"Cathedral" is one of the most famous and significant works of Oles Honchar. It is a philosophical novel that examines important social and national issues in terms of the eternal humanistic truths that human civilization must be guided by in order to avoid destruction and annihilation. The events in the novel unfold slowly, without intriguing twists, because the author is primarily interested in the inner world of the characters, their views on the historical past, present and future. The core of the novel is, of course, the cathedral, the image of the cathedral. It unites all the plot nodes of the work. With a breath of beauty and grandeur, the cathedral glorifies some, adds strength and power, and others before him are meager, insignificant. The author urges to cherish and preserve the spiritual treasures, historical, cultural and architectural heritage of Ukrainians. At the same time, the novel debunks such negative manifestations of modernity as bureaucracy, spirituality, nihilistic attitude to Ukrainian culture, the spirit of destruction, neglect of folk customs, folk songs, feelings of patriotism.
