A petition to demolish Archangel Michael monument published on KCC website

Archangel Michael on the Lyadsky Gate. Photo: news.church.ua

A petition has appeared on the website of the Kyiv City Council demanding the removal of the monument to Archangel Michael from Independence Square.

The author of the petition believes that the symbol given to us by Catherine II should be removed from the central square of the capital.

"It is necessary to remove the symbol given to us by Moscow's Catherine II in 1782. It is timely because now we are reclaiming our own, original symbols! Guided by the Law of Ukraine 'On Condemning and Prohibiting the Propaganda of Russian Imperial Politics in Ukraine and Decolonizing Toponymy' No. 3005-IX dated March 21, 2023, the symbol of Kyiv introduced by the Russian Empire must disappear from our central square!" explain the authors of the petition.

They propose to replace the monument to Archangel Michael with a statue of the Virgin Mary or Archangel Gabriel.

"The Virgin Mary has been the Intercessor of Ukraine for centuries. She was especially respected by the Cossacks, and most Ukrainian churches are dedicated to the Mother of God. It was Gabriel who brought the Good News and is a powerful protector of Ukraine. Today, we need symbols that are in line with our true Ukrainian history!" wrote the activists.

About a hundred signatures were collected within the first two days out of the necessary 6000.

Archangel Michael is the spiritual patron of the city and has been revered since the baptism of Rus. The first Metropolitan of Kyiv, Michael, blessed the construction of a monastery in honor of Archangel Michael to commemorate the victory over the devil. The grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, Sviatopolk, who bore the Orthodox name Michael, founded the Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral. The love of Kyivans for Archangel Michael has been preserved since princely times, and from the 16th century, this reverence was recorded in the coat of arms of Kyiv voivodeship. In 1995, after the collapse of the USSR, the coat of arms of Kyiv returned the Archangel Michael to its shield. The Archangel is a symbol of the spiritual victory of God over the devil, of Christianity over paganism, of light over darkness.

Earlier, the UOJ published reflections: "Donate for demolishing the church", or What awaits the demolishing nation.

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