CROSS AND HOPE: THE SACRED HERITAGE OF THE GREEKS OF MARIUPOL

The exhibition is dedicated to the history of Mariupol and aims to destroy Soviet and Russian myths. In particular, it focuses on one of the most painful pages in Mariupol's history - from the forced resettlement of the indigenous peoples of Crimea to the Sea of Azov in the 18th century to the violent "liberation" in the 21st century.

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The exhibition was first exhibited from September 27 to November 1 at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra on the occasion of the Hero City Day of Mariupol.

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The exhibition stands reveal the pain of the deportation of Crimean Greeks to the land of the Azov Sea, who went through a thorny path of trials. Now, unfortunately, history is repeating itself. Today, thousands of families from Mariupol and the Azov Sea have been forced to leave their homes because of the war. This exhibition tells the story of the indomitable spirit of Mariupol, where the tragedies of past centuries intersect with the present.

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Among the key artifacts featured on the stands is the 18th-century Shroud , which was brought to Mariupol from Crimea by the Greeks. In early 2022, the relic was undergoing restoration in Kyiv, which is why it survived, unlike most of the exhibits in the Mariupol Museum of Local Lore, which were destroyed by the Russian occupiers.