Hagia Sophia
St. Sophia Cathedral- The Cathedral Church of the Kyiv Metropolis since the 11th century, one of the most famous shrines of Rus'. A world-famous masterpiece of medieval Christian culture and art.
Since the cathedral building is part of the Sophia of Kiev National Reserve and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List, it is prohibited to transfer it to any religious organization and to hold services in it. An exception is the day of August 24 - Independence Day of Ukraine, when representatives of religious organizations pray for Ukraine (introduced since 2005); On November 22, 2006, the Holy Synod of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) declared that it was impossible for itself to participate in such events.
Historical excursion
The idea to build “the Church of St. Sophia, the metropolis” in Kyiv, according to Metropolitan Hilarion, belonged to Vladimir Svyatoslavich, but it was already Yaroslav the Wise who had the opportunity to implement it. The date of the foundation of the cathedral over one and a half centuries is the subject of scientific debate. Taking into account all historical circumstances, the most probable years of construction should be considered 1032-37. - exactly 500 years after Sophia of Constantinople, which was a symbolic model for the Kyiv temple.
St. Sophia Cathedral. Drawing by A. van Westerfeld. 1651
According to ancient church tradition, Sophia of Kyiv was founded by Metropolitan John, and consecrated by his successor Theopempt. The unknown architects were representatives of the capital's Constantinople school of architecture. The temple is dedicated to Sophia - the Wisdom of God. This is one of the most complex abstract categories of Christian theology, which has many interpretations. According to the Apostle Paul, Sophia symbolically corresponds to the hypostasis of Christ - the incarnate Word of God. Only later, when the identification of Sophia with the Mother of God spread, the temple holiday of the Kyiv Cathedral was moved to September 8 (21) - the day of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary. The artistic image of the St. Sophia Cathedral was supposed to embody the multifaceted meaning embedded in this symbol. This explains its enormous size and extremely complicated structure. In general, the interior of Sofia reproduces the medieval model of the Universe, and the exterior - the image of the City of God - Heavenly Jerusalem.
Like other temples, Sofia was the burial place of prominent personalities, mostly wealthy. The necropolis of St. Sophia Cathedral began to take shape in the middle of the 11th century. During his lifetime, the founder of the temple ordered that a tomb be built for himself in the northern gallery. The sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise is still preserved in the cathedral. According to the chronicle, four more burial places of princes - descendants of Yaroslav - are known in Sofia, as well as the burial places of many Kyiv metropolitans.
In pre-Mongol times, St. Sophia Cathedral was plundered twice. For the first time this was done by the troops of Andrei Bogolyubsky and his allies in 1169, and the second time by the squads of Rurik Rostislavich in 1203. The temple also suffered from a great fire in 1180.
Sofia and the Sofia courtyard suffered the greatest damage during the Mongol invasion of 1240, as well as the Tatar raids of 1416 and 1482. However, the temple was not destroyed and continued to function. Already in 1273, Metropolitan Kirill convened a local council of the Russian Church here. And although after 1300 the Kyiv metropolitans visited their devastated residence less and less, certain restoration work was carried out from time to time. In particular, in 1376-78. The renovation of Sofia was carried out by Metropolitan Cyprian, and around 1577 by the Metropolitan's deputy Bogush Gulkevich-Glebovsky.
Main altar of St. Sophia Cathedral
Despite these efforts, the temple gradually fell into disrepair. This happened mainly due to the indifference and selfishness of the metropolitan officials. At the end of the 16th century. St. Sofia was such a sad sight that it caused indignation even among the Catholic Bishop Joseph Vereshchinsky. In 1608, the Uniates took possession of the St. Sophia Cathedral and continued to steal construction materials, in particular roofing, for sale. The rest was completed by rain and wind.
