Christmas Worship Service Of Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church In The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

KYIV, UKRAINE – JANUARY 7: Worshippers listen to the Christmas worship service while standing in the Dormition Cathedral of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on January 7, 2023 in Kyiv, Ukraine. For 300 years, one of the most ancient cave monasteries on the territory of Ukraine, the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was used by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate on lease terms. From January 1, 2023, Ukraine did not renew this agreement. Thus, on Christmas Day, January 7, for the first time in these centuries, a prayer in the Ukrainian language sounded in the Lavra, and the service of worship was conducted by the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, led by Metropolitan Epiphanius of Kyiv and All Ukraine. The Christmas Liturgy held in a calm atmosphere - without clashes or conflicts, with a prayer for Ukrainian victory and Ukrainian soldiers, and with Ukrainian carols. (Photo by Yan Dobronosov/Global Images Ukraine via Getty Images