Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, and the historical center of Lviv have been added to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites under threat. The purpose of the decision is to consolidate the international community for their preservation in war conditions.
This was reported by the press service of UNESCO.
“The UNESCO World Heritage Committee considers that ‘optimal conditions are no longer met to fully guarantee the protection of the Outstanding Universal Value of the property and that it is threatened by potential danger due to the war.’ Faced with the risk of direct attack, these sites are also vulnerable to the shockwaves caused by the bombing of the two cities,” the text states.
At the same time, UNESCO notes that such a decision is, in particular, a reaction to numerous actions taken by the Ukrainian authorities to protect their cultural values.
We should add that St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Kyiv was built in the 11th century in a region converted after the baptism of Prince Volodymyr in 988. The spiritual and intellectual influence of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra contributed to the spread of Orthodox faith and thought on the European continent in the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries. Since 1990, the site has been included in the World Heritage List.
The city of Lviv, founded in the late Middle Ages, flourished as an administrative, religious, trade, and cultural center starting in the 13th century. Its medieval townscape remains intact, including traces of the various ethnic communities that lived here, as well as magnificent Baroque buildings. In 1998, the historical center of Lviv was included in the World Heritage List.