On July 2, 1633, the newly elected Orthodox Metropolitan Peter Mogila liberated St. Sophia Cathedral from the power of the Uniates and founded a monastery with it. A major restoration of the temple began in 1634, but during Mogila’s lifetime it was never completed. In particular, the western gallery remained dilapidated. In 1637-38. the work was led by the Italian architect Octaviano Mancini. Obviously, it was he who gave the facades of the cathedral a Renaissance character, known to us from the drawing of Abraham van Westerfeld in 1651. At the same time, a new carved iconostasis and two altar chapels were built in the external galleries.
In 1688, Metropolitan Gideon Svyatopolk-Chetvertinsky, with donations from the Moscow kings, began a new, more significant reconstruction of St. Sophia. At this time, second floors were built above the external galleries, six new domes and eight Baroque pediments were built, hiding the original small domes. The work was supervised by apprentice mason Savva Yakovlev. They were completed by 1695, as evidenced by the image on Ushakov’s plan.
The newly rebuilt cathedral was severely damaged by a fire in 1697 and needed new restoration. In 1699-1706. it was carried out by Metropolitan Varlaam Yasinsky at the expense of Hetman Ivan Mazepa. It was at this time that the ancient mosaics and frescoes were whitewashed, the remains of the western gallery and the western triple arcade with part of the choirs were dismantled, the building was strengthened on all sides with powerful buttresses.
In 1718-24. A new baroque mural was completed in 1739-47. Metropolitan Rafail Zaborovsky carried out another restoration of the cathedral, and in 1747-54. A three-tier iconostasis was built, the lower tier of which has survived to this day. At the beginning of the 19th century. the cathedral had 17 thrones.
The beginning of the scientific study of Sophia of Kyiv was laid by the book of Metropolitan Evgeniy Bolkhovitinov “Description of the Kiev-Sophia Cathedral”, published in 1825. However, the real sensation was the accidental discovery of ancient frescoes in 1843. During 1843-53, simultaneously with the barbaric “updating” of the murals , the architect Pavel Sparro carried out a thorough renovation of the temple, during which the roof was replaced, the floor was paved with cast-iron slabs and the upper tier of the iconostasis was removed, which prevented one from seeing the mosaics of the altar.
During the last reconstruction, carried out in 1882-89. under the leadership of Vladimir Nikolaev, part of the baroque pediments were dismantled and ancient small domes were opened. The cross-shaped window in the center of the western façade was cut out, and in place of the western gallery, the existing narthex in the pseudo-Byzantine style was built. At the same time, under the floor of the cathedral, the air-heating channels were tripled and another tier of the iconostasis was removed.
In October 1921, a council was held in the St. Sophia Church, at which the creation of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church was announced. St. Sophia belonged to the UAOC until its liquidation in 1930. In 1934, the service of God in the cathedral was stopped and the State Architectural and Historical Reserve "Sophia Museum" was formed. The activity of the reserve began with vandalism: during 1935-37. eight baroque iconostases of side altars made by Ukrainian masters of the 17th-18th centuries were dismantled and mostly burned. The gilded silver royal doors of 1747 also disappeared from the main iconostasis. At the same time, the creation of the reserve made it possible for the first time to conduct research and restoration of the monument on a truly scientific basis.
According to the former head of the Sofia Nature Reserve, Alexei Povstenko, in September 1941, the Soviet military attempted to mine the temple, but, fortunately, it was unsuccessful. In the post-war years, the St. Sophia Cathedral was regularly restored and studied. Its premises maintain a microclimate favorable for the preservation of priceless works of medieval art.
In 1990, the St. Sophia Cathedral, like the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, became the first architectural monument on the territory of Ukraine to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
Description
Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral was one of the largest buildings of its time. The total width of the temple is 54.6 m, length - 41.7 m, height to the zenith of the central dome - 28.6 m. The cathedral has five naves, completed in the east with apses, crowned with 13 domes forming a pyramidal silhouette, and is surrounded by three sides with two rows of open galleries, of which the inner one has two tiers. For a long time it was believed that the galleries were added to the cathedral later, but recent research has proven that they are connected with it by a single design and arose simultaneously. Only the baptistery, built into the western gallery, dates back to the mid-12th century.
