St. Nicholas Church to be Transferred to the Catholic Community

The National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine may soon vacate St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv. After years of legal uncertainty, the Pechersk District Court of the capital has lifted the arrest on a building complex designated for the institution’s relocation — including a wing of the former October Palace, now known as the International Center of Culture and Arts. This was reported by the news portal uazmi.org.

This court decision clears the way for the full transfer of the church to the Roman Catholic community, which has been the sole user of the building since 2022 under an official agreement. However, the legal transfer of the church could not proceed until the issue with the House of Music was resolved, as Ukrainian law prohibits evicting cultural institutions without providing them with an equivalent facility.

«The authorities have repeatedly promised to resolve the issue, and now the process has finally moved forward,» representatives of the Roman Catholic Church stated.

The Presidium of the Federation of Trade Unions of Ukraine, which owns the building of the October Palace, agreed back in June 2023 to transfer one of its wings free of charge for the House of Music’s use. However, the building’s arrest blocked the implementation of that agreement. Only now, following the relevant court ruling, has the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy been able to begin the practical relocation process.

It is planned that the House of Music will be equipped with a new stage and appropriate infrastructure, after which the Ministry will be able to legally finalize the transfer of St. Nicholas Church to the Catholic community.

As a reminder, on June 5, 2025, the Court of Appeal in Dnipro upheld the decision of the court of first instance to transfer St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to the permanent and free use of the Roman Catholic parish community. In doing so, the court affirmed the right of Roman Catholic believers to reclaim one of Ukraine’s main Catholic churches — a matter under consideration at various levels of government for more than two decades.