Creative heritage of Taras Shevchenko in life and activity of Symon Petliura

The purpose of the article is to highlight one of the features of many-sided personality of the Head of the Directorate and the Chief Ataman of the troops of Ukrainian People's Republic Symon Petliura as a passionate expert of Taras Shevchenko's works, a great admirer and popularizer of creative legacy of Taras Shevchenko; to show his contribution into the process of preservation and arrangement of Kobzar's grave and foundation of the Museum-Memorial Complex Taras Hill in Kaniv, where the national genius and the prophet Taras Shevchenko after long wandering returned to Ukraine in a coffin and on May 22, 1861 was re-buried there; to make actual the problem of reburial of Symon Petliura's remains on the Chernecha Hill. Methodology of the article consists of combination of methods: dialectical, analytical, historical, biographical and comparative one. Abovementioned methodological approaches allowed showing Symon Petliura as an expert of Shevchenko's heritage and his role as a co-founder of the National Shevchenko Reserve. Scientific novelty of the article lies in the fact that the author could expand the idea about Symon Petliura as an expert of Shevchenko's works, a passionate admirer and popularizer of Kobzar's creative legacy, giving accent to actual problems of his role in foundation of Shevchenko Reserve in Kaniv and making actual the problem of returning of the remains of Symon Petliura, who was killed and buried in a foreign land, in Montparnasse Cemetery in Paris, and his remains need to be returned to the native land – Ukraine. Conclusions. Symon Petliura appreciated greatly the creative heritage of Taras Shevchenko, with great piety spoke about the genius and his talent in his political essays, reports and speeches. He initiated and took part in the events commemorating Kobzar and made epochal contribution into the process of preservation and arrangement of Kobzar's grave and foundation of the National holy place – Museum-Memorial Complex Taras Hill on the Chernecha Hill in Kaniv. Thus, Chernecha Hill connected lives of two glorious sons of Ukraine – national prophet Taras Shevchenko and national hero Symon Petliura.