KYIV TOURISM PORTAL
St. Sophia Cathedral
The grand Cathedral of St. Sophia (The Holy Wisdom) has been standing dominating the historical centre of the ancient Kyiv for over thousand years. Born in the epoch of the Baptism of Rus, it became the cradle of Kyivan Christianity.
The name of the cathedral comes from Greek word “sophia”, which means “wisdom”, i.e. wisdom of Christianity.
St. Sophia Cathedral was the main church of Kyivan Rus. It was a political and cultural centre of the state. Thus, it was a place of the enthronement of princes, consecrations to metropolitanate, receptions of foreign ambassadors and conclusions of political pacts. The first library and scriptorium of Kyivan Rus were founded in the Cathedral.
The Cathedral has preserved its ancient architecture and the world’s most complete ensemble of the 11th century mosaics and frescoes – masterpieces of Eastern Christian art. In addition, numerous medieval graffiti inscriptions have been preserved on the walls of the Cathedral. They are unique literary texts of the 11th – the beginning of the 18th c. and important primary sources. Of great value are carved parapets of the loft, the remains of the 11th c. floor, 18th glided wooden iconostasis and a marble sarcophagus decorated with carving. In 1054, Yaroslav the Wise, the Grand Prince of Kyiv, was buried in the sarcophagus.
St. Sophia Cathedral is surrounded by the ensemble of monastic buildings (18th c.). These are the outstanding examples of Ukrainian Baroque architecture. In 1633, the Orthodox monastery was established here by Metropolitan Petro Mohyla. The architectural ensemble occupies an area of 5,025 ha and is surrounded by a high wall.
The Bell Tower was erected in the early 17th c. It served as a front gate to the monastic yard from Sofiyska Square. On the second tier, there is a “Mazepa” bell weighting 13 tons. It was cast in the early 18th c. by order and at the expense of Ivan Mazepa.
North of the Cathedral stands the Seminary, erected in the second half of the 18th c. At first, it served as a place of residence for monks. Later, after the closure of the monastery, it housed St. Sophia Theological School (the Seminary). At present, it houses the Archives Museum of Literature and Art of Ukraine.
The Refectory is situated opposite the south side of the Cathedral. It was erected in the first half of the 18th c. Initially, there was the Church of the Resurrection of Lazarus, a dining room and a kitchen. At present, it houses the exhibition dedicated to the architecture and monumental art of the ancient Kyiv.
The Bakery was erected simultaneously with the Refectory. Nowadays, interesting thematic expositions are held in spacious exhibition halls of the Bakery.
The Metropolitan’s Residence is situated opposite the main entrance to St. Sophia Cathedral. It was erected together with the Seminary, the Bakery and the Refectory. After major restoration works in 2005 – 2008, the museum was established there, with reconstructed interiors of metropolitan’s chambers of the 18th – 19th cc. The information about the life and activity of hierarchs is also provided there.
Zaborovskyi Gate is situated west of the Metropolitan’s Residence. It was erected in the middle of the 18th c. and served as a front gate to the metropolitan courtyard. At present, it is used as exhibition hall and children’s centre.
Moreover, in the middle of the 18th c. the Cells of the Cathedral Elders were erected. At the present time, this building houses the storage of the conventional area.
The monuments of the St. Sophia Museum are open to the public. One can visit St. Sophia Cathedral, thematic expositions in the Refectory, the Metropolitan’s Residence and Zaborovskyi Gate, periodical exhibitions in halls of the Bakery and also go up the Bell Tower.
The unique beauty of St. Sophia has earned it the fame of a true wonder of the world. In 1990, St. Sophia Cathedral of the 11th c. and its ensemble of the 18th century monastic buildings were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.
In 1994, by Decree of the president of Ukraine St. Sophia Reserve acquired national status.
Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra
Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra is the largest and the oldest Orthodox holy site in Ukraine. It is a historical and architectural attraction and a functional monastery. Together with St. Sophia Cathedral, it is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The monastery was founded in 1051 as a centre of the dissemination of faith, enlightenment and spiritual education, and became the most influential monastery in the Eastern Slavic Orthodox world.
The name of the monastery comes from the word “pechera” which in Ukrainian means “a cave”, in which the monks lived.
Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra was founded by an Orthodox monk Anthony of Lubech, who came to Kyiv to spread monasticism in Rus and dwelled in a cave above the Dnieper, where the metropolitan of Kyiv – the elder Illarion – had previously sought solitude. One of Antony’s first disciples, Theodorius, became the co-founder of the monastery. The cenobites lived in caves and prayed in underground temples.
Afterwards, Prince Iziaslav Yaroslavovich ceded the whole mount to Anthony and other monks and later the Upper Lavra was erected. It became the first monastery in Rus which gave the birth to monasticism.
The construction of the main temple of the monastery – the Dormition Cathedral – began in 1073. The Kyiv-Pechersk Patericon (collection of hagiographies and spiritual instructions of the ascetic monks) contains a legend about the Varangian Shimon to whom God showed the place where the main church had to be built and gave him the golden belt to mark up dimensions. The construction of the church was completed in four years.
At the same time, the Trinity Gate Church was built above the gates of the main entrance. The church still stands today, and it is now famous for its original frescos and beautiful altar.
In 1169 the monastery got the status of “Lavra” – the main great friary. In the end of ХІI century the territory of the monastery was barriered by lithoidal fortress walls.
Since the 13th century, the Lavra has gone through several tragic periods of history. Its buildings were destroyed, plundered, and burned several times. The complex’s reconstruction began only in the 18th century. The Cathedral of the Holy Dormition and the Trinity Gate Church were decorated in the (popular at that time) baroque style during the reconstruction. The 96.5-meter (310 feet) high Great Lavra Belltower appeared on the territory of the monastery at that time, as well. It remained the highest point in the capital until the middle of the 20th century.
Under the Soviet regime, the monastery complex was used as a “museum town” under the Kyiv-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Reserve.
Now there is an acting congregation on the territory of the Lavra. In its territory, occupying 28 hectares, there are more than a hundred stone buildings, forty of which are unique architectural monuments. The upper part of the complex, the museum territory, was given the status of National in 1996. The lower part remains to be the monastery as it used to be many centuries ago, where prayers are offered up and candles are twinkling in the hands of the pilgrims going down to the caves to pray near the relics of the great hermits of the Orthodox Church.
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery
The first documented reference about St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery occurs in the chronicles where it was said that on the 11th of July, 1106 near St. Demetrius’s Monastery and St. Peter’s Church the Prince Sviatopolk Iziaslavovich, the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, began the construction of a new church dedicated to St. Michael the Archangel.
Until 1093 it was a small wooden St. Michael’s Church inside the monastery which creation is often credited to the metropolitan Michael I of Kyiv. The monastery was build circa 988. Only during the reign of Sviatopolk II Iziaslavovich, a new stone church was built instead of the wooden one.
When constructed, St. Michael’s Monastery was the first church with a “golden” dome in Kyiv, hence earning its “golden” name. The interior was decorated with marble, mosaics and frescoes.
In 1240 St. Michael’s Monastery was destroyed during the Mongol invasion. It was ravaged and partially demolished by the hordes of Baty-khan.
Throughout the centuries the territory of the monastery was expanding. The greatest changes occurred in the 17th-18th centuries. At different times Ukrainian hetmans made a big contribution to the development and improvement of St. Michael’s Monastery. In 1718 Bohdan Khmelnytskyi renovated the golden plating on the central dome at his own expense, Hetman Skoropaskyi rebuilt iconostasis, and Ivan Mazepa donated a chandelier and a silver reliquary for the relics of St. Barbara.
