The Kobzar’s Last Journey: A Touching Project to Mark the 165th Anniversary of Shevchenko’s Reburial Presented in Ukraine

In the spring of 2026, Ukraine will celebrate 165 years since the commemoration and reburial of Taras Shevchenko. On this occasion, the Mykola Tomenko Foundation “Ridna Kraina”, in cooperation with the Kyiv National University of Civil Engineering and Architecture, is implementing a large-scale project titled “The Last Path of Taras Shevchenko”.

The initiative’s main task is to recall the path the Kobzar took and honor the places that witnessed his last journey.

From March 10 to May 22, numerous commemorative events will be held across Ukraine. One of the most significant events will be the installation of copies of Shevchenko’s death mask, which will be placed in the churches where Ukrainians said goodbye to the poet during his transportation from St. Petersburg to Kanev. These masks were made by famous sculptors Oles Sydoruk and Borys Krylov. As Mykola Tomenko noted, this project was made possible thanks to the cooperation with the clergy of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in Podil, which played an important role in the farewell to the Kobzar in Kyiv.

Taras’s path to eternal rest was not easy. He died on March 10, 1861, in St. Petersburg, where he was initially buried. However, his friends fulfilled the poet’s wish to be buried on Ukrainian soil. Only 58 days after his death was it possible to obtain permission to transport his body. The body had to be transported through many cities and villages – from Glukhov to Kyiv, and from there by steamer “Kremenchuk” to Kanev, where, on May 22, Shevchenko finally rested on Chernecha Gora.

The commemoration of Taras on May 22 became an important national-patriotic event that the Soviet authorities sought to influence through arrests and restrictions. However, for Ukrainians, this day has always been a symbol of resistance and unity. Despite the ban, people continued to visit the monuments to the Kobzar, and after the restoration of Independence, the tradition of walking from the Assumption Cathedral to the poet’s grave found new life.

Mykola Tomenko recalls that in 2005, at his initiative, the entire state leadership walked Shevchenko’s last path on foot, paying tribute to the outstanding poet. He calls: “Let us remember our history! Let us honor our Prophets!”

The project “The Last Path of Taras Shevchenko” invites each of us to remember once again the connection with the man who gave Ukrainians a voice and faith in truth, strength, and freedom.