Pantheon of Ukrainian Heroes could be located on one of Dnipro islands, Memorial of Ukrainian Heroes on Lavra slopes – Alfiorov
Head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Remembrance (UINR), Oleksandr Alfiorov, believes that the National Pantheon of Ukrainian Heroes should be located in Kyiv on an island on the Dnipro River, and the National Memorial of Ukrainian Heroes should be located on the slopes near the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.
"When we talk about the Pantheon, we mean a sacred place where outstanding Ukrainian figures will be immortalized. Let me remind you that we have Petliura and Skoropadsky—the two leaders of independent Ukraine 100 years ago: one is buried in Paris, France, the other in Oberstdorf, Germany. The national pantheon is a very complex story, but it is the end result of memorialization. Totalitarian systems typically place a large object in the center, so that it overwhelms the entire space. Memorialization in Ukraine should not be totalitarian, but thoughtful," Alfiorov said in an exclusive interview with Interfax-Ukraine.
He also emphasized that the pantheon will honor outstanding figures who served in the past, while the Defenders of the Fatherland who gave their lives in today's war must be discussed in the context of the National Memorial to Ukrainian Heroes.
Regarding the Pantheon, the head of the UINR noted that it should not be a walk-through place, but should serve as a space that requires a specific purposeful approach.
"There's an idea to create a National Pantheon of Ukrainian Heroes on one of the islands on the Dnipro River. Dnipro, whose name is over two thousand years old, is the river that gave us an understanding of the unity and depth of our national memory. The island would allow for the creation of new modern architecture, because there can be no talk of a classical structure here; it must have a new form. And it seems to me that one of the symbols around which the Pantheon could be built could be a burial mound," he said, noting that this idea is currently his vision and the vision of several intellectuals.
"But for me, in fact, in this position, it would be, perhaps, a matter of life, if this Pantheon appeared at least in the form in which I see it," Alfiorov emphasized.
As for the National Memorial to Ukrainian Heroes, he said the idea of building it on the slopes near the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra is being discussed.
"This will be a cenotaph—a memorial site without burials. This was the work of, among others, the Lavra's General Director, Maksym Ostapenko, my predecessor, Anton Drobovych, and the Deputy Director of the National Military History Museum of Ukraine, Yaroslav Tynchenko. Creating this near the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is truly a very good idea. The Lavra is a Holy Dormition Lavra: the Dormition of the Virgin Mary is about the cult of the Virgin's death, which symbolizes new life. This is a very sacred story, and I am absolutely in favor of creating a large memorial complex of Defenders there, on the slopes of Dnipro. Such places should be located in open spaces, and Dnipro hills are ideal for this," the head of the UINR stated.
As reported, in 2024, the then head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory, Anton Drobovych, stated that a new landmark site had been found in the center of Kyiv for the National Pantheon of Ukrainian Heroes, but its construction would only be possible after the Ukrainian economy is stabilized.
Former head of the Ukrainian Institute of National Memory and Verkhovna Rada deputy Volodymyr Vyatrovych (European Solidarity faction) believes it is necessary to dismantle the Arch of Friendship of Peoples and erect a National Pantheon of Ukrainian Heroes on its place.
