Lviv’s traditional Christmas festivities this year  included a charity arts auction organised by students from the Lviv Banking University and entitled  “Hope”. The event featured numerous works of art  which had been donated by prominent Ukrainian  celebrities, artists and political leaders coming under the auctioneer’s hammer, with all proceeds from  this year’s event going towards funding of a special  church of national memory which is planned for the  village of Kuty in Lviv Oblast. The event, which was held amid the splendour of Lviv’s Pototsky Palace,  was attended by various Lviv businessmen and politicians,  raising UAH 170,000, which is thought to be  more than half the total sum required to construct  the wooden church of national memory.