Ascension Church, Lukashivka, Chernihiv Oblast

The village of Lukashivka, Chernihiv region, was occupied by the Russian army for 21 days starting March 9, 2022. The Ascension Church was turned into weapon and ammunition warehouse by the Russian army, and it also housed the military headquarters.

On March 22, 2022, the territory of the church was shelled, the headquarters of the occupiers along with the warehouse were destroyed, the Russians suffered losses in manpower. The church was damaged during the explosions of ammunition, placed next to the church. The church burned from the inside and was damaged from the outside, although the walls generally remained standing. In addition, the bodies of local residents murdered during the occupation were found near the church, as reported by the State Emergency Service of Ukraine.

As the field team of the project has found out during one of the visits, the parish of the Ascension has existed in the village of Lukashivka since 1781. Until the beginning of the 20th century, the church that stood on the current site was wooden. The present brick church was built on the same site in 1913.

After the establishment of the Soviet power, the parish in Lukashivka was liquidated, the church building was used as a warehouse. The restoration of the parish and services in the Ascension Church took place in 1988. On June 26, 1989, the Executive Committee of the Chernihiv Regional Council awarded the Ascension Church the status of an architectural monument of local importance; a corresponding sign was installed at the entrance to the church. During Ukrainian independence, this status was not terminated by the new government. Therefore, the Ascension Church remains an architectural monument of local importance.

After the deoccupation, significant changes took place in the administrative subordination of the Ascension Church in Lukashivka. The meeting of the local community of parishioners on July 24, 2022 decided on the transition to the omophor of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine. On August 1, the newly appointed priest of the OCU held the first service on the territory of the Ascension Church.