St. Sophia Cathedral - the most famous landmark in Kiev

St. Sophia Cathedral - the most important architectural pearl, located in the heart of Kiev, on the same area. In the 11th century a bloody battle took place here, as a result of which the troops of the Kiev prince Yaroslav the Wise managed to defeat the nomadic Pechenegs, and therefore it was here that the grandiose Orthodox church was subsequently erected.

History

In the city of Kiev, St. Sophia Cathedral appeared during the reign of the legendary Yaroslav the Wise, but the history of the main Orthodox church of Kievan Rus is rather confusing. Some researchers argue that the temple in this place was laid during the reign of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, but most scientists attribute the laying of the foundation to the era of Yaroslav the Wise.

The cathedral was built by the best Byzantine masters, sent from Constantinople, but the church became more extensive than other Byzantine Orthodox churches, and was the largest temple complex in the territory of pre-Mongol Rus. Soon after the completion of the construction, the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev became the center of political, spiritual and cultural life, because in this place the grand dukes received foreign ambassadors, chroniclers worked in the temple, a library was located in the cellars, and the people's vest gathered right under its majestic walls.

In 1240 the St. Sophia Cathedral was plundered by the Mongols, but its building was preserved completely, and only in the XVII century significant changes were made to the architecture of the temple. So, instead of the ancient hemispherical domes, tall pear-shaped dolphins were installed, new chapels were attached to the church, and its facade was whitewashed. Under Soviet rule, the cathedral lost its status as a temple complex, and in 1934 it became a museum-preserve. Divine services in it are practically not held now, and the service is only once a year - on August 24, when Ukraine celebrates its Independence Day.

Architecture and interior

At the turn of the XVII-XVIII centuries, when St. Sophia Cathedral became an integral part of the Orthodox monastic complex, the facade of the church was given the features of Ukrainian baroque. And around the ancient building there were other buildings in the same architectural style, including the entrance tower and bell tower, the Brotherhood Corps and the refectory, the Zaborovsky brass and the Metropolitan's House.

The main "highlight" of the cathedral are preserved mosaics of the 11th century, and the most famous of them are Christ the Pantocrator and Our Lady of Oranta. All the mosaic works in the temple were performed with the help of smalt, which is an alloy of salts, glass and metal oxides, and only individual fragments were made by ancient masters from pieces of natural stone.

Unfortunately, the frescoes of the temple have been preserved much worse than the ancient mosaic decorations. On the floor of the cathedral you can see massive iron plates, on which the images of the crescent moon, considered to be Muslim symbols, are clearly visible. And it is not clear why in the Orthodox shrine there was such a floor covering. Initially in the central halls the floors were paved with mosaics, and in the tombs and side naves - small plates of ceramics, and fragments of ceramic and mosaic flooring in some places are clearly visible now.

Features

St. Sophia Cathedral for a long time kept one more secret, revealed to the masters during the restoration work. These are ancient wall inscriptions, which later were hidden under whitewashing and decorative frescoes, and these inscriptions of the visitors of Sophia of Kiev can be seen today, as restorers did not cover them with paint or new frescoes. Another attraction of the temple is the ancient carved sarcophagus made of marble, where the ashes of the great Yaroslav the Wise, who died in 1054, are kept, and his inspection is accessible to every visitor.