"To the applause of the OCU": Chernihiv authorities organize concert with dancing in seized UOC cathedral

on December 26, 2025, the city authorities of Chernihiv organized entertainment events at the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which had previously been seized by the state. The high-profile “cultural” event, which was accompanied by a costume performance and folk dances inside the church, caused a flurry of negative comments on social media. Artists of the local drama theater organized dances directly in front of the relics of Saints Theodosius and Filaret of Chernihiv, as well as St. Lawrence.

According to the UOC Information and Education Department, on December 26, the National Architectural and Historical Reserve “Chernihiv Ancient” initiated the Predyvoo festival in the walls of the Holy Trinity Cathedral. The event was attended by artists of the Chernihiv Regional Academic Music and Drama Theater named after Taras Shevchenko, as well as other artists of the Chernihiv region.

On their social media pages, the artists described the content of the festival, claiming that what they did in the church “sounded not like artistic works, but also like a kind of spiritual appeals.” However, as noted, the photographs from this “spiritual and artistic action” evoked quite different emotions in readers – indignation and rejection. Many people recognized the performance as a manifestation of sacrilege and bad taste, especially given that it was held in the premises of an ancient shrine.

The greatest public outrage was caused by the fact that the dances and performances, which were characterized as “dubious,” took place not just under the arches of the prayerful church, but also directly near the holy relics of Chernihiv’s Saints Theodosius and Filaret, as well as St. Lawrence. This aspect of the event became a key reason for mass condemnation.

It is noteworthy that the event was attended by representatives of the OCU, who, apparently, are quite satisfied with the fact that Orthodox churches in Chernihiv are used as venues for secular events.

As we reported earlier, the National Historical and Architectural Reserve “Chernihiv Ancient” continues to organize secular events in the ancient Transfiguration Cathedral, which was taken away from the Chernihiv Diocese of the UOC by the authorities in 2023. This time, the church hosted a presentation of a special issue of the cultural magazine Antikvar dedicated to the national architectural monument, the 11th-century Transfiguration Cathedral.