The Cherkasy Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church plans to appeal the decision to seize the Trinity Church in Gelmyazovo

The congregation of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) in the village of Gelmyazov intends to appeal the court ruling ordering the transfer of the Trinity Church to state ownership. According to an SPZ correspondent, the legal department of the Cherkasy Diocese considers the verdict unfounded and in violation of current legislation.

According to the diocese’s position, the faithful have been using the building for more than 30 years. In 1990, when the building was transferred to the community, it was in a state of disrepair. Furthermore, parishioners used their own funds to purchase another building for the local museum, which had previously been housed in the church. In 2014, the community officially registered ownership of the property, citing the Civil Code of Ukraine and the relevant law on the protection of cultural heritage.

In its argument, the prosecutor’s office cites the absence of data in the 2014 registry and old Soviet documents from 1979, completely ignoring the fact that the church was officially included in the state register of monuments only in 2023 by Cabinet of Ministers Resolution No. 693. The diocese emphasizes that no criminal cases were opened regarding the alleged forgery of documents, and that the trial court ignored the parish’s diligent maintenance of the building over the course of decades.

Currently, the parish—whose rector is actively involved in volunteer work—continues to hold divine services and is preparing to file an appeal to defend its property rights.

As a reminder, we previously reported that government authorities continue to expropriate churches belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. This time, the expropriation affected the St. Peter and Paul Church, an architectural monument of national significance located in the village of Moysovka in the Cherkasy region.