Ukraine’s government announced Jan. 6 that the long-term use of St. Nicholas Church, a neo-Gothic landmark that has been used for Catholic worship and as a state-run concert hall for years, will be transferred back exclusively to the Catholic community.
Under the agreement outlined in government announcements, the Catholic parish will receive free use of the church for 50 years. The National Organ and Chamber Music Hall, which previously used the building as a concert venue, has signed the transfer act and will be relocated to new premises by the state.
The church will remain state-owned and protected as a national cultural heritage site, but the parish will hold exclusive, long-term rights to use the building for worship, religious education, community life, and restoration work, ending decades of shared use with the concert hall.
“This historic decision was made possible thanks to the long-term work of team of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Culture Tetiana Berezhna, members of parliament, the religious community, and many others involved,” Ukrainian Prime Minister Yulia Svyrydenko said in a press release.
Built between 1899 and 1909, St. Nicholas Church was originally constructed for Kyiv’s Catholic community, according to a report from the Kyiv Post. Soviet authorities closed the church in the 1930s, repurposing it as a warehouse before converting it decades later into the state-run House of Organ and Chamber Music.
After Ukraine gained independence, Catholic liturgies resumed at the church in 1992, but the building remained under state administration and continued to host concerts.
The Catholic community fought for decades through petitions, court cases, and a key 2025 court ruling to regain full use. The church suffered repeated damage over the past century, including during World War II, a major fire in 2021, and a nearby Russian missile strike in 2024 that damaged windows and stained glass.
Svyrydenko said the new arrangement will give the parish greater ability “to rebuild the church, unite in prayer, and support the life of the religious community here.”
She also framed the move as a sign of religious unity during wartime, saying Russia’s invasion has not divided Ukrainians of different religions.
“Representatives of different faiths stood side by side in the church today, praying together for our soldiers, for victory, and for a just peace for Ukraine,” she said.
The apostolic nuncio to Ukraine, Archbishop Visvaldas Kulbokas, said that the transfer of St. Nicholas Church is an example of unity between believers, the state, and the Church.
“This day shows how important it is for the people, the Church, and the state to be together,” he said. “The path has not been easy, but this is Ukraine today: with many challenges that we can only overcome with God’s help. St. Nicholas Church was always meant to be a house of prayer, and today we see this aspiration come to fruition.”
The announcement came on the Feast of the Epiphany, Jan. 6, and followed a prayer service and Mass attended by clergy, diplomats, government officials, and parishioners, according to the release.
In her statement, Svyrydenko called the church “a symbol of spiritual resilience for the capital and the entire country.”
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