President transfers property of St. Sophia Cathedral to jurisdiction of Ministry of Culture

The functions of property management of the National Reserve St. Sophia Cathedral have been transferred to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.

This follows from Decree 413/2011 "Certain Questions of the National Reserve St. Sophia Cathedral" of Ukraine’s president of April 8, 2011, reports the Institute of Religious Freedom.

By this decree, Viktor Yanukovych has made alterations to Presidential Decree 58 of 15.01.1996, according to which the functions of property management of the National Reserve St. Sophia Cathedral were transferred from the Ministry of Culture to the State Committee on Urban Development and Architecture.  

The decree also cancels a provision that envisaged the establishment of the National Scientific Medical and Research Information Center of the reserve.

As а result, by the mentioned alterations, the president resumed the action of Presidential Decree 587 of 11.10.1994, which stipulates “the functions of management of the property of the national cultural institutions are fulfilled by the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, which, in particular, approves the regulations on the national cultural institutions.”  

In mid-February, the Cabinet of Ministers recommended to the president to pass the national reserve to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine, and the Ministry of Finance would have to redirect to the Ministry of Culture appropriate budget allocations for maintenance of the reserve.

Earlier Prime Minister Mykola Azarov stated that museums and reserves should be in the jurisdiction of the appropriate ministry.

Before that, on February 8, 2011, human right campaigners, public activists and the staff of the national reserve held a protest against the re-subordination of the reserve. They called to prevent the transfer of the reserve to the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Culture and thereby protect the greatest Christian shrine of Ukraine from destruction.