Historic UOC church in Beryslav burns down in drone strike

The UOC Church of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos in Beryslav. Photo: Most

On August 2, 2026, the historic UOC Church of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos in Beryslav, Kherson region, burned to the ground after a drone strike, Most reports.

The fire destroyed a unique architectural monument of national significance belonging to the UOC’s Nova Kakhovka Eparchy. The wooden church was built of oak in 1726 without the use of metal nails.

The building was a rare example of Zaporizhian church architecture and belonged to the Middle Dnipro school of architecture. Until that day, it had remained virtually the only church in the de-occupied part of the region that had escaped damage from shelling.

Historically, the church stood in the settlement of Perevolochna in the Poltava Governorate. In 1785, Cossacks transported it on rafts down the Dnipro River to the fortress of Kizikermen.

The church was initially erected in the center of Beryslav and consecrated in honor of the Resurrection of Christ. In 1853, it was moved to the Presentation Cemetery and rededicated in honor of the Presentation of the Most Holy Theotokos.

During the Soviet era, the authorities converted the church into a warehouse. Religious life resumed there only during World War II.

In 2025, a photograph of the church was recognized as one of the best entries in the international Wiki Loves Monuments photography competition.

As the UOJ previously reported, several UOC churches in the Ovruch Eparchy were damaged by Russian shelling.

Read also