On the 17th of August, 1937 St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery was blown up. At the time of its renovation, all remains of the temple’s designing were displayed in the Tretyakov Gallery in Moscow, the Hermitage Museum, as well as in the Russian Museum in St. Petersburg.
At the end of the 20th century reconstruction operations began. Historians, artists, sculptors and woodcarvers had to learn old techniques and procedures.
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery gained its popularity due to the beautiful mosaics and frescoes. Most art historians agree this is a new stage in the development of church painting of the Ancient Rus. The cathedral’s mosaics are often called “gleamy”. The founder of this school of painting is considered to be Alypii, the monk of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. On some walls there were graffiti – scratched drawings that were similar to the graffiti in St. Sophia’s Cathedral. The unique instrument carillon was installed on the temple’s bell tower. A specially trained musician can produce melodies of various complexity on the carillon.
St. Volodymyr's Cathedral
St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral is one of the city’s major highlights and the mother cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. It was constructed in commemoration of the 900th anniversary of Christianization of Kyivan Rus. The temple is a classic example of Russian-Byzantine style.
The architecture of the cathedral does not completely match the luxury and artistry of interior decoration. The magnificent cathedral gained the fame of Kyiv pearl due to its colourful interior.
Interior design was created under the guidance of Professor A. Prakhov and by a group of outstanding painters: V. M. Vasnetsov, M. A. Vrubel, M. V. Nesterov, P. A. Svedomskyi and V. A. Kotarbinskyi. Mosaics were executed by masters from Venice.
The relics of St. Barbara and St. Macarius are kept in the St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral.
One after another three architects drew up the plans for the project and worked on the design of the cathedral. In 1862, on St. Volodymyr’s Day, the laying of the foundations took place. Since 20 years the construction of the building was completed and during 1885-96 interior paintings were executed.
It was only in 1896, after the church had been decorated, that St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral was solemnly consecrated in the presence of Tsar Nicholas II. In 30th years of the XX century the cathedral operated as a museum and archives.
Since 1992 it has been operating as the mother cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Pyrohoshcha Church of the Mother of God
Church of the Blessed Virgin Pyrohoshchia was founded in 1132 by Prince Mstyslav, son of the famous Prince Volodymyr Monomakh, and was the main church of Kyiv’s merchants and craftsmen.
It is assumed that the name of the temple comes from the Greek word “pirogotis” which means “a tower”. This was the name given in Byzantium to icons displayed in the towers of monastery walls or in which towers were displayed. Before the construction began, the icon of the Blessed Virgin Pyrohoshchia was shipped from Byzantium to Kyiv, where it was kept in a tower of the church.
The church was unique as it was the first structure of the Kyiv principality built exclusively of brick, without any stones.
Church of the Blessed Virgin Pyrohoshchia was also mentioned in “The Lay of Igor’s Campaign”. Prince Igor Sviatoslavich came to the temple to give thanks for his delivery from captivity among the nomads.
The ancient church was rebuilt and reconstructed several times. In 1240 the temple was destroyed during Tartar raids, as well as damaged and devastated by the horde of Mengli Giray in 1482. In 1613 – 1633 it was the metropolitan church of Orthodox Kyiv (in those days, the church was known as Uspens’ka). It was also damaged by the fires in 1651 and 1718. Later, in 1752-1772 the architect I. Hryhorovych-Barskyi made reconstruction of the church in Ukrainian Baroque style, adding four external belfries. In 1808 it was slightly damaged by fire, the central belfry fell down the next year. After the Podil fire in 1811 the temple was rebuilt in the classical style according to the project of the architect A. Melenskyi. In 1835 a round three-tier belfry was built in the Empire style. Such forms of the church have preserved in some photos.
This Podil shrine was demolished in 1935. Archeological excavations of the church foundation were conducted in the second part of 1970. It was found that due to the growth of the cultural layer, the walls of the ancient temple of 12th c. remained under the surface of the 2-meters ground.
