Charter of Peter I arrives in Ukraine, attests to annexation of Ukrainian Local Church by Moscow

On April 13, a charter of Peter I, which testifies to the annexation of the Ukrainian Local Church by Moscow, was brought to Ukraine. This was announced by the Minister of Culture of Ukraine Yevheniy Nyshchuk on his Facebook page. The relic was sent to St Sophia of Kyiv Reserve.

“This is an extraordinary event tonight – a unique cultural value has arrived from Germany in Ukraine, a historical document – a Charter of Peter I. My Deputy, Tamara Mazur, and I personally met the artifact at Boryspil International Airport,” he said.

According to Nyshchuk, the artifact dates back to 1708. During the Second World War, the document was lost, and from the end of the 1950s it was kept in the library of the Institute of East European History and Local History at the University of Tübingen (Baden-Württemberg).

“This is a really interesting hand-written parchment measuring 80 by 58 cm in a silver-gold-plated frame. Upon return, the document was sent to St Sophia of Kyiv National Reserve, where we will soon exhibit the Charter for viewing,” the Minister added.

He thanked the researchers who found and studied the cultural relic, and all those who worked on the return of the unique document to Ukraine.

“According to historians, this document is an eloquent testimony to the annexation of the Ukrainian Local Church by Muscovy, since it contains a warning by Peter I that Moscow had strong fears that Kyiv Metropolis will return under the rule of Constantinople,” Nyshchuk wrote.