Exhibition on Ukraine
July 15 through September 15, 2026
Saint-Front Cathedral, Place de la Clautre, 24000 – Périgueux
At the crossroads of the Catholic and Orthodox worlds, and of Slavic and Byzantine traditions, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has a rich and complex history. This exhibition invites you to explore it.
On Europe’s eastern border, Ukraine has been rooted in Slavic culture and Byzantine Christianity since the 9th century. The Church emerged within Kievan Rus’, an East Slavic principality, and grew alongside the history of that region. At the crossroads of influences from Constantinople, Rome, and Moscow, this position shaped a unique rite and spirituality. Though often marked by divisions, the Church of Kyiv remains driven by a desire for unity.
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church holds a unique place. As the successor to the Church founded in Kyiv, which was united with Rome in the 16th century, it preserves its own rite and liturgy. Often persecuted throughout its history, the Greek Catholic Church has been a cradle of the emergence of Ukrainian national identity and has fought for freedom.
Suppressed for 45 years under Soviet rule, it has experienced a remarkable revival since the 1990s. In the war with Russia, the Greek Catholic Church provides social and spiritual support for the benefit of all. This exhibition invites us to discover its tumultuous history and, through it, the history of Ukraine as a whole.
