This series of photos will introduce you to the tragic events in the history of this site date from early November 1941, given the fact that November 3 marks 79 years since the destruction of the main church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra - the Dormition Cathedral

The Preserve's collection contains several photographs that reflect the chronicle of those events. Lyudmila Milyaeva, a well-known Ukrainian scientist, Doctor of Arts, Professor, recalls in her memoirs, published in the 19th release of the Lavra Almanac magazine, how they were found.

In 1995, at the invitation of Professor Wolfgang Aichvede, Director of the Eastern European Research Center at the University of Bremen, she went to Germany to give a course of lectures on the history of Ukrainian art. During one of their many trips, they stopped in Oberhausen, where the owner of two paintings, which he had taken out of Kyiv during the war and entrusted his family to return, died. But it turned out that the paintings had no artistic value. Moreover, their owners were unknown. When the disappointed guests were about to leave, the hostess offered to view an album of photos taken by her late husband, Captain Paul Liten, during the military activities in Ukraine. Let’s give the floor to Lyudmila herself: “We sat down at the table and began to look at a neat album, which began with a portrait of the author - a German officer (...). In the album, small single-format (≈6 × 9) photos with numbers were carefully pasted on gray cardboard. They captured the way through occupied Ukraine. At the end of the album, an envelope was pasted on the cover, and contained a notebook with a commentary in block letters for each photo, according to its number. As far as I remember, there were about 100 photos. The first photos represented Vinnytsia, Gaisyn, Kyiv was the last. The occupant definitely liked the city. (…) The album contains many photos of churches with different lighting and state of nature. Finally, he captured Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, the entrance, Trinity Gate Church. Next - a general view of the Dormition Cathedral. The three pictures of the interior are rather vague. One of them shows the back of a German officer in front of the icon (?). Only a wide carved icon frame can be seen from the side. And we had a surprise at the very end of the album on its last page. If I remember correctly, there were five photographs arranged crosswise as follows: the photo Nr. 1 at the top shows the panorama of the Lavra with the Dormition Cathedral. In the foreground we can see a pavement of a wooden bridge with a soldier with a rifle behind his back.

Nr. 1

Nr. 2  Nr. 3  Nr. 4

Nr. 5

Next photos show the stages of the explosion of the Cathedral. In each photo, the German officer records how gunpowder slowly settles, rising up after the explosion. And, finally, the photo Nr. 5 captures the same panorama with the Cathedral in ruins”.

Before we left, the widow of the former officer handed the album to Wolfgang Aichvede: “Take it with you, you will return it later”. Later, Lyudmyla asked Professor Aichvede to enlarge the photos and send them to the Kyiv-Pechersk Preserve, which he did.

Next week in the project “Memories of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” you will be able to see other historical photos that show the life of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra during Second World War.

Picture captions:

1. View of the Dormition Cathedral from the descent to the caves

2. View of the Dormition Cathedral from the Economic Street

3. Main portal of the Dormition Cathedral

4-5. In the interior of the Dormition Cathedral

6-10. Chronicle of the destruction of the Dormition Cathedral: photo Nr.1, Nr. 2, Nr. 3, Nr. 4, Nr. 5