Chernihiv authorities decide not to transfer cathedral seized from UOC to OCU
The director general of the Chernihiv Ancient Reserve called for the ancient shrine to be given museum status, following the example of Saint Sophia of Kyiv.
On May 14, 2026, Natalia Rebrova, director general of the Chernihiv Ancient National Architectural and Historical Reserve, stated that the Transfiguration Cathedral should not be transferred for permanent use to any religious community, Ukrinform reports.
According to her, the state should make a decision similar to the one adopted in the 1990s regarding Saint Sophia of Kyiv. The official stressed that the use of monuments of such significance requires “high professionalism” and “deep understanding,” and that the cathedral itself should fulfill a “state function.”
Rebrova said the 11th-century church, which she called Saint Sophia’s “sibling,” must become a center of cultural and state life, not merely a religious site. She also added that after the UOC was expelled in 2023, city residents allegedly began “discovering the Savior Cathedral” in a new capacity.
Recall that in October 2023, under the pretext of “urgent restoration,” the Ministry of Culture, with the support of armed men, took the Transfiguration, Trinity, and Dormition cathedrals from the Chernihiv Eparchy of the UOC. At the time, the ministry’s commission closed the churches to believers without waiting for the court proceedings to be completed.
