wages a spiritual struggle through fasting and prayer, an even larger and more significant spiritual struggle began, which is being waged for one of the greatest Orthodox shrines – the Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra . For many people in Serbia, this is just another piece of news they will hear or read about the tragic events in Ukraine. But is it? Why should the eyes of all Orthodox Christians, including us Serbs, be turned to the Holy Kiev-Pechersk Lavra today?” the theologian writes.

In his article, Aleksich describes the historical chronology of the existence of the KPL and emphasizes its significance both for the Ukrainian people and for the Orthodox world as a whole.

“It is not surprising that the current military-political events in Ukraine have not bypassed the Lavra. On the contrary, precisely because of its enormous spiritual significance, the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra was the first to be attacked. Just as the cruel Bolshevik persecution of the Russian Orthodox Church began in the Lavra with the murder of its archimandrite, Metropolitan of Kiev and Galicia Vladimir, so today’s open persecution of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was started by the accusation, trial and sentence of the abbot of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Pavel (Lebed) of Vyshgorod and Chernobyl” , – emphasizes Marian Aleksich.

He also added that “this monastery preserves the historical consciousness of the people and the Orthodox identity of Ukraine. This is very worrying for those who want to change the consciousness of Orthodox Ukraine by transforming its spiritual beginning and imposing on it a different religious identity, which was formed far from Kiev and the holy walls of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, in the west of the country.”