The UOC commented on the collapse of the wall of Khotyn Fortress

The collapsed wall of Khotyn Fortress. Photo: suspilne.media

The Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church commented on the latest collapse of the wall of Khotyn Fortress. The UOC noted that what happened raises particular questions against the backdrop of state policy regarding historical churches being seized from religious communities under the pretext of preserving cultural heritage.

As reported by the UOC Information Department, citing the editorial board of Suspilne, the collapse of the wall of Khotyn Fortress was already the second such incident this year. The first occurred in April, after which representatives of the National Nature Reserve stated that further destruction had been predictable. At the same time, carrying out emergency repair works proved impossible without an approved project and the necessary approvals.

The Church drew attention to the fact that the situation with Khotyn Fortress looks particularly telling against the backdrop of decisions made by state bodies regarding UOC churches.

«The attention of believing citizens of Ukraine is particularly drawn to the fact that in recent years, under the pretext of “preserving cultural heritage,” religious communities of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church have been massively deprived of the right to pray in their historical churches», the commentary states.

The UOC emphasized that state institutions are not always capable of ensuring the preservation of objects already under their management.

«As the case of Khotyn Fortress demonstrates, state institutions prove incapable of preventing the destruction of even key cultural heritage sites», the Information Department noted.

The Church also drew attention to the fate of churches which, after religious communities ceased using them, began to be used for events incompatible with their sacred purpose.

«In Orthodox churches where religious communities of the UOC were deprived of the right to conduct divine services, things incompatible with the sacred space of churches began to take place», the commentary states. According to the Information Department, this includes the holding of concerts, dance performances, and other entertainment events in historical churches, with the use of bright lighting and powerful sound equipment.

The Church separately recalled that at the beginning of February 2022, the State Historical and Architectural Reserve «Khotyn Fortress» refused to renew the agreement on the use of the Church of St. Alexander Nevsky in Khotyn with the religious community of the UOC.

The UOC emphasized that many historical churches were not only preserved by believers but also restored after decades of destruction and neglect.

«In this regard, a rhetorical question arises: does the state, by terminating or refusing to renew agreements with religious communities of the UOC, truly care about the condition of churches that the believers themselves restored from ruins and never allowed to fall into disrepair?» the commentary of the Information and Education Department of the UOC states.

As the SPJ reported, social media showed a church — an architectural monument — falling into ruin in the Poltava region.

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