One of the most renowned works of Modest Sosenko is the murals of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary Church in the village of Slavske, created in the 1910s together with the artist’s student, Julian Butsmaniuk. In 2019, the murals were completely destroyed by local residents, led by the UGCC priest Andriy Petryshyn.

On May 12–13, researchers and the public tried to convince the parish priest and the community to preserve the murals, emphasizing their exceptional artistic value. The Regional Department for the Protection of Cultural Heritage issued an order to halt the work due to the church’s status as an architectural monument. However, the community and priest ignored the order. By May 15, the church’s interiors had been completely destroyed. Decorative tiles by Ivan Levynskyi were also demolished, replaced with modern bathroom tiles, and the interior was covered with low-quality polychromy.

The iconostasis was dismantled but fortunately saved. After being restored by the Lviv branch of the Restoration Center, it was returned to the community, as the monument is their property. According to various estimates, approximately 100–150 residents of Slavske participated in the destruction of the heritage site. None of the individuals involved in this crime have been held accountable.

Mykhailo Skop