Decaying architectural monument church in Poltava region shown online

The Church of the Nativity of Christ in the village of Verhuny. Photo: UOC

A video by blogger Sofia Bezverkha has appeared online, documenting the deplorable condition of the Church of the Nativity of Christ, built in 1801, in the village of Verhuny, Poltava region.

Despite the church holding the status of an architectural monument of national significance, the building is in an extremely neglected and dilapidated state. Signs of vandalism are visible on the walls, and the roof and interior have fallen into disrepair.

The UOC Information and Educational Department, commenting on the video, noted that Ukraine's Ministry of Culture pays no attention to the emergency condition of the Church of the Nativity of Christ in the village of Verhuny, while actively terminating agreements with communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church that have restored other churches.

The UOC drew attention to a striking contrast: officials are indifferent to the fate of this shrine, yet they show heightened interest in those churches that believers have restored at their own expense. The result of such "attention" is the termination of use agreements with religious communities and the subsequent transformation of churches into venues for concerts, dancing, and other events incompatible with sacred space.

As the UOJ previously reported, bloggers had already drawn public attention to the destruction of Ukrainian churches due to the Ministry of Culture's negligence. At that time, the discussion concerned abandoned monasteries and Catholic churches in Lviv region, many of which have already been reduced almost entirely to ruins.

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