Abbess Dorofea, Superior of Krupytsky Сonvent, reposes in the Lord

Abbess Dorofea. Photo: UOC press service

On August 6, 2026, in the Nizhyn Eparchy of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC), the Superior of the Krupytsky St. Nicholas Convent, Abbess Dorofea (Khokhlova), reposed in the Lord. This was reported by the press service of the Nizhyn Eparchy.

Abbess Dorofea, known in the world as Valentyna Khokhlova, was tonsured a rassophore nun with the name Varvara in January 1998, and in July of the same year she received the monastic mantle with the name Dorofea. On April 17, 2000, she was blessed by the Holy Synod of the UOC to revive the Krupytsky St. Nicholas Convent, where under her leadership the main church of the monastery, the sisters' quarters, and the monastery wall were restored from ruins.

In January 2026, the administration of the Hetman's Capital Reserve under the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine forcibly evicted the nuns from the convent they had revived. Abbess Dorofea attempted to challenge this decision in court; however, a serious illness she had endured for many years cut short her labors as superior. She reposed in the 77th year of her life.

Archbishop Iona of Obukhiv commented on the abbess's death with bitter irony: "An unheard-of religious freedom has driven to the grave an abbess whom the atheistic authorities expelled from her convent."

As the UOJ reported, the authorities turned the Krupytsky UOC Convent into a restricted facility. The conflict surrounding the shrine continued for several months and was accompanied by legal proceedings between the nuns and the state reserve.

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