Cathedral To Be Returned To Armenian Community in Lviv

04.10.2002, 13:01

The Armenian Cathedral in Lviv will be returned in its entirety to the local Armenian community by the middle of 2003. This was announced at a meeting held on 2 October 2002. Myron Yankiv, head of the Lviv regional administration, Archbishop Gregory Buniatian, head of the Ukrainian eparchy of the Armenian Apostolic Church, and other representatives of the Armenian community were in attendance.

Archbishop Gregory believes that the transfer of the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God is the most important issue for the Armenian community today. The depository of the National Museum, with a unique collection of 10 thousand items of Ukrainian art, has occupied the church building since the end of World War Two. The chapel of the cathedral building was returned to the community in the 1990s and services are now held there. According to Vasyl Bilous, head of the Department on Religious Matters, over the last few years about 5 thousand art items have been transferred to new depository buildings. Another depository is currently under reconstruction, and so the rest of the cathedral building should be returned by the middle of 2003.