"Our churches were turned into dance clubs" – Myltsi Monastery brethren

The St. Nicholas Myltsi Monastery of the UOC: in Soviet times, a dance club operated here; today, the monastery has been restored by the brethren. Photo: Pershyi Kozatskyi

The brethren of the St. Nicholas Myltsi Monastery of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Volhynia have spoken of how, in the Soviet era, the monastery’s churches were stripped of their sacred purpose and converted into an institutional facility, a canteen, and even a place of amusement – and how, after the monastery was finally returned to the Church, the brotherhood had to raise it back from desecration and ruin. This is described in a film published on the Telegram channel Pershyi Kozatskyi.

Archimandrite Alexander, the monastery’s dean, said that under Soviet rule many of the monastery buildings were used in ways that openly mocked their holy purpose. “Our churches were turned into dance clubs. Concerts were held there, films were shown, and people came here simply to be entertained,” he said.

According to him, the monastery’s Transfiguration Cathedral suffered especially grievously. “The church was turned into a club, and a stage was set up right in the altar. Many of those who came here did not even realize that they were standing inside a house of God,” Archimandrite Alexander said.

He stressed that after the monastery was returned to the Church, the brethren began patiently restoring what had been ravaged. “For a monk, every corner, every icon, every church, every cell is something deeply dear. That is why a monk watches over a monastery differently, and restores it with a completely different heart,” the dean said.

Archimandrite Alexander also recalled that in 1947 the Soviet authorities drove the monks out of the monastery. “We know that in 1947 the godless authorities expelled the monks from the monastery, including from the monastery where the relics of St. Alexiy were kept. Today those relics are in this holy church,” he noted.

According to the dean, with the return of monastic life, the entire spiritual atmosphere of the monastery changed. “When the monks came, a special warmth and spirituality immediately returned here. Prayer began to sound again, and those who come here to pray feel the grace of God,” Archimandrite Alexander said.

It should be noted that on February 26, 2026, a commission arrived at the St. Nicholas Myltsi Monastery of the UOC in Volhynia for an inspection. The head of the commission, Vasyl Haiduk, explained that the purpose of the visit was to take “measurements of the architectural structures.” Members of the commission went through all the monastery premises – from the churches to utility buildings and cellars – measuring the structures. Parishioners appealed to the commission members to convey to the regional authorities the need to extend the monastery’s lease agreement. The faithful emphasize that the monastery was restored from ruins through the labor and sacrifices of its parishioners.

As the UOJ previously reported, the brethren of the Myltsi Monastery had earlier spoken about the devastated condition in which the monastery was handed back to the Church after the Soviet period and how they rebuilt it from the ruins.

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