Ukraine chooses Kyiv Pechersk Lavra as site for National Pantheon amid Polish historical dispute
The Ukrainian government has designated the UNESCO-listed Kyiv Pechersk Lavra as the location for its National Pantheon, a memorial to national heroes that has reignited tensions with Poland over the possible inclusion of Stepan Bandera.
Government decision
On July 4, the Ukrainian government adopted a resolution locating the National Pantheon within the National Reserve of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UIPN) announced. The resolution follows a law passed by the Verkhovna Rada on July 1, which President Volodymyr Zelensky had submitted three days earlier. The UIPN stated that the document provides for developing the concept and structure of the Pantheon, scientific and methodological support, and public and expert discussions on its creation and operation.
The document provides for: development of the concept and structure of the Pantheon by UIPN, ensuring scientific and methodological support for the creation process, and determining forms of commemoration, conducting expert and public discussions on issues related to the creation and operation of the Pantheon.
Who will be honored
The law allows honoring former presidents (except those removed from office), commanders-in-chief of the Armed Forces, Nobel laureates, and individuals who made a historically significant contribution to the restoration of Ukraine's independence. The UIPN, together with the Foreign Ministry, will verify candidates, including those buried abroad whose remains may be transferred. Parliamentary speaker Ruslan Stefanczuk said the Pantheon will hold "the best sons and daughters of the Ukrainian nation."
the best sons and daughters of the Ukrainian nation
MP Mykyta Poturajew, one of the bill's initiators, told PAP that no final list exists, but he did not rule out including Stepan Bandera.
Historical controversy with Poland
The decision comes amid an ongoing Polish-Ukrainian dispute over historical memory, particularly the commemoration of the Ukrainian Insurgent Army (UPA). Recently, Zelensky named a military unit "Heroes of the UPA," deepening tensions. Polish historians hold the UPA responsible for coordinated attacks on about 150 Polish villages in Volhynia in July 1943, an event Poland considers genocide. The possible inclusion of Bandera, a leader of the Organization of Ukrainian Nationalists (OUN) faction tied to the UPA, has drawn sharp reactions in Poland.
The site and its recent past
The Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is a UNESCO World Heritage site and one of Orthodox Christianity's most important centers. In mid-June, a Russian attack on Kyiv caused a fire that destroyed around 800 square meters of the Dormition Cathedral's roof. French Foreign Minister Jean-Noel Barrot compared the destruction to a hypothetical bombing of Notre-Dame or the Basilica of Saint-Denis.
For the French, the destruction of the Kyiv monastery would be equivalent to the bombing of Notre-Dame Cathedral or Saint-Denis.
The architectural design will be handled by the Ministry of Culture, and funding will come from the state budget and other legal sources.
- Russian attack on Kyiv causes fire at the Lavra, damaging the Dormition Cathedral roof.
- President Zelensky submits draft law on the National Pantheon to parliament.
- Verkhovna Rada passes the law establishing the National Pantheon.
- Government resolution designates the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra as the Pantheon's location.
