Court Upholds State Ownership of Dormition Cathedral and Refectory Church, Rejecting UOC’s Appeal

Legal Battle Over Kyiv Pechersk Lavra Monastery

According to Рубрика — Суспільство: The Ukrainian Orthodox Church (UOC) recently lost a court case concerning the usage rights of the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church with the Refectory Chamber located within the Upper Lavra complex. The appellate court confirmed the previous ruling in favor of the state and the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Historic and Cultural Reserve. The dispute arose after the expiration of lease agreements and the subsequent transfer of these religious buildings to state ownership.

On November 12, 2026, the Northern Commercial Court of Appeal dismissed the UOC monastery’s complaint in case No. 910/423/23. Earlier, on June 13, 2023, the Kyiv Commercial Court had already rejected the monastery’s claim. The appellate court’s decision is now legally binding and final. The original agreements allowing the UOC to use the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church free of charge on an hourly basis were signed on June 17, 2016, with the lease ending on December 31, 2022.

Transfer of Church Properties to the State

The National Reserve notified the monastery well in advance about the contracts’ expiration and its decision not to renew them. In January 2023, a special commission conducted an inventory and technical inspection of the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church with the Refectory Chamber. On January 5, 2023, the commission officially handed over these two churches to the National Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra Reserve.

Following the transfer, a legal dispute unfolded between the reserve and the monastery over usage rights. On January 7, 2023, the National Reserve authorized the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU) to hold Christmas services in the Dormition Cathedral. Subsequently, on January 19, 2023, His Beatitude Epiphanius, Primate of the OCU, led a service at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra to celebrate the Epiphany feast.

Despite losing the case, the UOC Moscow Patriarchate (UOC-MP) continues to use the Lower Lavra, where a lease agreement remains indefinite. However, an official commission is tasked with verifying the legality of UOC-MP’s ongoing presence there. Metropolitan Pavlo (Lebid), abbot of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra under UOC-MP, has repeatedly appealed to President Volodymyr Zelensky, requesting that the cathedrals remain under UOC-MP control.

This legal conflict reflects a broader pattern in Ukraine, where the ownership and usage of religious sites are increasingly contested, sparking public debate and political involvement. The loss of the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church marks a significant shift, given their profound cultural and historical importance to the Ukrainian people. The situation remains fluid, especially regarding the Lower Lavra, as the legitimacy of UOC-MP’s claims there could ignite further legal disputes between the church and the state.