The Poltava City Council will put Patriarch Mstislav’s house up for auction for 500,000 UAH
12 August 12:53
The Poltava City Council intends to put up for auction the historic house where Patriarch Mstislav (Skrypnyk)—the nephew of Simon Petliura, head of the Directory of the Ukrainian People’s Republic—was born and raised. The starting price for the lot is approximately 500,000 UAH, and city council members will consider the corresponding draft resolution during their meeting on August 20.
Journalist Yaroslav Kotsyuba reported this in a post, according to "Komersant Ukrainian"
This unique historic building has been in a critical state of disrepair for many years and is gradually falling into ruin.
The building in Poltava in question is associated with the family of Symon Petliura and his nephew Stepan Skrypnyk (known in monastic life as Patriarch Mstislav), who became the first patriarch of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church (UAOC).
Community activists and history enthusiasts have repeatedly called for the restoration of the site and the creation of a full-fledged museum complex there.
At the same time, local authorities justify the decision to sell the property by citing a lack of funds in the city budget.
“There is no money in the local budget to repair the building and set up a museum here,” the journalist noted.
At the same time, he drew attention to the contradictory priorities of Poltava officials in the allocation of budget funds.
For example, while there is a shortage of funds for preserving historical heritage, funding for souvenirs for officials is found without any trouble.
“In June 2026, the City Council’s Executive Committee allocated 480,000 UAH for the purchase and production of useless trinkets and baubles — lapel pins reading ‘Certificate of Honor from the Executive Committee of the Poltava City Council’ and ‘Letter of Appreciation from the Mayor’,” Kotsyuba emphasized, citing data from the Prozorro e-procurement system.
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What Is Known About Patriarch Mstislav
Patriarch Mstislav, born Stepan Ivanovich Skrypnyk, was a Ukrainian religious, state, and public-political figure, and the first Patriarch of the revived Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.
He was born on April 10, 1898, in Poltava and was the nephew of Simon Petliura, head of the Directory of the Ukrainian People’s Republic and Chief Ataman.
In his youth, Skrypnyk fought for Ukrainian statehood. In 1918, he volunteered for the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, served in the 3rd Iron Division, was promoted to the rank of ensign, and in 1920–1921 served as Symon Petliura’s personal aide-de-camp. Under Ukrainian law, Mstislav is recognized as a fighter for Ukraine’s independence in the 20th century.
During the interwar period, Stepan Skrypnyk studied in Warsaw, was involved in civic work, and served as a member of the Polish Sejm, where he defended the rights of the Ukrainian population and the Orthodox Church.
After losing his wife, he took monastic vows in 1942, taking the name Mstislav. That marked the beginning of his religious ministry, which he continued until the end of his life. That same year, at St. Andrew’s Church in Kyiv, he was consecrated as Bishop of Pereiaslav.
During World War II, Mstislav was arrested by the Gestapo and subsequently held in prisons in Chernihiv and Pryluky.
After the war, the church leader lived in Europe, Canada, and the United States. He led Ukrainian Orthodox communities in the diaspora and made significant efforts to unite them. In South Bound Brook, New Jersey, a large Ukrainian ecclesiastical and memorial complex was established with his involvement, featuring St. Andrew’s Cathedral, a theological seminary, a museum, an archive, a library, and a memorial cemetery.
Mstislav also supported the revival of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church in the late 1980s. At the All-Ukrainian Orthodox Council on June 6, 1990, he was elected Patriarch of Kyiv and All Ukraine. After 49 years of exile, he returned to Ukraine, and on November 18, 1990, his enthronement took place at St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv.
In 1992, the Patriarch handed over the battle flag of the 3rd Iron Division of the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic to the newly formed Armed Forces of Ukraine, symbolically uniting the military tradition of the Ukrainian People’s Republic with the modern Ukrainian state.
Patriarch Mstislav died on June 11, 1993, in Grimsby, Canada. He was buried in the crypt of St. Andrew’s Cathedral in South Bound Brook, New Jersey, USA.
In Ukrainian history, he is remembered as a soldier in the Army of the Ukrainian People’s Republic, a political figure, the head of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the diaspora, and one of the symbols of the restoration of the independent Ukrainian church.
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