A sudden downpour that helped save one of Ukraine's most sacred sites from destruction has been described as a miracle by a bishop who witnessed the aftermath of a Russian attack on Kyiv.
The Dormition Cathedral at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, a UNESCO World Heritage Site dating back to the 11th century, was set ablaze during one of the heaviest Russian air attacks on the Ukrainian capital in two weeks early on Monday morning. Ten people were killed across the nation, according to authorities.
The Times reports that Bishop Avramiy, the Bishop of Boryspil and vicar of the cathedral, had been asleep in the ancient monastery when the attack began.
"When I looked out of the window, the flames engulfed the domes," he told the newspaper.
Around 20 fire engines rushed to the site as monks ran into the burning cathedral to rescue ancient icons and artefacts.
Bishop Avramiy added: "It was a miracle. Right after the strike it started to rain. At first, the rain was quiet and calm, but later, as the fire began to spread, the rain started to pour down. In this we see God's blessing.
"The Russians wanted to destroy this cathedral and they failed because the heavens themselves helped the firefighters extinguish the flames."
The leader of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church in the UK has condemned the strike.
In a statement, Bishop Kenneth Nowakowsk, the Eparchial Bishop of the Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of the Holy Family of London said the attack was "an affront not only to people of faith but to global human civilisation itself," adding that it was "a systematic attempt to erase Ukrainian identity, language and spiritual heritage".
He added: “The continued, unrelenting bombardment of Ukraine’s cities, civilian infrastructure, and sacred spaces by Russian forces serves as a harrowing reminder of the cruelty driving this war of aggression.
"The devastating overnight strike on the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, which set the historic 11th-century Dormition Cathedral ablaze, represents a direct assault on the spiritual soul and cultural heritage of the Ukrainian people, not only for the Orthodox World but for Ukrainians throughout the world.“
He called on the international community to condemn the attacks and asked British believers in particular to stand with them.
"We ask the faithful across the United Kingdom to intensify their prayers for a true, lasting peace founded on justice. The systematic attempt to erase Ukrainian identity, language, and spiritual heritage must fail."
Ukraine's leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy described it on X as "one of Russia's most serious crimes against Christian culture to date".
Bishop Nicholas Hudson, Bishop of Plymouth and chair of the department for international affairs of the Bishops’ Conference also offered his prayerful solidarity with Britain’s Ukrainian Catholic community:
“This iconic church is not just bricks and mortar – it is a place that carries the memory, identity and soul of the Ukrainian people, connecting generations through faith and shared history.“
The Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra or "Monastery of the Caves" as it is known, is one of the most sacred sites in all of Eastern Christianity, and the Dormition Cathedral is its centrepiece.
The complex grew out of caves dug into the hillside above the Dnipro river in the 1050s by a monk called Anthony, who retreated there to pray in solitude and was followed by other monks becoming a network of underground tunnels used for prayer, meditation, and eventually as burial chambers for saints.
The Dormition Cathedral itself was built in 1070s–1080s and is dedicated to death and assumption of the Virgin Mary.