V&A Opens 'Sacred Treasures from Kyiv' as Symposium Examines Ukraine's Displaced Heritage

Key facts

• Sacred Treasures from Kyiv is on view at the Victoria and Albert Museum, London, until 17 September 2027
• The display features seven 18th-century works from the National Preserve Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, shown in the UK for the first time
• Objects include a 1700 icon made from a single sheet of gilded copper and a 1707 gospel book with a medallion-encrusted cover
• Two pairs of silver-gilt Holy Gates were commissioned by Catherine the Great in 1784, removed by the Soviets in the 1930s, sold by Goldschmidt Galleries to William Randolph Hearst in 1935, and acquired by the Gilberts in the 1970s
• The gates were previously misattributed as Russian rather than Ukrainian
• A symposium on 15 September, Ukrainian Cultural Heritage and UK Institutions: Shifting Perspectives and Practice, addressed conflict's impact on cultural institutions and restitution issues
• Maria Blyzinsky discussed the guide Supporting Decolonisation: Focus on Ukraine, backed by the Ukrainian Institute, Museums Association and British Council
• Curator Alice Minter said displacement's roots predate the 2022 invasion, starting with the Soviet period in the 1920s