Today is the birthday of a classic of Ukrainian literature, a writer and artist, thinker, ethnographer, and public figure – Taras Hryhorovych Shevchenko. He became a symbol of the Ukrainian people’s struggle for independence even during his lifetime, and now his prophetic words sound even more powerful: “Fight – you will win! God helps you! Truth, glory, and holy will are with you!
Taras Shevchenko at the Pochaiv Lavra: Preserving Ukraine’s Cultural Heritage in the 19th Century.
During his trip to Volhynia in the fall of 1846 as a member of the Archeographic Commission, Taras Shevchenko visited the Pochaiv Lavra where he created three watercolor paintings of the exterior and interior of the Lavra and its surroundings. His visit was an important stage in the preservation and study of Orthodox culture in Ukraine, and his drawings have survived to this day and are held in the Taras Shevchenko State Museum in Kyiv.
In the fall of 1846, during his trip to Volhynia as a member of the Archeographic Commission, Taras Shevchenko visited the Pochaiv Lavra. This was an important event for Ukrainian spiritual heritage as the main goal of the commission was to collect and describe objects of Orthodox antiquity that remained in the Volhynian and Podolian provinces. Shevchenko was tasked with recording the external and internal appearance of the temple, as well as views of the surrounding area from the terrace. He was given a considerable sum of money for this mission and received permission from the Volhynian Spiritual Consistory to paint the Lavra.
Taras Shevchenko created three watercolor paintings of the exterior of the Lavra from two sides (south and east), a view from the gallery of the surroundings, and one of the interior of the Assumption Cathedral with an old low Uniate iconostasis and simply whitewashed walls. All of his drawings have survived to this day and are held in the Taras Shevchenko State Museum in Kyiv.
Taras Shevchenko arrived in Pochaiv no later than October 20, 1846, as evidenced by some of his folklore works written in this town. His visit to the Pochaiv Lavra was an important stage in the study and preservation of Orthodox culture in Ukraine.