Kiev churches.
Practically all Kiev's churches are not museums but are used as houses of worship.

The golden domes of Kiev churches can be seen everywhere. Kiev certainly deserved its name "The Jerusalem of the lands of Rus'". For centuries Kiev churches were the only buildings to be constructed of stone. Today, like many centuries ago, they still amaze us with their beauty and grandeur.

How many churches are there in Kiev? A lot... I couldn't find the exact number. People always strive to something they have never seen before. That's why Kiev and its churches always attracted so many travellers, pilgrims, and invaders. They could see Kiev's golden domes and hear bell chime from the distance of three-day travel from the city.

During the last 12 years since Ukraine became independent, number of churches in Ukraine were increased by 170 percent. A few of them were built in Kiev. You have a lot of them to chose from. This page presents only those churches and cathedrals which have many outstanding features and are the unique samples of Ukrainian architecture in many ways.

Let's start our journey. Our first stop is the Cathedral of Saint Sophia - the oldest of the standing Kiev churches, which dates back to the 11th century.

The Cathedral of Saint Sophia.

The St. Sophia's Cathedral was founded in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise in commemoration of the victory over the Pecheneg tribe. It took two decades to complete the cathedral. The grandiose ensemble became a major cultural and political center of Kievan Rus'. It was a site of anointing and crowning the Kievan princes, for receiving ambassadors from many countries, and a burial place of the Kievan rulers.

Kiev churches.
The Saint Sophia's Cathedral.
Uspensky Cathedral.

The structure of the cathedral has 13 golden domes, 5 naves, 5 apses, and 260 sq. m. of mosaics and 3,000 sq. m. of fresco painting from the 11th century.

Today the St. Sophia's Cathedral building is a part of the Museum, which includes the adjoining buildings of the St. Sophia's Monastery, the Golden Gates, St. Cyril's Church, St. Andrew's Church and the Refectory of St. Michael's Monastery of the Golden Domes.

Nine years ago, the Metropolitan Museum hosted an exhibition "Glory of Byzantium", dedicated to the middle Byzantine period (843-1261). It included the art works from 24 countries. A separate gallery of the exhibition has been devoted to the Kievan Rus' state.Ukrainian museums provided the unique art works dated to the 12th century.

After exhibition many people asked: "Where did these works come from? Where does this country Ukraine is located?" One curious fact about that exhibition. Insurance estimate of the Ukrainian art works was that high , that the Metropolitan Museum was forced to borrow money from the British museums to be able to provide it.

Now you have your chance to see those art works from Kiev churches and museums which cost that much.

Kievo-Pecherska Lavra.

Important Note: To visit any of Lavra's churches or catacombs women MUST cover their hair and wear skirts, no shorts.

Kievo-Pecherska Lavra or Kievan Cave Monastery is not just one of Kiev churches. Lavra is history of our state. It was founded in 1051 by monks Antoniy and Feodosiy. It originated from the caves ( peschera in Russian) that gave the monastery it's name. Lavra occupies the huge territory (22 hectares) and is located on two big hills and the valley between them.

Kiev churches.
Kievo-Pecherska Lavra.
Uspensky Cathedral.

The highest hill is the site of the Higher Monastery. The smaller hill is the location of the Far Caves and numerous gold and white churches. The Near Caves with a whole ensemble of buildings occupy the valley. To have a better idea about Lavra you can check its interactive map at MBNet. It is a very funny toy. Don't forget to select any numbered location on the map!

The monastery developed rapidly. In 12th c. Lavra became a leading religious, spiritual, educational and cultural center of Eastern Europe. It had the icon-painting studios, a superb library, its own print shop and a scriptorium where works of ancient and contemporary foreign writers were translated into Slavic.

During the period of its long history Lavra many times was submitted to invasions, fires, vandalism, and spiritual neglect. Especially hard time for Kievo-Pecherska Lavra started after October Revolution in 1917. In 1926 the monastery was closed down completely by the Soviet authorities. Lavra was turned into a state Historical-Cultural Preserve.

From the Second World War to 1961 a monastery was allowed to function at Lavra. It had over 100 monks (prior to the Revolution of 1917 there were over 1,200 monks). In 1988 the Far Caves of the monastery were ceded to the Orthodox church. More about Lavra's history you can read at the official Pecherska Lavra Monastery site.

Within the grounds of Lavra there are also a few different museums:

• The Museum of Historical Treasures.It has one the richest collections of golden articles in the FSU countries.
• The Museum of Micro Miniatures. An artist Nikolay Syadristy has created about 100 miniatures with instruments he made himself. I suspect , it will be one of the most amazing things you've ever seen.
• The Museum of Ukrainian Decorative and Applied Art. Its exposition presents Ukrainian folk art of the 17-th - 20-th centuries.
• The Museum of Ukrainian Books and Printing. The collection includes manuscript volumes from the times of Kievan Rus'.
• The State Museum of Theater, Music and Cinema. The museum's collections feature unique exhibits of theater, music and cinema history.

Lavra's architectural complex is a precious gemstone in the family of Kiev churches. The majority of the structures is built in the Ukrainian Baroque style. In 1990 Kievo-Pecherska Lavra Monastery was enlisted on the UNESCO's World Heritage List.

St. Andrew's Cathedral .

St. Andrew's Cathedral stands at the top of Andriyivskyy Descent (Andriyivskyy Spusk). It is often called "a swan song" of the famous Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The cathedral was built in 1749 - 1754 at the behest of the Russian Empress Elizabeth.

