Ministry of Culture Strips Burned Church in Stsyapanki of Architectural Monument Status. So it Won't Be Restored?
Experts believe this precedent opens Pandora's box, as burning down an architectural monument will be easier and cheaper for many developers than restoring it.
As the Heritage Telegram channel noted, the Ministry of Culture, by resolution dated May 6, 2026, officially stripped St. Michael's Church in Stsyapanki, Zhabinka district, of its protected status. The historical object, destroyed by fire last year, is now excluded from the State List of Historical and Cultural Values.
St. Michael's Church was built around 1780 and was an example of the West Polesian school of wooden architecture with distinct Baroque features. As we previously wrote in detail in our historical overview, this unique object was considered a candidate for inclusion in the UNESCO World Heritage list.
The tragic end came in July 2025, when the building burned to the ground. According to expert conclusions, the fire started due to a short circuit: too much energy-intensive equipment was simultaneously connected to the network during repair and restoration works. Instead of demanding accountability and scientific reconstruction of the monument, local authorities immediately announced a quick clearing of the territory and the design of a completely new building on the vacated plot.
Contradiction with the Code of Culture
The Ministry of Culture's decision to exclude the church from the list is legally unfounded.
According to a point in the Code of Culture, stripping an object of its historical and cultural value status is only possible in case of physical loss of the object and simultaneous "impossibility of scientifically sound restoration".
The decision on such impossibility must be made by the Scientific and Methodological Council.
As experts point out, in the case of the Stsyapanki church, the impossibility of restoration is not substantiated by anything. Before the fire, the building was detailedly documented: there is an exhaustive volume of photographic materials, measurements, and architectural descriptions. This basis is absolutely sufficient for accurate scientific restoration (reconstruction) of the 18th-century temple. Nevertheless, the Council under the Ministry of Culture approved the decision to exclude the object from the documents.
The exclusion of the church in Stsyapanki from the list creates a dangerous practice in the field of heritage protection. In fact, the department demonstrated a mechanism for freeing up land plots from historical buildings and related legal restrictions.
If previously the owner was obliged to preserve and restore the monument, now the physical destruction of the object allows for the removal of its protected status. The cause of loss could be an "accidental" short circuit or an "accidental" arson by homeless people — a very convenient tool that someone will definitely use.
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