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The Independent UK
The Independent UK
National
Hanna Arhirova

Ukrainians celebrate Orthodox Christmas in reclaimed church

Copyright 2023 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Packing Kyiv's 1,000-year-old Lavra Cathedral for Orthodox Christmas, hundreds of worshippers heard the service in that church in the Ukrainian language for the first time in decades, a demonstration of independence from the Russian Orthodox Church.

Richly decorated with golden icons and panels, the cathedral — part of the complex known as the Monastery of the Caves and a UNESCO World Heritage Site — put up a video screen outside for the overflow of worshipers, despite the frigid temperatures of -10 Celsius (14 F).

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