Prosecutor's Office seeks expropriation of UOC church on the territory of Pochaev Lavra monastery cemetery

The Kremenets District Prosecutor’s Office of Ternopil Region filed a lawsuit with the Economic Court, demanding to cancel the registration decisions, as a result of which the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary (All-Saints Church) of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on the territory of the monastery cemetery in Pochaiv was registered as the property of the Pochaiv Holy Dormition Lavra. The supervisory authority insists that the temple, which is an architectural monument of national importance, should be in state ownership.

As reported by the Ternopil regional Prosecutor’s office on Facebook, the lawsuit of prosecutors of the Kremenets district Prosecutor’s office is aimed at returning the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, known as Vsesvyatskaya church, to state ownership.

According to the version of the Prosecutor’s Office, in 2018 and 2022, state registrars of one of the village councils of Kremenets district and the city council made changes to the State Register of Rights to Immovable Property. These actions led to the registration of ownership of the Vsesvyatska church for Pochaev Holy Assumption Lavra. However, prosecutors argue that the church, based on its status and legislation, is obliged to be in state ownership.

Vsesvyatska Church, or the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is located on the territory of the historical monastery cemetery on Lipovaya Street, 43 in Pochaev. It is an outstanding architectural monument of national importance, erected in 1773 in the late Baroque style at the expense of its founder Nikolai Pototsky.

We shall remind you that earlier we reported that a special commission of the Ministry of Culture and Information Policy of Ukraine recommended to terminate the lease agreement of the Holy Assumption Pochaev Lavra, concluded with the Holy Assumption Pochaev Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. The reason for this decision was an earlier inspection on the territory of the monastery, which, according to the ICIP, revealed violations.