On July 31, Acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine, Tetiana Berezhna, officially handed over a significant cultural relic – the prayer book “Trebnyk” from 1844 with the autograph of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky to the National Museum named after him in Lviv.
This was reported on the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications' Facebook page.
This ancient book was returned to Ukraine as a result of a long-term special operation by the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service. According to Tetiana Berezhna, this is an extremely important artifact with great symbolic meaning for Ukrainian culture and historical memory.
“There are things that are priceless because they unite generations, speak to us with the voices of our ancestors, and remind us who we are. The “Trebnyk” with the autograph of Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky is one such artifact. Its journey home is a story of faith, memory, and collaborative effort. I am grateful to the Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service and all those who worked to ensure this relic is back in our country,” said Berezhna.
The prayer book contains a personal inscription signed by Andrey Sheptytsky. “Proposed at the time of the canonical visitation in 1902, on the 10th of May in the village of Kosteniv.” This indicates that the Metropolitan used this book during his canonical visitation to the village of Kosteniv in Lviv Oblast in May 1902.
Oleg Alexandrov, a representative of the Foreign Intelligence Service, emphasized that the operation to return the relic was complex and lengthy:
“The Ukrainian Foreign Intelligence Service continues its systematic work on the return of stolen cultural values. The unique ancient print we returned is the result of a challenging multi-step operation. We are not only protecting the state today – we are restoring its historical memory. This work will continue,” he stated.
According to Ihor Kozhan, the museum's director, the “Trebnyk” was lost during World War II due to the looting of a church – part of the church archive was destroyed or scattered. Now the relic has come home.
“This book is a wonderful gift for the 120th anniversary of the museum’s founding by Andrey Sheptytsky and the 160th anniversary of his birth. It serves as a reminder that his spiritual and cultural legacy lives not only within the museum's walls but also in everyone who values Ukrainian art, faith, and memory,” Kozhan emphasized.
