Government officials are outraged by the refusal of nuns from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to leave the Epiphany Convent in Kremenets

The administration of the Kremenets-Pochayiv State Historical and Architectural Reserve is outraged by the refusal of nuns from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to vacate the complex of buildings belonging to the Holy Epiphany Convent in Kremenets, Ternopil Oblast. The “reserve” claims that the basis for the eviction is a relevant court decision. At the same time, the nuns of the UOC not only live but are also officially registered at the Epiphany Convent, and Ukrainian law prohibits the termination of lease agreements for religious buildings during a period of martial law. This was reported by the Ukrinform news agency.

It is noted that the director of the reserve, Vasyl Ilchyshyn, together with representatives of the State Enforcement Service, visited the monastery to verify compliance with the court ruling. However, on the grounds of the historical monument, they were met by a group of people consisting of the nuns and parishioners of the monastery.

The crowd, “which included many elderly people and minors, shouted curses and insults at the representatives of the reserve and the enforcement officers.” At the same time, as the agency notes, the monastery’s leadership ignored the commission’s visit: the nuns claimed that the abbess was not present and refused to provide her contact information. The “reserve” complains that more than a month has passed since the court ruling ordering the return of the monastery to the state, yet the abbess has still not made contact to begin an “official dialogue.”

The dispute over the Holy Epiphany Convent, which is an architectural monument of national significance, has been ongoing for a long time. The term of the agreement for the free use of the complex expired back in September 2023. The court proceedings lasted nearly three years—a total of more than 40 hearings were held. At present, the religious organization of the Epiphany Convent of the UOC has filed a cassation appeal; however, according to the “reserve’s” leadership, this procedural action does not halt the enforcement proceedings to return the property to state ownership.

It should be recalled that earlier, the Ternopil Regional Prosecutor’s Office initiated an investigation with the aim of expropriating, in favor of the state, a 12-hectare land plot on which the monastery complex of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is located — the Holy Dormition Pochaiv Lavra. According to the prosecutor’s office, the transfer of the land for the monastery’s use was carried out in violation of the law, and the office is therefore preparing a lawsuit.