A spiritual and artistic event “Prayer to Ukraine” was held on the square near the monument to Taras Shevchenko.
Today, 15 July, Ukraine is celebrating its Statehood Day for the third time amid a full-scale war. To mark the occasion, a solemn event, Prayer to Ukraine, was held at the monument to Taras Shevchenko in Lviv.
Creative teams from the region, clergy, government officials and the public gathered in the centre of Lviv. Rectors of churches of different denominations prayed for peace in Ukraine. The military orchestra of the Hetman Petro Sahaidachny National Army Academy performed patriotic songs for all those present.
“The Day of Ukrainian Statehood symbolically coincided with the anniversary of the Baptism of Kyivan Rus. It was from the time of Volodymyr the Great and his ancestors that modern Ukraine paved the way for the development of the country, and we still feel this historical connection. Today’s holiday once again reminds us of the price at which our country has fought for its right to exist for thousands of years. Our soldiers are now fighting for the same right on the front line,” said Andrii Godyk, First Deputy Head of the Lviv Regional Military Administration.
Statehood Day is a relatively young holiday established by Presidential Decree in 2021. This day is intended to remind us of the thousand-year history of Ukrainian statehood, which dates back to the times of Kyivan Rus. Last year, we celebrated the holiday on 28 July, and this year, due to the transition of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine and the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to a new calendar style, we celebrated it two weeks earlier.