In Sophia of Kyiv, archaeologists found the relics of Archbishop Raphael Zaborovskyi, which were considered destroyed by the Soviet authorities.
This was reported by the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy.
"The construction work that took place in Kyiv under Archbishop Raphael can be compared in scale and significance only with the era of Hetman Ivan Mazepa. It is significant that right now we have solved the mystery and will be able to properly assess the contribution of both the Metropolitan of Kyiv and Ukrainian scientists. After all, they, often at the cost of their lives, preserved Ukrainian history and spirituality," said Minister of Culture and Information Policy Oleksandr Tkachenko.
The remains of the metropolitan were open for inspection in the underground crypt of St. Sophia Cathedral. In the middle of the XIX century, the entrance to the metropolitan crypt was closed with cast iron slabs.
The ministry notes that until recently it was believed that Raphael Zaborovskyiʼs bones were kept in the reserveʼs funds, but were destroyed during the Soviet era with the wording — "have no scientific value." But research in recent months has completely refuted these notions.
Raphael Zaborovskyi — Metropolitan of Kyiv in the middle of the XVIII century. During Zaborovskyiʼs time, St. Andrewʼs Church, the bell tower of the Kyiv-Pechersk Monastery, the Old Academic Building of the Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, the Greek Catherineʼs Monastery in Podil, the bell tower and walls of St. Sophia, the Gate of Zaborovskyi and the Metropolitan Palace in the courtyard of St. Sophia Cathedral were established, built or restored.