What would Christmastide be without a children’s celebration? Since 2014 the Svyatogorsk Lavra has been home to children from communities in the Donbass who obtained refuge from military activity. Some came to the monastery in 2022, some have been living here since birth.

A learning center has been set up in the Lavra to make sure that the young inhabitants of the Lavra are not deprived of the opportunity to receive an education. The children traditionally prepare performances for Christmas and Easter. 

Christmastide of 2024 was no exception. On January 15 the children presented a performance entitled “The Gifts of the Magi” to an audience of refugees living at the Lavra.

On account of the reconstruction of the Lavra’s auditorium, which was damaged by shelling, the performance took place in the pilgrims’ refectory.

So that the children and their parents would have high-quality photos and videos as mementoes of the occasion, the Charity Foundation “Revival of Svyatohirya” acquired the Aputure Light Box 6090 for the monastery. Thanks to this apparatus, the refectory acquired the status of auditorium and it became possible for the monastery’s photographer and camera operator to professionally capture events on film.