Plan of Sophia of Kyiv
The spatial solution of the central core is cross-domed. It is surrounded on three sides by extremely spacious choirs, opening into the temple with triple arcades. Obviously, the choirs were intended not only for the residence of the princely family during services, but also to house the main institutions of the Kyiv Metropolis - a chamber for ceremonial events, a library with a scriptorium (a workshop for the production of handwritten books), an office, and a treasury. To ascend to the choir, two towers with spiral staircases are built into the western gallery.
Sophia of Kyiv is a perfect example of a synthesis of arts. The mural painting and decorative decoration form an indivisible whole with the architecture of the temple. In the Kiev Cathedral, a combination of mosaics with frescoes in one interior, unusual for Byzantium, was used. At the same time, mosaic images cover only the most important parts of the temple - the main altar and the central dome; the rest of the interior is decorated with fresco murals. Remains of frescoes were also found on the facades - in niches and on gallery pillars.
The floor in the altar and the central part (choros) was laid with slate slabs inlaid with mosaics, and in other parts - with ceramic tiles. Many design elements were carved from imported Greek marble. The thresholds and columns, the low pre-altar fence-templon and the canopy-ciborium above the throne were marble. The slate parapets of the choir fence are covered with carved ornaments.
An outstanding historical source is the complex of graffiti inscriptions scratched on the walls of the cathedral by its visitors over the centuries. Among them there are autographs of famous historical figures of medieval Rus'.
Shrines
- In the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv, under the arch of the high place there is. The Mother of God is depicted in full height with raised arms, standing on a golden quadrangular stone. Along the arc of the semi-vault, in black mosaic, there is an inscription in Greek: “ὁ Θεὸς ἐν μέσῳ αὐτῆς καὶ οὐ σαλευθήσεται · βοηθήσει αὐτ ῇ ὁ Θεὸς τὸ πρὸς πρωΐ πρωΐ. “God is in the midst of her and does not move: God will help her in the morning.” (Ps. 45:6). The icon probably received its name due to the fact that for more than 800 years, the wall with this mosaic was never destroyed, unlike the rest of the cathedral. In honor of the icon, a convent was founded in 2001 in the city of Apsheronsk.
- . This icon, borrowed from the Church of Justinian in Byzantium, depicts the union of the Heavenly and earthly Churches through the incarnation of the Son of God - the Wisdom of God.
St. Sophia Cathedral was founded in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. According to legend, the temple was erected exactly on the spot where the prince defeated the pagan Pechenegs. For more than ten years, Byzantine and local craftsmen built and decorated the building. Only in 1049, Metropolitan Theopempt of Kyiv consecrated the majestic structure. Sophia of Kiev became the main temple of the country - here Yaroslav founded the first library in Rus', the chronicle, rewriting and translation of books were carried out here, the ceremonies of the ascension of princes to the Kiev throne, receptions of ambassadors were held here, the tombs of the great princes were located here. In those days, Kievan Rus was one of the largest civilized powers in Europe - it had extensive trade and diplomatic ties with the states of the West and East, and many kings of Europe considered it an honor to become related to the Grand Duke of Kyiv.
In the 11th-13th centuries, the cathedral was repeatedly ravaged by the Polovtsians, Pechenegs, and the cathedral suffered especially crushing destruction during the capture of Kyiv in 1240 by the Tatar-Mongols under the leadership of Batu Khan. The temple was destroyed, but still not destroyed - Batu’s troops “spared its wondrous beauty.”
The threat of destruction hung over the ancient temple complex in the 20th century. In the early 1930s, the Soviet government decided to destroy Sophia; only the intervention of France, which remembered that Queen Anne (wife of Henry I) was the daughter of the founder of the temple, Yaroslav the Wise, prevented the destruction of this relic. The communists were afraid of an international scandal - this is how the Sofia Museum-Reserve, founded in 1934, appeared, and research and restoration work began here.
