UGCC сhurch dedicated to saint who persecuted Orthodox to be built in Izmail

Site of the future UGCC church dedicated to Josaphat Kuntsevych in Izmail. Photo: Antonina Lubchenko

On September 18, 2026, the Izmail City Council approved the allocation of land for the construction of the city’s first Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church (UGCC) dedicated to Josaphat Kuntsevych. It also authorized the development of a detailed site plan on Independence Avenue following a request from the Greek Catholic community, according to Intent.

The city council’s decision provides for the preparation of urban planning documentation for a plot bounded by Independence Avenue, Illia Repin Street, and Mykhailo Hrushevskyi Street. The proposed development will include a religious-use zone, infrastructure, and green spaces.

Twenty days have been allotted to select the project developer and determine funding sources, after which a contract is to be signed within a month. The project will then undergo public consultation, environmental assessment, and land-use planning procedures.

The Greek Catholic parish in Izmail has been active since 2018 under the leadership of cleric Volodymyr Zhuk and has until now held its services and other activities at a Roman Catholic church. The community obtained official registration as a legal entity in August 2025.

Josaphat Kuntsevych was a 17th-century Greek Catholic archbishop who became known among the people as “Kuntsevych the Enforcer” for the mass forcible seizure of Orthodox churches and the brutal persecution of believers in Polotsk, Vitebsk, and Orsha. On his orders, Orthodox churches were sealed, the celebration of the sacraments was prohibited even in private homes, and the bodies of deceased Orthodox Christians were ordered to be dug up and thrown to dogs.

In 1623, Kuntsevych was killed by outraged residents of Vitebsk after his servants once again beat an Orthodox priest.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that UGCC head Sviatoslav Shevchuk considers Kuntsevych an “apostle of unity.”

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