In the Chernihiv region, prayers lifted in the church turned into a torture chamber by invaders
After surviving three weeks of Russian occupation in March, the religious community of the village of Lukashivka decided to convert to the Orthodox Church of Ukraine in the summer. The current rector of the church is a priest from Chernihiv's Katerynka Serhiy Zezulya, reports "Volyn".
March 22, when the ancient village church, a monument of stone architecture of the early twentieth century, burned down inside and suffered serious damage outside, local residents describe briefly: "shells exploded for several hours. It flew back and forth. The ammunition detonated there..."
Despite everything, the shrine, a witness to the Russian invasion of the Chernihiv region, survived. Fortunately, the walls, which are one and a half meters thick, have mostly stayed intact. Although it is clear that the restoration will require not only significant funds but also the involvement of professional restorers.
The Ascension Church, originally a wooden structure, was built in 1781. At the beginning of the twentieth century, it was rebuilt into a brick one in the style of diocesan architecture, baptised in the plan, with a two-tiered bell tower above the entrance. In Soviet times, the church was used as a warehouse. Services were resumed in it in 1988. Until recently, it belonged to the Moscow Patriarchate.