The mosaics and frescoes of the St. Sophia Cathedral were created in the middle of the 11th century by Byzantine masters specially invited by Yarosalf the Wise from Constantinople. Christian stories displayed on the walls of the cathedral were intended to enlighten illiterate people from a pagan country in the recent past, who generally could not read or write. On the walls of the temple are depicted scenes from the life of Christ and the Mother of God, her parents Joachim and Anna, the apostles Peter and Paul, George the Victorious, the patron saint of Kyiv - Archangel Michael and many Orthodox saints.
Sofia burned repeatedly, was rebuilt, in the 13th century it suffered from the invasion of the hordes of Batu Khan, in the 15th-16th centuries it stood completely without a roof - all this had a detrimental effect on the frescoes. To this day from 5000 m? Just over two thousand frescoes created in the 11th century have survived. At the end of the 17th century, the ancient frescoes were whitened with lime and were again accidentally discovered in 1843 when a piece of plaster with oil painting fell off, revealing a mural from the 11th century. However, the clearing of the walls was carried out unprofessionally and the workers in some places also removed fresco paintings.
The mosaics originally occupied a huge area, but only a third of them have survived. The mosaic palette has 177 shades. The blue color consists of 21 shades, green of 34, yellow of 23, red of 19, gold of 25, silver of 9, which indicates the high professional level of the craftsmen. Pieces of smalt, laid out on the wet plaster, were placed at different angles in such a way that the rays of light falling on them were reflected at different angles and created a sparkling, luminous surface, which gives the cathedral mosaics a special expressiveness.
The mosaics of the main altar, pre-altar columns and the main dome are a masterpiece of art. For many centuries now, the center of this beautiful composition has been the mosaic icon of the Mother of God, known as the “Unbreakable Wall”. For many centuries, people have believed that until the “Unbreakable Wall” collapses, Kyiv will stand.
Pilgrimage trips to St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv
The most beautiful ancient temple in Ukraine, which has a thousand-year history and has survived to this day - all this refers to the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. Now the cathedral is used as a museum, services are held on strictly designated days.
Foundation and further fate
According to various sources, two years of foundation of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv are indicated: 1017 and 1037. According to data from the First Novgorod Chronicle, the foundation of the temple took place in 1017, and the cathedral was started by Prince Vladimir and completed by Yaroslav. According to another version, the construction of the temple was planned in honor of the glorious victory over the Pechenegs at the battle site. If you believe the information from the Tale of Bygone Years, in 1037 Yaroslav the Wise carried out massive construction in Kyiv. At the same time as the St. Sophia Cathedral, a monastery and the Golden Gate with a church were erected.
Start of construction of the cathedral
According to the main version, the temple building was built at the behest of Yaroslav the Wise in the 11th century. One of the reasons for the foundation of the cathedral was the visit of the Metropolitan of Constantinople Theopemptos, who subsequently moved to Kyiv to serve the Russian Church.
The Italian Church of Our Lady of Oranta was taken as a model for the construction of the thirteen-domed Hagia Sophia Cathedral. The Byzantine style of architecture suggests that foreign craftsmen were invited to build the shrine.
Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral was on the verge of destruction many times. In 1169, during a raid on Kyiv by the troops of Andrei Bogolyubsky, the temple was plundered along with other churches in the city. In 1180, a fire caused significant damage to the building. During the invasion of the Tatar Horde in 1240, a significant part of the shrines and relics were removed from the St. Sophia Cathedral. In addition, foreigners caused significant damage to the temple.
Metropolitan Kirill II, who was placed at the head of the Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral in 1242, restored and repaired the destroyed parts of the building. Until the end of the century, the temple was the see of the metropolitans of Kyiv. A century and a half later, under Metropolitan Cyprian, the cathedral was again repaired, after which no one worked on the building for about three and a half centuries. Significant damage to the temple was caused during the raid of the Crimean Tatars. They killed Saint Macarius, who was at the church. The final event that led to the final decline of the parish was the transfer of the Church of Hagia Sophia to the Uniates. Divine services in the temple began to be held less and less often, and then stopped altogether.
