Court Bars Moscow Patriarchate Services at Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

Vitaly Saenko16:18, 13.11.26

The Moscow Patriarchate will no longer hold services in the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church of the Upper Lavra.

On November 12, the Northern Commercial Court of Appeal dismissed the appeal of the monastery of the “UOC MP” ( Moscow Patriarchate ) in the case regarding the removal of obstacles to the use of the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church with the Refectory Chamber on the territory of the Upper Lavra of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.

Pigeons flying in front of a historic Eastern Orthodox monastery with golden domes and a bell tower under a clear blue sky.

This decision is final and has already entered into legal force, Deputy Prime Minister for Humanitarian Policy and Minister of Culture of Ukraine Tetyana Berezhnaya announced on Facebook .

In particular, the Court of Appeal upheld the decision in favor of the state and the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra National Reserve.

Representatives of the Moscow Patriarchate demanded through the courts that access to these buildings be restored for worship services and religious rites, insisting that the use agreements remain in effect.

Previously, on June 13, 2023, the Kyiv Commercial Court dismissed the claim, after which the monastery filed an appeal. On November 12, 2026, the appellate court also dismissed the Moscow Patriarchate’s claim and upheld the decision in favor of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra National Preserve.

As Berezhnaya noted, the monastery used the Dormition Cathedral and the Refectory Church with the Refectory Chamber under two temporary free-use agreements dated June 17, 2016. However, these agreements expired on December 31, 2022. The National Preserve announced the expiration of these agreements in advance and that it would not renew them.

Attack on the Kiev Pechersk Lavra

As UNIAN reported, on the night of June 15, Russia caused serious damage to many buildings at the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra . The Assumption Cathedral suffered the most damage. A Russian attack drone struck the St. Stephen’s Chapel, sparking a massive fire. The entire upper part of the cathedral was engulfed in flames.