Formation of historical memory, inter-denominational understanding on the example of the exhibition and exhibition activity of the Lviv Museum of the History of Religion

The exhibition work of Lviv Museum of History of Religion had been analyzed on an example of a banner exhibition “Repressed church” which is dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the legalization of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC). Exhibition “Repressed church” is divided into several blocks which illustrated prerequisites, reasons and chronology of repressions against the clergy and faithful of UGCC by totalitarian Soviet regime during 1939 – 1989 years. Obviously, not only members of UGCC had been repressed by Stalin’s regime but clergy and members of other religious denominations too. Those repressions are an important component of collective historical memory about World War II and it is aftermath for Ukraine and Ukrainian. Current discussions about collective tragic past of different religious communities in Ukraine, and in museums too, help to create mutual understanding and settles sharp corners towards the ecumenical process.

Lviv Museum of History of Religion achieved a few tasks by representing one of the tragic pages in history of most common Christian denomination in Galicia to wide audience. Primary tasks were enlightenment and popularization. Religious and social reconciliation could be achieved by researching and demonstration of tragic events in period of Soviet pursuit of religious demonstrations which had common character.