Thus, it was decided to rebuild the church in its primary structure. The final project of reconstruction was proved on the 9th of April, 1997. The restoration works started the same year and were successfully completed in March 1998.
At present, Church of the Blessed Virgin Pyrohoshchia is a functional temple of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Kyiv Patriarchate).
Pokrovskyj Monastery
Intercession Convent was founded by Grand Princess Olexandra Petrovna in 1889 in the picturesque area known as Kudriavtsi. In 1888 she bought a plot of land in Lukianovka for the future convent. Previously, there was a large garden here that was visited by the hieroschemamonk Theophilus. Long before the creation of the convent, he foretold the holiness of this place.
At the order of the Grand Princess, in 1889 the architect V. Nikolaiev built the convent settlement in the Russian style: the Intercession Church with the cells, the hospital with a separate church, the church school for girls, the shelter for blind and incurably-ill patients, the orphanage, and pharmacy with free distribution of medications. The same year Olexandra moved to the cell and settled there for long.
After moving to the convent, Olexandra Petrovna was healed thanks to the Eastern Orthodox icon of the Virgin Mary “Theotokos of Pochaiv”. She accepted a miracle as a sign of the right way of further living which she had chosen. The same year the Grand Princess secretly became a nun and did not put off the nun’s dress till the end of her life.
Healthcare facilities attached to the convent were provided with the modern equipment and thousands of people from all over the county could receive a qualified medical care. It was there that the X-ray apparatus was installed for the first time in Kyiv. Moreover, the best medical workers in Kyiv were among the medical stuff who worked there.
In 1896 – 1911 St. Nicholas’s Cathedral was built in the convent. It became the biggest temple in Kyiv. The Cathedral had fifteen domes and included the upper temple and the lower church in honour of the icon of the Blessed Virgin “Life-Giving Spring”. As the World War I began, the interior paintings were made by artists from Pochaivska Lavra only in 1980.
In 1923 – 1941 the convent was closed, a working settlement was organized within its territory. The disfigured temples were also used as nursery, archives and printery.
In October 1941 the monastic life of the convent was restored. During the Nazi occupation an ambulant clinic was operating here. The nuns secretly helped the Kyiv residents avoid being sent to labour camps. After the liberation of Kyiv a hospital was opened for the injured soldiers.
After the end of the war the third part of the convent continued to function. The other parts were transferred to the other organizations.
Now it belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate). The Intercession Church was restored in 1989 – 1990. The domes of St. Nicholas’s Cathedral were reconstructed in 2006 – 2008.
St. Pantaleon's Convent
Convent of St. Pantaleon (Theophania) is located in the area called Theophania on the southern outskirts of Kyiv. The convent was constructed at the beginning of XX c. due to many religious believers who came to Kyiv to pray in the memory of St. Pantaleon. Later the convent was named in his honour.
St. Pantaleon’s Cathedral, the convents’ main place of worship, was built by the architect Yevheniy Yermakov in 1904 – 1914. In the 1920s the cathedral was closed and devastated. For some time there was an orphanage there. In the summer of 1941 during the defensive battles of Kyiv, the cathedral was destroyed by mortar attack. But in the 1990s, the cathedral of St. Pantaleon was restored and returned to the faithful. A hermitage attached to the Intercession Monastery was organized here. Since 2002, it is an independent convent of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Besides the cathedral, the Church of All Saints was preserved in the monastery’s territory. It was constructed in 1866 – 1867 and restored in 2006. The former hotel (1908 – 1909) also stood the test of time. Today, it is under monastic cells. During the Soviet times this very building housed a laboratory of the Institute of Electrical Engineering headed by Academician S. Lebedev. It was here that “MESM”, the first computer in the USSR, was invented in 1950 – 1951.
Moreover, there are springs in the woods near the convent which used to be famous for the springs’ healing water. At present, the hermitage has a nice contemporary look. It is particularly true for the cells which don’t look as ordinary cells. Near the convent there is Feofania (Theophania) Park covering the territory of 152 ha.