Ivan Bilas

Ivan Bilas, the Getman of the Ukrainian Cossacks, holds the urn filled by the ground from the Getman Ivan Mazepa's grave under his portrait in t. Baturin, Chernigovska oblast, on Saturday, October 23, 1999. On that day the handing over of the most famous Ukrainian Getman's dust to the Baturinsk-based Museum-Reserve "Getmanska Stolitsa" was carried out. It is planned, to build the new chapel in Baturyn during a year. The urn will be placed chapel. Anatolyi Pitko, a native of t. Galatsa, Romania had brought the urn. The Mazepa's grave had been placed in Romania fore three centuries. During that time the Mazepa's remains were several times thrown out the grave and burnt out, as the ground on that grave was also considered to be his dust. All his lifetime (1644-1709) Mazepa dreamed to join all the Ukrainian regions in one Independent State. After the defeat in the Poltavska Battle (on June 8, 1999) Mazepa and the Swedish king Carl XII, who were allies in the war against Russia, escaped in t. Bendery, Moldova, were he died later on. Photo by Mikhail Markiv/ UNIAN