The revival of the Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral occurred in the 17th century. In 1633, the temple was taken away from the Uniates and handed over to the Orthodox Church. Metropolitan Peter (Mogila) stood at the head of the parish. To restore and restore the dilapidated building, he invited the architect Octavian Mancini from Italy. By the end of the century, the interior of the temple was restored. The exterior of the building was restored and completed in the Ukrainian Baroque style: seven new pear-shaped domes appeared, and the walls were decorated with stucco. A monastery was founded at the temple.
Since its opening, Hagia Sophia has been the tomb of many Russian metropolitans, princes and their families. Princely tombs were made for sovereigns, and the remains of clergy were buried in an underground crypt. Most of the burials have not survived.
Before the advent of Soviet power, the cathedral was the cathedral church of Kyiv. The October Revolution caused discord among the temple servants. A struggle began between the metropolitans for the main place in the St. Sophia Cathedral. In 1929 the church was closed. The French authorities prevented the destruction of the temple building. They asked to leave the shrine, as it was a piece of French history. The daughter of Yaroslav the Wise was the wife of King Henry I. In 1934, the temple building was transferred to the Ministry of Culture, and a museum-reserve was created there.
Current state
The building of St. Sophia Cathedral acquired its modern appearance during the time of Ivan Mazepa. The final stage of reconstruction was carried out by Metropolitan Raphael (Zabarovsky).
The bell tower of the Hagia Sophia has survived to this day in its original form. Its construction dates back to the beginning of the 18th century: from 1699 to 1707. In 1705, a bell for the belfry was cast by special order. It is currently displayed on the second floor of the bell tower as a museum exhibit. He was named after the Hetman of Ukraine "Mazepa".
The cathedral is part of the ensemble of the St. Sophia Monastery, which includes all the nearby buildings - monuments of ancient architecture. Since 1934, the St. Sophia Cathedral reserve has been formed here. In addition to the Church of St. Sophia and the bell tower, the ensemble includes the cells of the monastery, the exit tower, the Zaborovsky Gate, a bakery, a refectory, and the Metropolitan's House. All these buildings were mainly built in the 18th century.
A unique collection of frescoes and mosaics from the 11th century. was found during restoration work. In 1987, St. Sophia Cathedral was awarded the European Gold Medal for the preservation of the ancient relic. The award was awarded by the Hamburg Foundation. A. Töpfer. Since 1990, the temple has been under the protection of UNESCO. It was included in the World Heritage List.
When Ukraine became an independent state, services were resumed in St. Sophia Cathedral. But after the temple was included in the UNESCO register, services were banned. Only solemn liturgies are permitted on great church holidays.
Another version of construction
Since 2012, there has been a new version of the construction of the temple. Encrypted inscriptions were discovered on the walls of the St. Sophia Cathedral, according to which the foundation of the temple took place in 1011, which is 26 years earlier than the official date.
The opinions of scientists were also divided after the discovery of the sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise and the study of the remains. It turned out that the ancient relics belonged to a woman. According to some sources, the remains of the prince are kept in the Brooklyn Temple.
Features of the architectural ensemble
Initially, the Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral had the shape of a cylinder, rising upward in steps. The building was crowned with 13 domes located at different levels. The lower tier consisted of 8 chapters. They surrounded 4 domes located one level above. The final part was the central large dome, rising on a high drum. The domed roofs were lined with sheet lead. The temple building was surrounded on 3 sides by a two-tiered gallery, and an additional one-tiered outer one was added, above which a long balcony was built for famous people to walk around. Two towers for climbing to the choir were located on the sides of the western part of the cathedral. The building itself has a square shape, its sides are 29 m. With gallery extensions, the size of the temple is 55x42 m.
The interior of the temple remained unchanged. The temple is divided into 5 naves using cruciform pillars. The main naves intersect transversely, forming a cross-shaped room under the central dome. The internal diameter of the dome is 7.7 meters. The height of the temple in the center of the dome is 29 m. The choirs surround the central room of the cathedral on three sides. You can enter the choir through the western towers along the spiral staircases.
The main apse was located in the eastern part of the temple. Three-span arcades in two tiers were located in opposite parts of the building: from the north and from the south. The 3rd arcade in the western part was eliminated during renovation work in the 17th century.
