Reality of the war in Ukraine comes to small communities in Alberta

Since the start of its escalated invasion of Ukraine on February 24, 2022, the Russian military has destroyed, damaged, and devastated over 600 places of worship in Ukraine. Two years later, in partnership with the Maidan Museum in Kyiv, CIUS was honoured to host the exhibition “Destroyed Temples of Ukraine,” a visual exposition of places of worship that were damaged and disfigured by Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine. These beautiful photographs depict the haunted state of many of Ukraine’s brutalized churches, synagogues, and mosques, revealing the deliberate and indiscriminate destruction unleashed in war.

“It is not normal to see places of worship transformed into battlefields. It is also about the contrasting attitudes of Ukrainians and Russians toward sacredness, which are so vivid from the evidence we gathered during our field research. This is the story we want to share—not only about the damage being done but also the absolutely different worldviews that Ukrainians and Russians have on churches and spiritual life,” declared Dr. Ihor Poshyvailo, director of the Maidan Museum.

This summer, the “Destroyed Temples of Ukraine” exhibit was housed at the Basilian Fathers Museum in Mundare, Alberta. The museum’s curator, Dr. Karen Lemiski, described how deeply the exhibit impacted visitors:

“Overall, our visitors are…shocked by the images, not realizing that this sort of damage has happened [in Ukraine]. As you know, the media hasn’t really been covering this. Almost everyone is saddened to see the destruction of these important religious, cultural, and historical buildings. Many comment that it is hard to imagine they will ever be restored—who would fund this? Who would be available to do the work, with so many people having left? And with all the other buildings destroyed, how would this be prioritized? Some people ask about the current number that have now been damaged/destroyed. And honestly, a few have walked out, saying they just can’t bear to look at the images… All in all, it has been very well received [at our museum].”

“Destroyed Temples of Ukraine” is on display at the Basilian Fathers Museum (Mundare, AB) from 17 July until 10 October 2024.

Karen talks about the exhibit in the September edition of the Vegreville Advertiser:

Read it here
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“Destroyed Temples of Ukraine” has been made possible through a partnership between CIUS (RPRC), Національний музей Революції Гідності • Maidan Museum, and the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada (SSHRC).