UOC Primate Laid Foundation of Church of St. Theodore the Sanctified

On May 29, His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr performed the rite of laying the foundation capsule for the construction of the restored church of St. Theodore the Sanctified (+368) in Lukyanivka, Kyiv (Bahovutivska str., 4а).

Concelebrating with His Beatitude were Secretary for the Primate of the UOC, Bishop Alexander of Pereyaslav-Khmelnytskyi, Secretary of the Kyiv Metropolis archpriest Vitaly Kosovskyi, clergy of the capital.

Upon completion of the service the Archpastor addresses those present with words of instruction.

“I extend my hearty gratitude to the head of our capital and all those present that you all came here and together we’ve done the godly deed and consecrated the place where a temple of God will be erected with God’s help. May the Lord accept this gift and send here a guardian angel, who will protect those who will built this church and come here for the prayer”, said Metropolitan Volodymyr.

Attending the ceremony also were the representatives of the Kyiv city state administration headed by city mayor Leonid Chernovetsky. In particular, the Kyiv city mayor called the beginning of restoration of St. Theodore Church an important event, since at present there were not enough churches for cultivation of spirituality. Also the mayor noted that the event was at the same time the beginning of celebrations of the City Day of Kyiv of this year.

Finally the Primate bestowed church awards and certificates on those who helps to revive the demolished shrine.

The church in Lukyanivks was one of the best church buildings not only on Kyiv, but also of Ukraine of that time.

The residents of Lukyanivka petitioned for the construction of the church since 1865. The process of construction lasted throughout 1871-74.

The church’s appearance was as follows: one-domed capacity with a big onion-shaped dome and four decorative tops around it, the tent belltower above the oblongish western part.

In 1887 the work for enlargement of the church began. The addition of two symmetrical volumes – the northern and the southern was planned. According to design, the southern aisle dedicated to Resurrection of Christ had to include the underground sanctuary on the pattern of the cave of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. In the southern aisle dedicated to St. Elizabeth a copy of the caves church of St. Clement in Inkerman was planned to be built. The southern aisle was ready in 1893, the northern addition was completed in 1895, following which the internal walls between the initial building and the annexes were partially dismantled and the arches were made.

Internal painting of the church was performed in the spirit of the ancient Russian frescoes. The exact copy of the ancient icon of Resurrection of Christ, hanging above the Holy Sepulcher, was transferred to the church from the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

The Soviet authorities registered the parish in February, 1921. In the middle of the 1920-ies it was transferred to the Renovationists. At the beginning of the 1930-ies the church was closed and ruined approximately in 1935 together with the cemetery.
The restoration of the Church of St. Theodore started in 2007. A tent-church was arranged in the park in the place of the ruined church, where the liturgical services are conducted.

In time the church community initiated excavation of the church foundation. In the course of the excavation works the chantries of St. Clement of Rome and the one with “the cave of the Holy Sepulcher” emerged from the past.

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