The state transferred the historic church in Lviv region into communal ownership due to inability to maintain it

The historical church, located in Ushnya village, Zolochevsky district, Lviv region, which has been abandoned since the 1990s, will be transferred to the communal ownership of the territorial community. This decision, taken at the initiative of the prosecutor’s office, is aimed at preserving the building, which is part of the cultural heritage of the region, and preventing its further destruction.

As zaxid.net reports with reference to the Lviv Regional Prosecutor’s Office, the transfer of the building was announced on March 6. After the object was registered as ownerless property more than a year ago and no one claimed rights to it, Zolochevska District Prosecutor’s Office applied to the court with a corresponding request. The court fully satisfied this request, which opens the way for the transfer of the church to the management of the community.

The neo-Baroque mural structure was erected in 1901. The facade of the church is decorated with sculptures of St. Peter, St. Paul and St. Joseph, and on the roof there is a signature. The total area of the church is 195 square meters, and its estimated cost is about 2 million hryvnias. Long years of neglect led to the gradual destruction of the building, which has been empty since the 1990s.

Ushnya village has a rich history, the first mention of which dates back to 1452. In different historical periods the village was a part of the White Stone and was in the possession of the Vishnevetsky princes. At the turn of XIX-XX centuries the population of Ushnya was characterized by religious diversity: the majority of residents (1408 people) professed Roman Catholicism, there were also Greek Catholics (579 people) and Jews (87 people).

We shall remind you that earlier we reported that while a wave of expropriation of church property from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is taking place all over the country, in Halychchyna local authorities are transferring another real estate to Ukrainian Greek Catholics. In Ternopil region, the historical complex of the Bernardine monastery of the XVII-XVIII centuries was transferred to the local community of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The decision on the gratuitous transfer for a period of 10 years was made by the Ternopil Regional Military Administration after coordination with the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.