Â鶹APP

Saint Sophia Cathedral of Kyiv. Picture By Rbrechko Wikimedia

Top 10 Outstanding Facts about St. Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv 

Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine, is an architectural monument of Kyivan Rus. The former cathedral is one of the city’s best-known landmarks and the first heritage site in Ukraine to be inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the Kyiv cave monastery complex.

Aside from its main building, the cathedral includes an ensemble of supporting structures such as a bell tower and the House of Metropolitan.

In 2011 the historic site was reassigned from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Regional Development of Ukraine to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.

Let us look at some outstanding facts about St. Sophia Cathedral;

1. The cathedral represents architecture and monumental of the early century

Interiors and the collection of mosaics and frescoes architectural elements, st Sophia, Kyiv. By Google Cultural Institute

Saint-Sophia Cathedral, located in the historic center of Kyiv, is one of the major monuments representing the architectural and monumental art of the early 11th century.

The Cathedral was built with the participation of local builders and Byzantine masters during the reign of the Great Prince of Kyiv, Yaroslav the Wise, as the main Christian Church of the Kyivan Rus’ capital.

The Cathedral has preserved its ancient interiors and the collection of mosaics and frescoes of the 11th century is unique for its integrity. Its masterpieces include the Pantocrator, the Virgin Orans, the Communion of the Apostles, the Deisis, and the Annunciation.

The architecture and monumental art of the Cathedral had a wide influence on the architecture and decoration of the Kyivan Rus’ temples. Monastic buildings constructed in the 17th and 18th centuries in the Ukrainian Baroque style surround the Cathedral. 

2. The Cathedral is a symbolic monument

St Sophia. A universal Symbol since its construction. By Ivan Sedlovskyi

St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv is a symbolic monument. If the universal symbol of the Church of Wisdom has been and remains St. Sophia in Constantinople, St. Sophia in Kyiv has been such a symbol for the Eastern Slavonic world.

For centuries, it has been the main shrine of Rus’-Ukraine, the core of higher wisdom that harmonizes the life of the people, and protects and lights its fate. St. Sophia Cathedral is a real memorial of the Christianization of Rus’-Ukraine, a monument of princely piety, richness and glory, state’s wisdom and generosity.

It has come to our time from the heroic epic times of Kyivan Rus’, the day of Volodymyr the Great and Yaroslav the Wise.

3. St. Sophia has served as a tomb 

Saint Sophia Cathedral has served as a tomb since its foundation. The necropolis of the cathedral contained burials of dukes and the higher clergy. It is also the oldest in Rus and covers a long period of history.

Most of the names of those buried in Sofia’s necropolis are unknown; however, those identified burials indicate that prominent figures were laid to rest there.

The most famous entombments belong to Yaroslav the Wise and Volodymyr Monomakh (1053-1125).

4. The bell tower at the cathedral is an architectural monument

The bell tower of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv 1699-1706. Picture By George Chernilevsky

The bell tower of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv is an architectural monument in the Cossack Baroque style. Its construction was funded by Ivan Mazepa in 1699.

The height is 76 meters (250 ft). Initially, the bell tower was three-tiered, but in 1851-1852, it was elevated by another tier and was crowned with a wooden pear-shaped onion dome, covered with gilded copper sheets.

The sculptural decor of the bell tower perfectly interacts with its architectural composition. It is decorated with various stucco ornaments, which are interwoven with plot bas-reliefs. Almost all the stucco has been preserved.

5. St. Sophia has survived the enemy invasion

The Millennium-old history of the cathedral has been troubled. Saint Sophia Cathedral has survived enemy invasions, looting, partial destruction, repairs, and reconstructions.

The first major threat to the church was the pillaging of the city in 1169. Kyiv was captured and destroyed by Duke Andrei the Pious (c. 1111-1174) of Vladimir-Suzdal, who took all the gold items and church relics, in particular, the icon of the Blessed Virgin.

The cathedral survived and was revived. Then came one of the most difficult periods of Kyivan history – the siege of the city by the hordes of Batu Khanin 1240 when the majority of the architectural structures were turned into ashes. Saint Sophia Cathedral survived again.

6. St. Sophia Cathedral is a tourist attraction center

St. Sophia Square in front of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Picture by Salmon.

In the post-war period, many reconstructions were carried out at the cathedral and surrounding buildings. Many new frescos and mosaics were discovered and research was done.

In 1990, the ensemble of the Saint Sophia Cathedral was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Today, the cathedral is a highly popular and renowned building that attracts tourists from all around the world.

The square in front of the cathedral is regularly used for celebrations of Independence Day, Christmas, Easter, and many other holidays.

7. St. Sophia Cathedral was built by Prince Yaroslav

St Sophia’s Cathedral, named after St Sophia’s Cathedral in Constantinople, was built in 1037 by the Kievan Prince Yaroslav the Wise (978-1054) as a burial place for Kievan rulers.

The cathedral was first sacked in 1169 by Andrey Bogolyubsky of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, and in 1240 by the Mongols, who made it fall into disuse.

After the Union of Brest (1595-1596), St. Sophia Cathedral was annexed to the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church until it was recovered by the Ukrainian Orthodox Metropolitan Peter Mogila in 1633. 

8. The Cathedral was reassigned to the Ministry of Culture

Government officials pay a visit to the cathedral after UNESCO status. By U.S. Embassy Kyiv Ukraine

In 2011 the historic site was reassigned from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Regional Development of Ukraine to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine.

One of the reasons for the move was that both Saint Sophia Cathedral and Kyiv Pechersk Lavra are recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Program as one complex, while in Ukraine the two were governed by different government entities. It is currently a museum.

9. Petro and Ivan funded the reconstruction of the Cathedral

In the 17th century, Petro Mohyla (1597-1647) and Ivan Mazepa (1639-1709) funded the reconstruction of the cathedral and thoroughly rebuilt the upper part of Saint Sophia.

For this work, an Italian architect Octaviano Mancini (c. 1580-1638) was invited. Also, the entire ensemble of the surrounding buildings of Saint Sophia was built.

The building of the cathedral after the reconstruction and the surrounding constructions have differentiating features of the Cossack baroque.

10. An Abundance Decoration of St Sophia

On the inside, Saint Sophia has copious, but not extravagant, decoration primarily dating to the medieval period. The walls contain 3000 square meters of frescoes, while the vaults and domes have 260 square meters of mosaics on gold backgrounds.

Both types were restored to their former glory in the 19th century, with selective oil painting replacing lost sections. While the frescoes portray a variety of materials, the mosaics depict the most significant scenes of Orthodox Christian tradition.

The frescoes depict scenes from the life of Christ juxtaposed with scenes of the Rus’ royal family, as well as over 500 saints. A profusion of decoration appears on nearly every surface, as evidenced in this 3D Virtual experience.