The Church of Saint Mary Magdalene in the village of Vovkiv in Lviv region is to be transferred to the communal ownership of the Solonka Territorial Community by court decision. Prosecutors of the Pustomyty District Prosecutor’s Office applied to the court with a request for such a transfer.
This concerns a historic religious building constructed between 1924 and 1929 in the Art Deco style. The church is one of the largest and most distinctive architectural landmarks in the region, with a total area of more than 423 m².
The building is currently in poor and hazardous condition: approximately 70% of the roof has been destroyed, and the brick vaults, ceilings and floor have been damaged. Since the 1990s the church has not been in use, and no restoration or emergency stabilisation works have been carried out.
It has been established that the building has been registered as ownerless immovable property, as no natural or legal person claimed rights to it over the course of a year. At the same time, the right of communal ownership of the church had not previously been formalised.
The court fully upheld the prosecutor’s application to transfer the landmark into communal ownership. This will enable the community to manage the site, attract funding for its restoration and take measures to preserve the historic building. Once the decision enters into legal force, the district prosecutor’s office will take steps to ensure its enforcement.