Interior of the cathedral
Initially, the altar and dome of the cathedral were decorated with picturesque colored mosaics. The remaining parts of the interior were decorated with frescoes. A mosaic painting of Christ and 4 archangels is located in the very center of the dome. Many fragments were lost, only the archangel in blue clothes remained genuine. The rest in the 19th century. were completed with paints by the artist Vrubel. The dome's sails are painted with images of saints writing the Gospel. Above, on the drum windows, there were 12 apostles. Currently, you can see the upper part of the body of Apostle Paul, dating from the 11th century. Above the altar on the vault is a mosaic of Our Lady of the Unbreakable Wall.
Address: Ukraine, Kyiv
Date of foundation, start of construction: 1011 - 1037
Coordinates: 50°27"10.4"N 30°30"51.3"E
Hagia Sophia is located in the very center of the city. This temple was considered the main temple of Kievan Rus and was its cultural, political and religious center.
It was here that the process of consecration as metropolitan took place, the process of ascension to the princely throne, ambassadors were received and church councils were held.
View of the cathedral bell tower
History of the emergence and existence of the Kyiv St. Sophia Cathedral
The history of this cathedral is complicated and ambiguous. The construction date of the temple has not yet been determined. There are two different opinions. According to the first version, the construction of the St. Sophia Cathedral was carried out during the reign of Vladimir I Svyatoslavich, according to the second, construction began during the reign of his son Yaroslav the Wise. Historical data suggests that Yaroslav founded the first library in Rus' in the Kiev St. Sophia Cathedral.
According to the "Novgorod First Chronicle", the construction of the St. Sophia Cathedral was started in 1017 by Yaroslav the Wise, however, the "Tale of Bygone Years" tells how Yaroslav began construction of the church in 1037. In any case, it is a reliable fact that in 1051 the first Metropolitan of Kiev, consecrated Hilarion, visited it.
View of St. Sophia Cathedral from the bell tower
Throughout its existence, the St. Sophia Cathedral was repeatedly destroyed, attacked and looted. In the 11th-13th centuries, the cathedral was ravaged by the Polovtsians and Pechenegs. In 1180, as a result of a fire, the temple was badly damaged. However, the most serious damage to the cathedral was caused by the Tatar-Mongols, led by Batu Khan, during the capture of Kyiv in 1240. Then the Tatar-Mongols plundered the St. Sophia Cathedral. In 1497, the cathedral was again plundered by the Crimean Tatars. Only starting from the 17th century did the cathedral begin to be revived, and in 1688 Hetman Ivan Mazepa made a major contribution to the restoration of the cathedral. In the 20th century, the ancient temple complex was again in danger. The Soviet government decides to destroy the St. Sophia Cathedral, but the intervention of France, whose Queen Anne (wife of Henry I) was the daughter of Prince Yaroslav the Wise, prevented the destruction of the relic.
Main entrance to the cathedral
After saving the temple, the Sofia Museum-Reserve was created, and research and restoration work began. Today, the length of the St. Sophia Cathedral without galleries is about thirty meters, the width is 29.3 meters, the size of the dome square is seven and a half meters, the height to the top of the main dome is 29 meters.
Architectural features of the cathedral
Experts believe that at least 40 craftsmen and about a hundred assistants took part in the construction of the cathedral. The construction took about three years, and several more years were spent finishing and painting the interior walls of the temple. It is assumed that Greeks who arrived from Constantinople took part in the construction of the temple. This is evidenced by the technical techniques, as well as the architectural features of the cathedral, namely the traditions of Byzantine architecture embodied in the architectural implementation of two staircase towers that led to the choir and roof of the temple.
View of the cathedral from the southeast
The choirs were the place where the prince sat with his family and close associates during services. In addition, here the prince met with ambassadors and resolved issues of national importance.
