There are times, as a writer, when words fail you. When they are inadequate and pale. When you know the language to capture beauty or describe emotion is beyond the grasp of your imagination and typing fingers.
So, I am mentally speechless now as I try to describe the first time I stepped inside Dormition Cathedral, the centerpiece of the Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv. I can’t describe its beauty.
“Magnificent” seems too mild a word. I can only say how small I felt before the enormity of the three-story altar wall and the frescoes on the stanchions that soared to the dome paintings. And humbled, dull and untalented as I admired the vibrant colors of icons and the intricate golden frames of lace around them.
The interior of Dormition Cathedral is seen on Jan. 7, 2023, in Kyiv, Ukraine. For the first time, the head of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine held a service in Dormition Cathedral, which was recently returned to the state from the lease of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. (Photo: Photo
