St. Michael’s Cathedral was consecrated May 28. The ceremony
was attended by the President, Prime Minister, numerous MPs, ministers,
and Kyiv Mayor Oleksandr Omelchenko. The rite was performed by Patriarch
Filaret of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Kyiv Patriarchate, assisted by
archpriests, clergymen, and Archimandrite Dymytry (Rudiuk), the newlyappointed
Vicar of St. Michael’s Cathedral. St. Sophia’s Square and Monastery Park
were packed with residents, believers and the curious alike, trying to
get inside the cathedral and glimpse the new decor, icons, and mosaic.
Here and there in the crowd even tighter knots formed round those who could
comment on the temple’s history, its construction, ignominious destruction,
and “resurrection.”
There it stood, its golden domes reaching for the sky,
its bells ringing out over the Dnipro, embarking on a new life, 887 years
after the original consecration. The interior decoration is still to be
completed, although the central nave, altar, and the space under the cupola
shine with the refined baroque gold of the holy gates, adding to the rainbow
of mosaic colors that seem to have just been applied by 12th century Byzantine
artisans. To non-Ukrainians, the variety of painting styles and lack of
accord with the mosaic patterns strike a slightly discordant note. Whereas
the central part of the temple is done mostly in the “Old Rus’” or quasi-
Byzantine style, St. Catherine’s chapel has a classical Western style.
However, such eclecticism (it suffices to remember St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral)
is not uncommon in Ukrainian churches. In the side naves work on the images
of St. Catherine and St. Barbara will be completed toward the end of the
year
Restoration and consecration of St. Michael’s Cathedral,
a project started literally from scratch, could have made a stronger public
impact and turned into a more festive and memorable event but for two circumstances.
First, the rift in the once single Orthodox Church of Ukraine, which has
split into three hostile Churches. Animosity is such that a joyous occasion
for one of the Churches is regarded by the adherents of the others as almost
a tragedy. I know of only one archpriest from another Church who felt sincerely
happy listening to St. Michael’s bells — the late Patriarch Dymytry of
the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.
Secondly, and perhaps more important is the overall economic
situation, which is impoverishing a large part of the populace. This inevitably
casts a shadow over such a ceremony, and leads one to wonder if those in
power have a right to spend so much on projects which do not raise the
standard of living. On the one hand, the obvious answer is htat such ceremonies
are wrong, but on the other hand there are the words from the New Testament:
man shall not live by bread alone. Proof of this maxim came from
the thousands of people gathered on Triokhsviatytelska St. — some of whom
had travelled to Kyiv for the occasion. A middle-aged man, obviously a
devout believer, told me, “Nothing can be as magnificent as this temple
and its restoration. I have seen it and now I can depart this world in
peace.” Another added, “I am prepared to live on dry crusts, just so things
like that happen more often in this country.”
№18 June 06 2000 «The
Day»
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