On January 1, 2021, the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity initiated a new tradition of honoring the Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred.
The Bell of Dignity on the Alley of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes will ring on the birthday of each Hero.
At noon, on the Birthday of a Hero of the Heavenly Hundred, one can find a Hero's portrait and a fresh flower near the Bell of Dignity. The Bell chimes, and visitors of a Memorial Space can learn more about the fallen participant of the Revolution of Dignity from their short biography on the portrait.
Employees of the National Museum of the Revolution of Dignity are the ones installing portraits and fresh flowers.
Friends and relatives of the fallen Heros, other participants of the Revolution of Dignity, volunteers, and members of the general public are usually part of the commemoration of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes.
Location: 6, Heavenly Hundred Heroes Alley (closest to the upper exit of the Khreshchatyk metro).
The purpose of this tradition is to honor the memory of everyone who gave their life for the ideas of the Maidan. By gifting flowers, we express our gratitude to the Heavenly Hundred Heroes for their civic choice, courage, and self-sacrifice.
Another important purpose of this commemorative practice is to institutionalize the collective memory of crucial events, such as the Revolution of Dignity, to strengthen moral ties between representatives of various social groups, and to expand the available forms of commemoration.
The Bell of Dignity
The 70-kilogram Bell was installed on the territory of the future Heavenly Hundred Heroes Memorial next to the chapel of St. Michael the Archangel and the Ukrainian New Martyrs. Like the wooden cross and chapel at the site of the shootings, the Bell next to the stele with portraits of the killed protesters marks the feat of the Heroes and the victory of the Ukrainian people.
The Bell of Dignity was consecrated and opened on December 1, 2020. It is a special day in Ukrainian history.
On December 1, 1991, 90% of Ukrainians in a referendum in the then-Ukrainian SSR supported the Act of Independence of Ukraine.
In 2013, on December 1, according to historians and publicists, Euromaidan turned into the Revolution of Dignity. On that day, 500,000 to a million people came to the center of Kyiv, demanding not only European integration but also punishment for those violently beating and dispersing the protesters at night.
Video from the opening of the Bell.