Church of St. Nicholas in Kyiv handed over to Roman Catholic community for 50 years – video

The Roman Catholic parish received the Church of St. Nicholas in Kyiv for use for 50 years. This was reported by prime minister Yulia Sviridenko, authorized Of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine on Human Rights Dmytro Lubinets and the Roman Catholic parish st. Nicholas Church in Kyiv.

According to the agreement, the parish receives the right to use the church, while the building remains in state ownership and on the balance sheet of the National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine. The community was allowed to hold services and begin restoration work at its own expense, in compliance with the requirements for the protection of cultural heritage.

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According to Svyrydenko, the transfer of the church gives the parish more opportunities to rebuild the church, unite in prayer and support the life of the religious community.

"St. Nicholas Church is a cultural heritage site of national importance. It survived a fire during the Second World War, the difficult decades of the Soviet period, and withstood russian missile strike very close by in 2024 during a full-scale invasion. Despite all the trials, the church has survived and continues to be a symbol of the spiritual resilience of the capital and the entire country," the Prime Minister said.

Lubinets said that he had been approached by the religious community of St. Nicholas Parish in Kyiv because of the failure to comply with a court decision to transfer the church to the parish. A monitoring was conducted, which resulted in the emergency condition of the building. As a result of the visit, the Ministry of Culture and the State Emergency Service provided recommendations for urgent measures to preserve the monument and ensure people's safety.

The transfer of the church to the religious parish took place during a festive mass on the occasion of the Feast of the Epiphany.

  • In 2005, the president instructed the government to transfer the church to the use of the religious community, and in 2020 the Cabinet of Ministers redefined this task. As of 2025, it has not been fulfilled.
  • december 11 Lubinets saidr eported that the Roman Catholic parish of St. Nicholas in Kyiv complained about the "long-term blocking" of the transfer of St. Nicholas Church to it. The Commissioner accused the Ministry of Culture of sabotaging the court decision and delaying the transfer process.
  • According to the Ombudsman, the Dnipropetrovs'k District Administrative Court ordered the transfer of the religious building to the community. The decision entered into force and there were no legal obstacles to the execution of the decision.
  • on December 22, it became known that the Ministry of Culture rejected lubinets' accusations. At the time, the ministry said that the process of transferring the church was ongoing.