The main military Church of Ukraine will be consecrated on the Intercession of the Theotokos in Kharkiv

According to the acting chairman of the Kharkiv Regional State Administration Oleksandr Skakun, the opening of the church is planned for March 26, 2022. The consecration of the church will be led by Metropolitan Epifaniy. As the Charity Foundation "Ukraine XXI" told Depo.Kharkiv, the church will be opened not only for military personnel but also for civilian pilgrims.

"The closest Ukrainian church to the state border with the Russian Federation, located on the territory of the military, is a new architectural symbol of our history, war and dignity. This will be another parish of the OCU in Kharkiv with the status of stavropegia, which reports directly to the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine," the report says.

The project of building such a modern church as the Church of St. George the Trophy-Bearer has no analogues not only in Ukraine but also in Europe.

This project of businessmen-patrons from Kharkiv Vsevolod Kozhemyak, Igor Brahunsky and Taras Sitenko is being created in partnership with the National Guard of Ukraine and the Orthodox Church of Ukraine.

"The church will host divine services — evening and morning liturgies every day. The temple will also be open to civilians. But first of all, it is built for the needs of military personnel. Because the military is not only a profession but also a way of life. There will also be special services: blessing flags, weapons," says the rector of the church, Father Mykhailo.

The main authors of the project were invited architect, director of LLC "Institute Kharkivproekt" Yuriy Spasov and Oleksiy Chekal, artist, author of the graphic style of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine, researcher of sacred art. It was this creative tandem that realized the main idea of the new iconic church: to serve as an architectural symbol of our history and spirituality, which originate in ancient Christian traditions, and to combine traditions with modernity. Thus, the architectural solution is based on the traditions of ancient Orthodox architecture and wooden church architecture of the Cossack era. The lower tier of the temple is built of concrete, resembling a checkpoint, decorated with elements from melted ammunition casings that were used in the war zone, and symbolizes our military valor. Vertical parts of tiers made of glass are designed to be associated with openness and cleanliness.

Leading artists of Ukraine joined the work on the church, including Oleksandr Klimenko, an icon painter who writes on the boards of shell boxes; sculptors Evgeny Polunin and Sergey Shaulis; Mykhailo Khymyh, a graphic artist, engraver student of Georgy Yakutovich; Hamlet Zinkovsky known for his street artworks; Roman Minin, a muralist, graphic artist.

According to the plan, the interior of the church will be completed in January next year, and by August 2022 the church will be painted and decorated with icons.