St. Sophia Cathedral is the most important architectural gem located in the very heart of Kiev, on the eponymous square. In the XI century, a bloody battle took place in this place, 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 a grandiose Orthodox church was subsequently built.
History
In the city of Kiev, St. Sophia Cathedral appeared during the reign of the legendary Yaroslav the Wise, however, the history of the main Orthodox church of Kievan Rus is rather confusing. Some researchers claim that the temple on this site was founded during the reign of Vladimir Svyatoslavovich, but most scholars 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 temple became larger than other Byzantine Orthodox churches and was the largest temple complex in the territory of pre-Mongol Russia. Soon after the construction was completed, the Kiev Sophia Cathedral became the center of political, spiritual and cultural life, since in this place the grand dukes received foreign ambassadors, chroniclers worked in the church, a library was located in the cellars, and the national assembly gathered right under its majestic walls.
In 1240, St. Sophia Cathedral was looted by the Mongols, but its building was completely preserved, 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 domes were installed, new chapels were added to the temple, and its facade was whitewashed. Under Soviet rule, the cathedral lost the status of a temple complex, and since 1934 received the status of a museum reserve. There are practically no divine services now, and the service happens 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 monastery complex, the facade of the temple was given the features of Ukrainian Baroque. And around the ancient building, other buildings appeared in the same architectural style, including the entrance tower and bell tower, the Fraternal Corps and the refectory, the Zaborovsky Prayer and the Metropolitan's House.
The main “highlight” of the cathedral is the preserved mosaics of the 11th century, and the most famous of them are Christ Pantocrator and Our Lady of Oranta. All mosaic work in the temple was carried out using smalt, which is an alloy of salts, glass and metal oxides, and only individual fragments were performed by ancient craftsmen from pieces of natural stone.
Unfortunately, the frescoes of the temple are much worse preserved than the ancient mosaic decorations. On the floor of the cathedral you can see massive iron plates, on which the images of the crescent, which is considered Muslim symbolism, are clearly visible. And it is not clear why such a floor covering appeared in the Orthodox shrine. Initially, in the central halls, the floors were paved with mosaics, and in the tombs and side naves - with small ceramic plates, and fragments of ceramic and mosaic flooring in some places are clearly visible even now.
Features
St. Sophia Cathedral for a long time kept another secret that was revealed to the masters during the restoration work. These are ancient wall inscriptions, which later were hidden under whitewash and decorative frescoes, and visitors can still see these faces in Kiev Kiev today, as restorers did not cover them with paint or new frescoes. Another attraction of the temple is an ancient carved sarcophagus made of marble, where the remains of the great Yaroslav the Wise, who died in 1054, are stored, and its inspection is available to every visitor.