OCU eparchy sells church center site to developer for housing

Plans for the church center whose site the OCU sold to a construction company. Photo: Avers

The Volyn Eparchy of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) sold a foundation built on municipal land in Lutsk to the private construction company Zhytlobud-2 instead of building a spiritual complex itself, local television channel Avers reported.

The case concerns a 0.54-hectare plot near Derzhavnosti Street that had been in the OCU structure’s permanent use for about 15 years. After securing the land’s designation for church construction, the eparchy laid a foundation, registered it in the property registry, and sold it to a commercial developer on August 31, 2026.

The sale of the foundation allows the construction company to acquire municipal land for commercial development without a public auction. The local urban planning department confirmed that the sale of the religious organization’s property requires the authorities to terminate the OCU eparchy’s permanent land-use rights.

Volodymyr, the “rector” of the local OCU parish, described the arrangement as a “civilized investment model.” He said the company was expected to build a church and a 170-square-meter spiritual center for the community, despite the eparchy losing its land-use rights.

In return, the company will build three-story residential buildings and seven townhouses on the site. However, a representative of the construction firm clarified that the company would only construct the walls and roof of the church, leaving OCU parishioners responsible for the interior finishing work.

As the UOJ previously reported, OCU supporters in the Volyn region had succeeded in halting construction of a UOC church.

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