Hagia Sophia in Kiev is a visiting card not only of the Ukrainian capital, but also of the state as a whole. How much is connected with this magnificent monument of architecture. Firstly, Kiev Hagia Sophia is an old Russian symbol, and secondly it is a witness to ancient and modern history. Every citizen of this unrivaled power is simply forced to visit such a magnificent place at least once in his life. And tourists who come to Ukraine from the most remote corners of the Earth, in the first place, strive to see an architectural masterpiece, sung in historical memoirs and chronicles.
Where is he located
Hagia Sophia is a symbol of Ancient Russia and not only. Although this temple has the museum status of a historical monument, since ancient times it has been a witness to each particular era and a contemporary of all generations. The appearance of the temple and its attitude to it rightly confirmed all the facts about the state of the state and society.
Before getting to the cherished temple, a native Kievite or a foreign tourist is forced to go through a huge area, which is surrounded by modern buildings, to bypass the monument to the great hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky, established in the century before last. Then, in order to finally see the architectural masterpiece, you need to go under the arched bell tower along the high walls dating from the beginning of the XVIII century. And even with the fact that Hagia Sophia of Kiev is located almost in the center of the metropolis, it is still a quiet and cozy corner. But it is very difficult to believe that it has always been like this here.
Once in the cathedral for the first time, a person will begin to look in surprise in different directions, because the wide and low outside structure suddenly majestically rises up, the area becomes larger, and Oranta is looking directly at the parishioner - Our Lady in the golden glow. A person feels either an omnipotent special, or a flimsy creature. But now it will become much easier for him to imagine the noisy veche that was gathering under the walls of this building in order to make the most important decision for the state.
Guesses and Facts
Hagia Sophia (a symbol of Ancient Russia) was erected and consecrated in the XI century, or rather, in the first half. But even today, historians put forward several dates for its creation. So, it is assumed that the attraction was erected during one of these years: the 1011st, 1017th or 1037th.
The last two dates are based on the records of various chronicles - Novgorod and "Tales of Bygone Years," respectively. Confirmation of the first are the results of a study of the marks on the walls of the temple, as well as a review of several facts of ancient written records.
Also indisputable is the fact that the history of the idea and erection of the church is inextricably linked to Christianity in Russia. Three well-known monarchs of the state are related to this - Princess Olga, Prince Vladimir and Prince Yaroslav the Wise.
According to the chronicles, the original Hagia Sophia - a symbol of Ancient Russia - and the laurel surrounding the temple were erected by Olga in Kiev. It may also be that this happened some time before the visit by the princess of Constantinople. And it is possible that the images of the temple were presented by the Patriarch of Constantinople. The new church was built of wood, and therefore in 1017, and not later, it burned down during the Kiev fire.
Vladimir and Yaroslav Vladimirovich
According to other information from the annals, Svyatoslav Vladimirovich laid the new Hagia Sophia in Kiev. It was a large church made of wood. It was located in a field (outside the then capital), in the place where the prince defeated the Pechenegs.
The architectural, political and spiritual prototype of the temple was the Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople. He impressed with his appearance and, most likely, was an unforgettable memory for Princess Olga. And if we admit the fact of the baptism of a woman, then we should start from the fact that this happened in Constantinople, in the church of St. Sophia. And in the Korsun church of Hagia Sophia they crowned and baptized Prince Vladimir himself. That is why the construction of the temple in Russia was not an accident.
Under Yaroslav, the temple was to reach its highest peak and emphasize the independence and strength of Kievan Rus.
The greatness of the cathedral
Almost simultaneously with the consecration, Hagia Sophia (the history of creation is described in our article) also acquired a department of the metropolitans of Kiev. The courtyard of the residence of the metropolitans was fenced. But even by the standards of that time, its territory was simply impressive in its size. Therefore, not only authorities and clergy could engage in religious and state affairs, but ordinary citizens at the veche or in order to celebrate the new prince’s accession to the throne had the right to gather near the walls.
What does he look like
And yet, most scientists are sure that Hagia Sophia in Kiev was built during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. To this day, the building has been able to preserve the luxury of ancient architecture and the picturesque grandeur of the 11th century. This church harmoniously combines fresco and mosaic. The main parts of the interior are highlighted with the help of mosaics (the altar and the central dome). The rest of the territory was decorated with frescoes. Today, parishioners and guests can see 260 m 2 of genuine mosaics dating from the 11th century, and about 3 thousand square meters. m fresco painting.
The cathedral was dedicated to Sofia, embodying wisdom, and therefore the architecture and painting of the church was supposed to strengthen and affirm Christianity and the power of the feudal lords. The faces of the main characters and episodes of Christian doctrine are depicted in the altar and the central dome. They are recruited from smalt on wet plaster. The mosaic of the temple consists of 177 color shades.
The medallion of the central dome depicts Christ the Almighty. And around the zenith there used to be four archangels, but only one figure was preserved in a mosaic form. The rest are already finished with oil.
Become a museum
In the mid-1930s, then the authorities of Soviet Ukraine decided that Hagia Sophia (a symbol of Ancient Russia) should become a museum-reserve. The cathedral began to carry out research and restoration work. And at the end of the last century, the work of the museum received recognition of the world. Today it is the National Reserve "Sofia Kiev".