Pagan priests killing the first Kyivan Christians in the temple of Perun 1803

Orest Kiprensky made this graphite drawing titled *Pagan priests killing the first Kyivan Christians in the temple of Perun.* Kiprensky created this drawing in the early 19th century, a time of growing national awareness in Ukraine. It depicts a dramatic clash between pagan and Christian beliefs. We see pagan priests in the act of sacrificing early Kyivan Christians in the temple of Perun. The drawing acts as a window into the complexities of cultural identity. Kiprensky seems to highlight themes of religious conflict, resistance, and the struggle for cultural dominance. These acts of violence reflect a society grappling with the transition from ancient traditions to new religious and cultural norms. Kiprensky invites us to reflect on the human cost of ideological conflict, asking us to confront the ways in which societies negotiate their identities in the face of change.