An historic church in the Khmelnytskyi region has been placed under legal protection

In the Khmelnytskyi region, a religious community was required to enter into a security agreement for the complex of buildings comprising the Church of St. John the Theologian, built in 1818. The document is intended to establish rules for the maintenance of historic buildings and the conduct of repair work.

 

The Letychiv District Prosecutor’s Office filed a lawsuit because the owner of the structures had not signed the mandatory preservation agreement. As prosecutors established, the complex was added to the list of newly identified cultural heritage sites in the Khmelnytskyi region back in 2013. It was classified under the categories of “architecture” and “urban planning.” Ownership of the church and bell tower is registered to the local religious community.

By law, owners of monuments and other cultural heritage sites must enter into preservation agreements. These agreements specify the conditions for the use and maintenance of historic structures, as well as requirements for repair and restoration. This is necessary to ensure that the work does not damage the buildings or lead to their destruction. The Department of Information Activities, Culture, Nationalities, and Religions of the Khmelnytskyi Regional State Administration prepared a draft of such an agreement and submitted it to the religious community. However, the document was never signed. The community also did not provide any comments or suggestions regarding its terms.

Subsequently, the prosecutor’s office filed a lawsuit seeking to compel the owner to fulfill the obligation prescribed by law. The Khmelnytskyi District Administrative Court agreed with the prosecutor’s arguments and granted the claim in full. From now on, the religious community is required to enter into a preservation agreement for the complex of buildings comprising the Church of St. John the Theologian. This refers to the church and bell tower in the village of Trebukhivtsi, Khmelnytskyi District.

The Kyiv District Administrative Court ruled that the inaction of the Kyiv City State Administration’s Department of Cultural Heritage Protection was unlawful and ordered it to take measures to register the historic building at 26 Andriivskyi Uzviz.