Inside, the walls of the temple are decorated with mosaics and paintings done by Byzantine painters. The mosaic palette of the St. Sophia Cathedral is very rich and varied, there are more than 170 shades. Graffiti, about 300, were also discovered, scrawled inscriptions telling about political figures and events. From the very beginning, the cathedral had about 650 sq.m. mosaics, now you can see about 260 sq.m. mosaic-finished surfaces and three thousand sq.m. frescoes Among the most famous mosaics of the temple are the Mother of God - Oranta and Christ - Pantocrator (dome mosaic).
View of the cathedral from the refectory
The iron slabs of the cathedral floor depict the Muslim symbol - the crescent. The mosaic elements are better preserved than the frescoes. In the 18th century, the walls of the cathedral were plastered, whitewashed, and oil painting was applied, however, in the next century, the ancient frescoes were again uncovered, and plaster was applied and painting was added only in places where the frescoes were damaged. St. Sophia Cathedral was also the burial place of the Kyiv princes. Here were the remains of Yaroslav the Wise, his son Yaroslav the Wise Vsevolod, and Vsevolod’s sons: Vsevolod Rostislav Vsevolodovich and Vladimir Monomakh. In the past, there were about 100 burials in this temple.
View of the north-eastern façade of the cathedral
Today in the temple there are burials of Yaroslav the Wise and his wife; all other burials have been lost. The most important valuable objects and shrines of the temple were the royal crown - "Monomakh's Cap", which was given to Vladimir Monomakh by the Byzantine emperor, and there was also a crucifix brought by Queen Olga from Constantinople. The jawbone of the baptist of Rus', Prince Vladimir, and the hands of the holy Great Martyr Barbara were kept in the temple. Thus, today the Hagia Sophia, being a UNESCO World Heritage Site, cannot be transferred to any religious organization, and services cannot be held in it. This is a state museum-reserve, a Ukrainian architectural monument.
Hagia Sophia Our Lady of Oranta Christ and the Apostles, fresco Family of Yaroslav the Wise, fresco Top view
St. Sophia Cathedral
Hagia Sophia (Sofievsky, Sophia Cathedral) is located in the center of Kyiv. This is the main religious building of Kievan Rus during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise; it was under its walls that the Kiev Veche met. However, according to the latest research results, scientists suggest that the founder of the cathedral could be the baptist of Kievan Rus, Prince Vladimir, and the countdown of the existence of the temple may need to be started from 1011.
The history of this church is very confusing and not fully understood. The generally accepted version says that St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv was built in honor of the main temple of the Greek Church of the Cathedral of Constantinople - Our Lady of Oranta, whose personification was Sophia (the wise). The place for the temple was chosen symbolically - it was here in 1036 that the Kievans won the battle with the Pechenegs, and in 1037 Yaroslav the Wise founded a cathedral of the same name as the great St. Sophia Cathedral of Constantinople.
Assessing the technical means used in the construction of St. Sophia Cathedral, as well as some architectural features, it can be assumed that the construction was carried out by Greeks who arrived from Constantinople. In the construction of the temple, the traditions of Byzantine architecture clearly appear, but with some nuances. The Byzantine architectural school is also indicated by two staircase towers leading to the choir and walkway - this is the name of the flat roof of the temple. During services, the Grand Duke and his family and close associates were seated in the choir. When there were no services in the church, perhaps the prince met ambassadors in the choir and resolved various state issues. The choir also housed a collection of books that belonged to St. Sophia Cathedral. At first there were 13 chapters in the Temple of Sophia, now there are 19.
During its existence, St. Sophia Cathedral suffered several destructive attacks and looting. In 1169, significant damage was caused to the St. Sophia Cathedral by Andrei Bogolyubsky, Prince of Suzdal, during an attack on Kyiv. In 1180, during a fire, the temple almost burned to the ground. When the warriors of Batu Khan raged in Kyiv in 1240, St. Sophia Cathedral was plundered. In 1497, St. Sophia Cathedral was also plundered, but by the Crimean Tatars. During the 16th century. The temple fell into decay; they began to revive the shrine only in the 17th century. In particular, Hetman Ivan Mazepa made a great contribution to the restoration of the St. Sophia Cathedral in 1688.
