The Church of the Tithes is one of the most ancient temples erected on the territory of modern Kiev immediately after the baptism of Russia. He was built by Prince Vladimir. The temple was built in just 5 years, from 991 to 996. Unfortunately, his fate was rather tragic, already in 1240 it ceased to exist. Some remains of the church have survived to this day and today are in the estate of the Historical Museum.
At a time when Christianity in Russia was only in its infancy, the construction of the church was of great importance. It was erected on the model of the Church of Constantinople at the court of the emperor. The Church of the Tithes was built by masters specially invited from Byzantium from completely new finishing materials. The place for its construction was not chosen by chance. There used to live two Christian martyrs who were killed by the Gentiles. To atone for such a sin, Prince Vladimir decided to build a temple.
The Church of the Tithes is so called because the prince allocated a tenth of his property for the construction of churches, and it was the main treasury. It is known that its structure and size were very impressive, only Sofia Kiev was better than this church. Many written sources of those times call the Tithes Church marble, apparently because it had many columns, murals and mosaics made of marble. In terms of decoration, she was one of the best.
The tithe church in Kiev initially guarded the peace of Prince Vladimir and his wife Anna, as well as Princess Olga. A little later, the remains of Oleg and Yaropolk - the brothers Vladimir, and then Izyaslav Yaroslavovich and Rostislav Mstislavovich were transferred. The temple did not last long; in 1240, Khan Batu with his army accrued attacked Kievan Rus. All Kievites tried to take refuge in the church, but it could not withstand such a load, the walls collapsed, burying all people under them.
The Church of the Tithes (or rather its ruins) stood up to the 19th century. Several attempts have been made to study it. Archaeologists noted that the walls of the temple are dotted with inscriptions in Greek. During excavations, sarcophagi with the remains of the princes, as well as the gold ornaments that were on them, were found.
The Church of the Tithes has been repeatedly tried to revive. At first it happened in 1636, then a small temple was built; and in the 30s of the XIX century a new tithe church was built, but in architecture it did not at all resemble its predecessor. Many people of Kiev considered it a disgrace and an insult to the great temple of Prince Vladimir. Therefore, no one was very upset when in 1936 the church was completely destroyed, dismantled brick by brick.
In 2005, the government signed a decree on the restoration of such an architectural monument and Ukrainian shrine as the Tithes Church. Kiev is a great city with dozens of beautiful temples, but, nevertheless, lifting this church out of ruins, it will become even more beautiful and interesting. But the fate of the temple is not yet known, since construction has not yet begun. There is fierce debate over what the Church of the Tithes should be - to restore its original form or to build a completely new structure. Will the parties come to a compromise, and will the shrine be erected, only time will tell.