Bust of Ivan Mazepa unveiled in Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra

On December 1, the grand opening of the bust of Ivan Mazepa was held on the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve. The authors of the sculpture were Oles Sydoruk and Boris Krylov .

During his reign, Ivan Mazepa distinguished himself as a patron of the arts and invested significant funds in the development of the complex of buildings of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra. However, the memory of the outstanding hetman’s contribution was silenced and erased for centuries under the pressure of the Russian occupation authorities. Therefore, the opening of this sculpture is an important step in restoring historical justice and entrenching the figure of Ivan Mazepa in the Ukrainian public space.

The event was attended by the Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance, Oleksandr Alferov. During his speech, he congratulated everyone involved in the unveiling of the bust, but also emphasized the significant resistance that initiatives to honor the hetman’s memory face even today.

“Imagine, even for the Moscow leaders (UOC MP – ed.) it was easier to live on the street of the Bolshevik January Uprising than to accept that Mazepa Street would be here,” the head of the Institute recalled.

Oleksandr Alferov also emphasized the symbolic importance of the figure of Ivan Mazepa – for over 200 years his name was synonymous with the Ukrainian struggle for independence. In particular, he recalled the Russian expression “Mazepintsy”, with which the occupation authorities for a long time labeled participants in the movement for Ukrainian independence.

“Today we deal with Mazepa every day: in our money, in our science, in our culture, he is everywhere. But we are ashamed to be ‘Mazepa’s people’,” the Head of the UINP summed up.

Acting Director General of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra National Reserve Svitlana Kotlyarevska shared that for her this significant day became another evidence of the successful return of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra to the Ukrainian national identity.

“The appearance of the Mazepa sculpture in the Lavra is a manifestation of the continuity of the Ukrainian state tradition and the victory of historical truth,” the head of the Reserve emphasized.

In addition, she said that the date for the unveiling of the bust of Ivan Mazepa was not chosen by chance – it was on December 1, 1991, that Ukrainians confirmed their historic desire for independence in the All-Ukrainian referendum.

The event was also attended by the authors of the sculpture, Oles Sydoruk and Boris Krylov, representatives of the scientific community and the OLOS philanthropic foundation, which financially supported the project.