The State Has Not Resumed Restoration of the OCU Church in Sedniv

In the village of Sedniv, Chernihiv region, the St. George Church—under the jurisdiction of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine—is deteriorating due to the destructive effects of precipitation. The site has the status of a national heritage monument, yet restoration work, which began in 2008, was suspended and has not been resumed since. According to the church cleric Tymon Blynets, no decisions or actions have been taken by the state. The building remains in an emergency condition. This was reported by the regional outlet CheLine.

The church was presumably built before 1747. It is also known that scenes of the Soviet film Viy were shot there. The building is constructed in the traditional style of Ukrainian wooden sacral architecture, without the use of nails. Due to the absence of water drainage, rainwater penetrates inside, causing the walls to absorb moisture and the foundation to erode.

“We are now going to repair two porches with our own efforts and with support from the National Council of Women of Ukraine, which helped us purchase metal to reinforce the porch. We’ll still need wood, varnish… We’ll have to ask people for donations again. It’s very difficult to handle everything ourselves, but we have to do it. Who else, if not us? We tried to apply for a grant from the U.S. Embassy, but the plan didn’t succeed. All U.S. charitable aid has been suspended for now. So we carry this cross ourselves, and with the ongoing war, we understand that all efforts are now focused on supporting the Armed Forces,” said the OCU cleric.

Earlier we reported that on June 28, 2024, the Spaso-Preobrazhensky Cathedral in Chernihiv—seized from the Ukrainian Orthodox Church’s Chernihiv diocese in October 2023—was “opened” in museum format. It is reported that entrance will now be ticketed, and liturgical services are no longer planned there.