Ministry of Culture aims to expropriate premises of UOC convent in Chernihiv region

The Ministry of Culture of Ukraine has announced the expiration of the agreement on the free use of the complex of architectural monuments of the Baturyn Mykolaievo-Krupytsky Monastery by the Ukrainian Orthodox Church on January 26, 2026. It is noted that the premises are currently occupied by a nunnery of the UOC.

According to Interfax-Ukraine, citing the response of the Ministry of Culture, among the state-owned objects on the balance sheet of enterprises and organizations that belong to the sphere of management of the Ministry of Culture, there is an agreement with the Community of St. Nicholas Krupytsky Convent of the Nizhyn Diocese of the UOC. This agreement concerns the complex of architectural monuments of the Baturyn St. Nicholas Krupytsky Monastery and is one of those whose validity expires in 2026.

It is specified that the complex, located in the Chernihiv region (Verbivka village, 33-A Shevchenko Street), includes bell towers, the Transfiguration Warm Church, and cells with a refectory. These state-owned objects are on the balance sheet of the National Historical and Cultural Reserve «Hetman’s Capital.»

According to the official information of the Ministry, the agreement expires on January 26, 2026. After that, the St. Nicholas Monastery of the UOC may be expelled from the premises, as indicated by previous similar precedents, in particular in the Chernihiv region.

As we reported earlier, on December 26, 2025, the city authorities of Chernihiv organized entertainment events in the Holy Trinity Cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which had been previously 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.