The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine Took Part in Handing Over a Rare Old Printed Book with Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi’s Autograph to the National Museum in Lviv

The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine took part in the ceremony of handing over to the National Museum in Lviv of a unique cultural treasure – a prayer book “Trebnyk” (1844) with Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi’s autograph.

Acting Minister of Culture and Strategic Communications of Ukraine Tetiana Berezhna thanked everyone involved in the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine’s multi-stage special operation which resulted in the returning of the old book.

“There are things that have no price, because they unite generations, speak to us in the voices of our ancestors and remind us who we are. The “Trebnyk” signed by Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytskyi is exactly that kind of an artifact. Its journey home is a story of faith, memory and great teamwork. I am grateful to the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine and all those who made efforts to bring this relic back to the territory of our country,” emphasized Tetiana Berezhna.

“The Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine continues systemic work to  return stolen cultural property. The unique old printed book we have returned is the result of a complex long-term multi-stage operation of the Service. We are not only defending the state today – we are returning its historical memory. And this work will continue,” pointed out Oleh Aleksandrov, a representative of the Foreign Intelligence Service of Ukraine.

“This book is a great gift to mark the 120th anniversary of the founding of the Museum by Andrey Sheptytskyi and the 160th anniversary of the Metropolitan’s birth. It reminds us that his spiritual and cultural heritage lives on not only within the walls of the Museum, but also in everyone who values Ukrainian art, faith, and memory,” said Director General of the Andrey Sheptytskyi National Museum in Lviv Ihor Kozhan.

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