Condition of seized UOC church in Khotyn shown online

The current condition of the St. Alexander Nevsky Church in Khotyn. Photo: Pershyi Kozatskyi (First Cossack) TG channel

Photos of the ancient St. Alexander Nevsky Church in Khotyn, Chernivtsi region, seized from the UOC, have been published online. The images posted in the Telegram channel "Pershyi Kozatskyi" demonstrate the deterioration of the building's exterior following its transfer to the control of museum staff and OCU representatives.

Believers took photographs in the summer of 2026 showing the deterioration of the surrounding grounds and the church itself. The path and steps leading to the church have become overgrown with grass and shrubs. Deep cracks have appeared on the facade, with plaster having fallen off in places, while the domes have become covered with a layer of dirt. The cross atop the main dome appears to be leaning.

In April 2023, officials finally took the shrine away from the community of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. After that, the museum administration handed the church over to the OCU.

In 1990, the community received the building in a state of near-total disrepair. Orthodox Christians carried out extensive restoration work on the church at their own expense and through their own efforts. In 2020, before the process of taking the church away began, parishioners photographed the fully renovated church they had restored.

Earlier, the UOJ reported that the UOC commented on the collapse of the wall of Khotyn Fortress.

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