The court obliged the UOC to return the complex of the Epiphany Monastery in Kremenets to the state

The Western Economic Court of Appeal has ruled to oblige the Epiphany Women’s Monastic Community of the Ternopil diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to return the complex of buildings of the Holy Epiphany Monastery in the town of Kremenets to state ownership. According to Ukrinform, citing data from the Kremenets-Pochayiv State Historical and Architectural Reserve, the cultural heritage object with a total area of 3,218 square meters should be transferred to the operational management of the reserve.

The complex, which has the status of an architectural monument of national importance, includes the Epiphany Church of 1760, the building of cells of 1760 and the bell tower of the XX century. The term of the agreement on the gratuitous use of these objects by the Holy Epiphany Nunnery of the Ternopil-Kremenets Eparchy of the UOC expired in September 2023. Despite the lack of legal grounds for further stay on the territory of the monument, representatives of the religious organization evaded the transfer of the property to the “legal balance holder”.

The court proceedings in this case lasted almost three years. According to Igor Derevinskiy, deputy director of the reserve, more than 40 court sessions were held during this time, which was caused by attempts of the defendant to delay the process with the help of various procedural tools. The final decision of the court of appeal confirmed the right of the state to own the complex.

Earlier, the Ternopil Regional Prosecutor’s Office initiated an investigation to expropriate in favor of the state a land plot of 12 hectares on which the monastery complex of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – the Holy Assumption Pochaev Lavra – is located. In the opinion of the prosecutor’s office, the transfer of the land to the monastery was carried out in violation of the law, in connection with which the agency is preparing a lawsuit.