A bust of Hetman Ivan Mazepa was unveiled on the grounds of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra on Ukraine's Constitution Day.
The announcement was made by Maksym Ostapenko, Director General of the National Preserve Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, on Facebook, according to Ukrinform.
"Historical justice has been restored. Today, on the 30th anniversary of Ukraine's Constitution, a bust of one of the greatest patrons of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra – Hetman Ivan Mazepa – was unveiled near the Dormition Cathedral. For centuries, Russia sought to deprive Ukrainians of their historical memory: to erase Mazepa from history, brand him a 'traitor,' appropriate his legacy, and impose its own version of the past. This is how cognitive warfare works. It is fought not only over territory, but also over history, culture, memory, and a nation's right to know its heroes," Ostapenko said.
He emphasized that the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra "is impossible to imagine without Hetman Ivan Mazepa." According to Ostapenko, it was thanks to Mazepa's patronage that the monastery acquired the architectural appearance for which it is known today. He noted that the stone walls and towers, the Church of All Saints, the richly decorated Trinity Gate Church, the Dormition Cathedral, and the flourishing of Ukrainian Baroque architecture were all made possible by Mazepa's financial support, statesmanship, and understanding of culture's role in nation-building.
