St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv has officially been handed over to the Roman Catholic community for use, the Ombudsman of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine, Dmytro Lubinets, announced on January 6.
“The parish of St. Nicholas in Kyiv approached me due to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine not implementing the court decision to transfer the church for parish use. Despite the president’s directive and a memorandum signed with the Ministry, the church had for years functioned as a concert venue rather than a proper place of worship,” the statement reads.
Lubinets noted that representatives of the Ombudsman’s Office visited the church and found the building in a state of disrepair, with religious services attended by hundreds of people taking place under potentially unsafe conditions.
“Following the monitoring, urgent measures were identified as necessary to ensure safe use of the building and to preserve the historical monument. Relevant recommendations were provided to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine and the State Emergency Service. (…) During the festive Mass for the Feast of the Epiphany, St. Nicholas Church was finally handed over to the religious parish,” the Ombudsman summarized.
According to the Roman Catholic community, St. Nicholas Church has been granted to them for free use for 50 years.
“On January 6, the Feast of the Epiphany, a solemn service was held at St. Nicholas Church in Kyiv to mark the transfer of the church to the Roman Catholic parish for free use for a term of 50 years. On this day, state representatives handed over the relevant documents to the community — a symbolic ‘gift’ on the Day of the Three Kings, opening a new chapter in the long struggle to reclaim the church,” the statement adds.
St. Nicholas Church is a cultural heritage site of national significance. It survived a fire during World War II, endured the difficult decades of the Soviet era, and withstood a Russian missile strike nearby in 2024 during the full-scale invasion.
Despite all these trials, the church has endured and continues to stand as a symbol of spiritual resilience for the capital and the entire country.
