Supreme Court denies UOC the right to use Chernihiv Cathedral

On November 26, 2024, the Supreme Court of Ukraine issued a decision dismissing the claim of the Chernihiv Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church regarding the right to use the 11th-century Transfiguration Cathedral, which the state had previously expropriated from the Church. This is reported by the official website of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.

It is reported that the proceedings in the case lasted for more than a year and a half in courts of various instances. However, the final decision in favor of the National Architectural and Historical Reserve “Chernihiv Ancient” confirmed the position of the Ministry of Culture and Strategic Communications on the expropriation of religious buildings used by religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

As reported, on November 22, 2024, the head of the OCU Epiphany Dumenko visited Chernihiv, where he visited the Transfiguration and Holy Trinity Cathedrals of Chernihiv, which were taken away by the state from the Chernihiv Diocese of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church and turned into museums. Dumenko said that the OCU would claim these churches, despite the fact that the Chernihiv Ancient Historical and Architectural Reserve has repeatedly reported that they do not plan to transfer the cathedrals taken from the UOC to religious organizations.