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“Even if you destroy all our Ukrainian churches and cathedrals, you will never be able to destroy our profound faith in Ukraine and God,” said Ukrainian President V. Zelensky in his speech of March 3.
Russian artillery fire and bombs have devastated not only Ukrainian homes and public buildings, but also many places of religious worship.
1 Kharkiv – Cathedral of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary (and other churches)
The Ukrainian President referred directly to the destruction of the historic Kharkiv Cathedral, completed in 1770. A missile hit the church, a haven for refugees, on the evening of March 2. Fortunately, no one was hurt in the explosion.
The cathedral, which belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate, had been destroyed earlier, too. In 1930, the communists desecrated and devastated the cathedral and took control of it. The building was restored to religious use only in 2009.
Two other churches were damaged in the city, besieged and shelled since the very first day of the war. These were St. Anthony’s Church and the Church of Women Carrying Fragrances (in this order in the photos).
2Viazovka (Zhytomyr region) – Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Another historical building (from 1862) destroyed (March 7) by Russian artillery fire. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has announced that only the church belfry has been left unscathed by the shelling.
3Zavorichi (Kiyv region) – Church of St. George
The information about the destruction of the church in Viazovka was coupled with that of the burning down of another historical church of great value. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate has announced that the Church of St. George (from 1873), near Kiyv was burnt down on March 7. According to the local pastor, Fr. Petro Kotyuk, the Russian occupiers deliberately shelled the church building and furthermore opened fire on the civilians hiding nearby.
4Chernihiv – Church of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
Another church of the Moscow Patriarchate, completed in 1827, was shelled in the night of March 7. While fortunately the degree of damage is not serious, the adjacent presbytery building was burnt to the ground.
That very night, the Russians also shelled the Yelets Assumption Monastery in Czernihiv.
5Bobrik (Kiyv region) – Church of the Ascension of the Lord
It was shelled on March 5. The missile hit it a half hour after a religious service. “Thank God no one was injured. By this time, parishioners and children were drinking tea in a nearby building. The children got scared, fell onto the floor and started to cry,” said the local priest, Fr. Jan Shevchenko (Moscow Patriarchate).
6Huliaipole (Zaporizhzhia region) – Church of St. Tikhon Zadonsky
Destroyed only a couple of days ago (March 8) along with other premises of the parish (of the Moscow Patriarchate) and nearby homes. Fortunately, the residents had managed to flee and take cover.
7Sumy – Bl. Metropolitan Vladimir’s Seminary
Bombed by Russian planes in the night of March 8. Fortunately, there were no casualties of the air raid. Sumy has been shelled and bombarded continuously since day one Putin’s invasion.
8Malin (Zhytomyr region) – Church of the Holy Face (the Veil of Veronica)
The shelling of the town has been going on continuously for several days. Yesterday evening (March 8), five other residents lost their lives. One of the local churches of the Moscow Patriarchate had been destroyed before. Some media outlets informed mistakenly that it was the Church of St. Michael.
9Schastie (Luhansk region) – St. Catherine’s Church
Completed in 1914, it had been constructed intermittently for a number of decades by the local residents,frustrated by the River Donets regularly overflowing its banks, preventing them from participating in religious services in the church in Staryi Aidar. Damaged by artillery fire on March 7. In the post below – in the last photo.
10Irpen (Kyiv region) – chapel next to the Church of Great Martyr St. Gregory the Victorious
Irpen near Kiyv is one of the places with the most serious humanitarian situation. The city has been completely cut off from electricity, heating, water, medicines and food supplies. The fierce fighting that has been going on around it for several days has led to the deaths of at least a dozen civilians. The Russians went so far as to shoot at an evacuation convoy assembling at the church. The vicarage and the church chapel are among the village buildings destroyed in the warfare. Luckily, the shells missed the main building, where dozens of people, including children and people with disabilities, had taken shelter.
And today we celebrate...