It is impossible to miss the Cathedral. It catches the eye of the visitors straight away. St. Andrew Cathedral is one of the most beautiful Kiev churches. The building has very unusual architecture: strict proportions, amazing forms and perfect lines. Located on the steep slope of the Staro-Kievskaya Hill, it has an observation platform where wonderful views on the Old Podol can be observed.

The St. Andrew's Cathedral occupies a very special place among Kiev churches. You will feel it once you are there. It has some unusual spiritual aura. I guess it is not a bad idea to visit their concerts of classical and chamber music on Friday, Saturday or Sunday at 7.30 p.m.

A large beautiful picture from EtometroByRu. (new window opens) will give you better idea about the famous Andriyivskyy Descent (Andriyivskyy Spusk) and St. Andrew Cathedral.

Mykhalovsky Zlatoverkhy Cathedral.

Mykhalovsky Zlatoverkhy Cathedral is located just opposite Saint Sophia Cathedral. Originally it was built by a grandson of Yaroslav the Wise Prince Sviatopolk Izyaslavovich in 1108. The Cathedral have been built in honor of Archangel Michael, the guardian angel of Kiev.

Today his bronze statue is "guarding" an Independence Square. Unfortunately, nobody asked people whether they want him to be a guard there. Poor and innocent Archangel Michael was "awarded" with a lot of offensive nicknames for being there. The most decent of them is "Betman". Well, let's go back to the St. Michael's Cathedral.

Among Kiev churches St. Michael's Cathedral was the second largest one. St. Michael's Golden Domed Cathedral was destroyed in 1934 through 1936 by the Soviet regime due to the construction of the new Ukrainian SSR capital center when Ukrainian government moved from industrial Kharkov to ancient Kiev. A whole story you can find at the Ukraine-Capital page.

Cathedral has been reconstructed from scratch in 2000. The St. Michael's Golden Domed Cathedral was 822-year old before it was destroyed. Today a six-year old St. Michael's Cathedral attracts millions of tourists and local people every year. Cathedral looks a little bit too new and shiny, but it is really beautiful. It certainly doesn't have that special spirit which surrounds St. Sophia Cathedral or ancient Lavra.

New times, new laws of life... If you would like to think about it or just take a rest, you can sit on the bench in the nearby "Vladimirskaya Gorka" park. It is pretty quiet and has very positive energetic.

St. Vladimir's Cathedral.

St. Vladimir's Cathedral commemorates the 900th anniversary of the baptism of Kievan Rus by prince Vladimir the Great of Kiev. The Cathedral was founded in 1862, but it took almost 30 years (from 1862 to 1896) to finish it. The design was executed in Byzantine style initially by the architects I. Schtrom, P. Sparro, R. Bemhardt, K. Mayevsky, V. Nikolayev. The final version of the design belongs to A. Beretti.

What is that remarkable about St.Vladimir's Cathedral? Why do we distinguish it from the rest of the Kiev churches many of which are significantly older? The Cathedral is a striking combination of the perfect architecture and unique mosaics and frescoes.

Mosaics were executed by masters from Venice. There were a lot of famous artist who created amazing interior of the cathedral: S. Kostenko, V. Kotarbinsky, M. Nesterov, M. Pymonenko, P. Swedomsky, V. Vasnetsov, M. Vrubel, V. Zamyraylo, and others.

An outstanding Russian artist Victor Vasnetsov possesses the leading role in this talented team of artist. His painting of the Holy Mother of God impresses by its internal spiritual light and at the same quite earthy beauty of the regular women.

Similar to all Kiev churches St. Vladimir's Cathedral went through hard times. From 1917 till 1938 more than 40,000 churches in the USSR were demolished or confiscated by the state. How did the St. Vladimir's Cathedral manage to survive? There is always a thin line between tragedy and farce. Cathedral had been converted into... Anti-Religious Museum. Thanks to that fact we are still able to enjoy its majesty and beauty.

St. Cyril's Church.

Saint Cyril's Church was built in 1146 and named in honor of Saint Cyril, one of the most eminent Orthodox saints. Church has always been considered as a family burial site for the family of Princess Olga.

Throughout the years of its existence, St. Cyril's Church has undergone periods of deterioration, reconstructions and architectural alterations.

Fortunately, the renovations in the 18th- 17th centuries didn't change design of the main building too much. The ancient architectural forms are easily recognizable through later modifications.

Perhaps, St. Cyril's Church would still remain just an old church, but in 1860s under the eighteenth century plaster about 800 sq.m fresco paintings of the 12th century were found.

Extensive restoration work was carried out under the supervision of professor A. Prakhov. At the request of the church authorities, the ancient frescoes were re-painted in oil by Mikhail Vrubel. Teachers and students of the Drawing School of Kiev were engaged in the restoration.

They created extremely expressive masterpieces which made St. Cyril's Church one of the most famous Kiev churches. In May 1929, St. Cyril's Church was proclaimed a museum.

An icon The Virgin and Child painted by Vrubel for St. Cyril's Church is considered among the finest female portraits created by artist. When the icon was finished, people noticed that the Virgin's face had a striking resemblance to professor Prakhov's wife. An outstanding artist Mikhail Vrubel was never again invited to work in Kiev churches. Such a romantic story connected to the St. Cyril's Church.

Kiev used to be named "the city of 200 golden domes." It looks like today there are many more of them in Kiev. Kiev churches create unrepeatable and unique image of this ancient and forever young city. Even if you manage to visit only those of them which are described on this page, you can proudly say:

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