Records of stories from foreign travelers about the cathedral dating back to the 16th and 17th centuries have survived to this day, but the most valuable are the drawings of the Dutch artist Abraham van Westerfeld, made in 1651 during his visit to Kyiv.
The inside of the Cathedral of St. Sophia of Kyiv has suffered less from time and vandalism than the outside. Some of the early mosaics and paintings made by Byzantine painters have survived to this day. On the walls of the St. Sophia Cathedral, as well as on the walls of St. Michael's, graffiti was discovered - scrawled inscriptions telling about statesmen and political events.
The most important mosaics of the cathedral are Our Lady of Oranta (the “unbreakable wall”, there is a legend that as long as Oranta stands, Kyiv will stand) and the dome mosaic of Christ the Pantocrator. Mosaic work was carried out mainly with smalt (an alloy of glass, salts and metal oxides), but sometimes fragments of natural stone are found in mosaics. Pieces of smalt, approximately 1x1 cm in size, were pressed directly into the fresh plaster. A very rich palette of mosaics of the St. Sophia Cathedral, it includes more than 170 shades.
The cathedral's frescoes are not as well preserved as the mosaic decorations. The iron slabs that line the floor of St. Sophia Cathedral contain an image of Muslim symbolism - the crescent. Initially, the floors were mosaic in the center of the temple, and ceramic in the side naves, in the tomb and in the choir. Fragments of mosaic and ceramic floors have survived in some places and have survived to this day. In the 17th century, the first known renovation of the frescoes of the St. Sophia Cathedral took place. The renovation work was carried out using adhesive paints. At the beginning of the 18th century. All the walls in the cathedral were plastered, whitewashed, and oil painting was applied on top of the layer of plaster. In the 19th century the ancient frescoes were again revealed and renewed in oil, trying to preserve their original appearance. In those places where the frescoes were too damaged, plaster was applied and painting was added.
The most important values and shrines of the temple were the crucifix, which Princess Olga brought from Constantinople, as well as the “Monomakh’s Cap”, presented to Vladimir Monomakh by the Byzantine Emperor. The hands of the holy great martyr Barbara and the jaw of Prince Vladimir, the baptist of Rus', were also kept here.
In the 20th century over the St. Sophia Cathedral, like over many other monuments of Christian culture, the threat of destruction loomed. In the early 30s, a decision was made to destroy the temple, and it could have suffered the same fate as St. Michael's Cathedral. The intervention of France saved the temple. The fact is that Queen Anne, the wife of King Henry I of France, was the daughter of Yaroslav the Wise, who founded the St. Sophia Cathedral, and France remembered this. Fearing an international scandal, the Soviet leadership decided to create the Sofia Museum-Reserve in 1934.
After the St. Sophia Cathedral and the adjacent buildings became a museum-reserve, grandiose research and restoration work began to be carried out here. The mosaics were cleaned, late layers of oil paint were removed from the frescoes, and the plaster and painting were strengthened. In places where frescoes from the 11th century have been lost, paintings from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries can be seen.
Today, the length of St. Sophia Cathedral without galleries is 29.5 m, width - 29.3 m, taking into account the dimensions with galleries: 41.7 m and 54.6 m. The height to the top of the main dome is 28.6 m, the size of the dome square is 7 .6 m.
In the past, there were about 100 burials on the territory of the cathedral and in the cathedral itself. The burials of Yaroslav the Wise and his wife Irina have survived to this day. All other burials, including that of Vladimir Monomakh, were lost. The sarcophagus of Grand Duke Yaroslav the Wise was opened four times: in 1936, 1939, 1964 and in September 2009.
Hagia Sophia became the first Ukrainian historical and architectural monument to be included in the UNESCO World Heritage List; it is a state museum-reserve. For this reason, it is prohibited to transfer it to a religious organization, as well as to conduct religious services. An exception is Ukraine's Independence Day, when representatives of various religious denominations perform joint worship in honor of Ukraine in St. Sophia Cathedral.
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