Chapel of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary was destroyed by Russian shelling

The brick chapel in the Mykolaiv region was built in 1852 and survived two world wars. This year, it was supposed to turn 170 years old. But now the church is missing a roof, its walls are damaged, and the interior is destroyed. After the Russian shelling, the chapel can no longer be restored, only rebuilt.

Some of the icons were hidden and saved, but a significant number of them were destroyed by rain, debris, and mice. Including the old icons of the Mother of God, which were of great significance to the local parishioners.

“They were handed over by people who saved these icons from destruction by the communist authorities. That’s why they had such a value,” explains rector of the church, Father Oleksandr to the Suspilne reporters. “People hid these icons in their homes, and then, when the church was restored, they brought them here. Unfortunately, the icons could not be saved now. They were heavily buried under debris, the rains soaked them.”

The church is destroyed and it is impossible to restore it, only to build anew. “This is a very old church, and it is simply impossible to connect the new with the old,” says Father Oleksandr. “The walls are leaning and I think with the rains and the cold they may also fall this winter.”