UOC comments on collapse of Khotyn Fortress wall

Collapsed wall of Khotyn Fortress. Photo: suspilne.media

The Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church commented on another collapse of a wall at Khotyn Fortress. The UOC noted that the incident raises particular questions against the backdrop of state policy toward historic churches being taken away from religious communities under the pretext of preserving cultural heritage.

Citing Suspilne, the UOC Information Department said the wall collapse at Khotyn Fortress was already the second such incident this year. The first occurred in April, after which representatives of the National Preserve said further deterioration had been predictable. At the same time, emergency repair work could not be carried out without an approved project and the necessary permits.

The Church noted that the situation at Khotyn Fortress appears particularly telling against the backdrop of decisions by state authorities concerning UOC churches.

“Of particular concern to believing citizens of Ukraine is the fact that in recent years, under the pretext of ‘preserving cultural heritage,’ religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been deprived en masse of the right to pray in their historic churches,” the statement said.

The UOC stressed that state institutions are not always able to ensure the preservation of sites already under their control.

“As the case of Khotyn Fortress shows, state institutions are proving unable to prevent the deterioration even of key cultural heritage sites,” the Information Department noted.

The Church also drew attention to the fate of churches that, after religious communities are barred from using them, begin to host events incompatible with their sacred purpose.

“In Orthodox churches where UOC religious communities were deprived of the right to hold services, things began taking place that are incompatible with the sacred space of a church,” the statement said.

According to the Information Department, this includes concerts, dancing, and other entertainment events held in historic churches using bright lighting and powerful sound equipment.

The Church separately recalled that in early February 2022, the Khotyn Fortress State Historical and Architectural Preserve refused to extend the agreement allowing the UOC religious community to use the Church of St Alexander Nevsky in Khotyn.

The UOC stressed that believers had not only preserved many historic churches but had also restored them after decades of destruction and neglect.

“This raises a rhetorical question: when terminating or refusing to extend agreements with UOC religious communities, is the state truly concerned about the condition of churches that the believers themselves restored from ruins and never allowed to fall into disrepair?” the UOC Information and Education Department said.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that social media users had shown a deteriorating historic church in Poltava region.

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