A court transferred a Catholic church in the Lviv region to municipal ownership

The Pustomyty District Court of Lviv Oblast has transferred the dilapidated Roman Catholic Church of St. Mary Magdalene in the village of Volkov to municipal ownership. The decision was made in response to a lawsuit filed by the regional prosecutor’s office and is intended to allow local authorities to manage the building and organize its restoration. This was reported by Zaxid.net.

According to the court ruling, the church, built in the 1920s, has been transferred to the Solonkyivska territorial community. The ruling was issued on October 26, 2026, at the initiative of the regional prosecutor’s office. The transfer was formalized with the aim of further restoring the historic structure.

The church was built between 1924 and 1929. The building, with an area of more than 423 square meters, is considered one of the most striking examples of Art Deco architecture in the region and is included in the register of monuments of local significance.

Currently, the church is in a state of disrepair: approximately 70% of the roof has collapsed, and the brick vaults, ceilings, and floor are damaged. It is noted that the church has not been in use since the 1990s, and no restoration work has been carried out for a long time.

Previously, the monument was registered as abandoned property because no one had claimed ownership of it within a year; however, the building was never officially transferred to municipal ownership. The prosecutor’s office believes that transferring ownership of the property to the community will allow local authorities to secure funding and prevent the complete destruction of this historic structure.

As a reminder, we previously reported that state 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.