Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church

The Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church was founded in 1921 in Kyiv after the Ukrainian independence. It is one of the three major Orthodox Churches in Ukraine. The other two are the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Kyiv Patriarchate and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church-Moscow Patriarchate.

The Apostle Andrew is recognized as the founder.

With the creation of a new nation, many Ukrainians felt the need for an indigenous autocephalous Orthodox Church free of Russian influence. The church is a result of political influence more so than religious.

In the wake of the breakup of the Russian Empire some national groups sought autonomy or autocephaly from Moscow. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church was restored under the Ukrainian National Republic in 1917 and survived in Soviet Ukraine until the early 1930s.

In 1921 an All-Ukrainian Sobor (Synod) was called in Kyiv, the capital of the newly-independent Ukraine, and the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church was declared independent from the Moscow Patriarchate.

The Sobor delegates chose Metropolitan Vasyl Lypkivskyj as head of the church. The 1921 Sobor has become known as the "first resurrection" of the UAOC.

The Patriarchal Cathedral is the historic Church of St. Andrew the First-Called in Kyiv. It was built between 1747-1754.

Geographically the church currently has a stronger presence in Western Ukrainian provinces with a smaller representation elsewhere.

Previous to 1995, there were more parishes abroad in the Ukrainian diaspora communities of Canada and the United States. However, many of these parishes now form the separate churches, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada and the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, both of which are eparchies of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople and not in communion with the UAOC.

The church, however, has maintained an ecclesiastical structure outside of Ukraine. There are eparchies in North and South America, Western Europe and elsewhere. Metropolitan Mykhayil of New York heads the UAOC in the Americas. Significant growth of the UAOC has taken place in recent times in Latin America, where the Eparchy is based in Manizales, Colombia.

There are also parishes of the church in Canberra, Australia, Palermo, Italy, Puerto Plata, Dominican Republic and elsewhere.

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