St. Sophia's Cathedral — Attraction in Kyiv

The murals and mosaics of this church are some of the oldest and finest artworks surviving in Kyiv and are well worth the visit. St Sophia Cathedral is entered through a gate running beneath the high bell tower where one can purchase tickets.

The church itself is probably the oldest surviving church of the Kievan Rus, dating to the 11th century. The interior has survived mostly intact, but some additions have been made. In certain places the plasterwork on the exterior has been removed to allow the original stone and brickwork to be seen. The bell tower can be climbed and gives great views, but is tricky for those who are afraid of heights.

It was one of the very few buildings to survive the Mongol destruction of the city in 1240. It is unclear why the church was spared. Legends recount that the praying figure of Mary turned back an arrow of the Mongols and that this persuaded them to leave the church intact (the golden mosaic of Mary is in a curved aperture that might have deflected arrows oddly). But it is more likely that the Mongol commanders wanted to preserve some churches, to leave some measure of organisation behind them. It is interesting to think that Mongol commanders like Batu Khan, or Subutai Bahadur (perhaps the most successful general in history) had almost certainly walked here.

The walls are deeply scored with old Cyrillic writing, not graffiti in the usual sense, but records of transactions. The princes, merchants and nobles of old Kiev would use the walls of the church as a place to scratch records of their marriages and sales. For those who can read it, the church itself is a historical document, probably the oldest primary source of the history of the Rus.

A coffin lay to the left of the icon wall, supposedly the resting place of Yaroslav the Wise. Yaroslav had taken the throne from his brother (the wonderfully named Sviatopolk the Accursed) and created a law code for the Rus. His body no longer rests here however and may have been stolen during the...

The grand Cathedral of St. Sophia is located in the historical center of ancient Kyiv for one thousand years. It is the most ancient Christian church that is fully preserved in the East Slavic area. Being born in the era of Christianization of Rus’ it became the cradle of Kyivan Christianity, statehood and culture, development of which was carried out under the sign of Sophia the Wisdom, which patrons the world. It is associated with the image of sovereign statehood wisely kept. The idea of Saint Sophia had been preserved as a basis of spiritual life of the entire population for centuries. The humanity can't exist without this idea as a Christian nation, as a Church, because the idea of St. Sophia was identified with the wisdom of new Christian religion.

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, the St. Sophia in Kyiv has been such 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, protects and lights its fate. St. Sophia Cathedral is a real memorial of the Christianization of Rus’-Ukraine, 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...

The site itself is just great! but if you want to visit it as a foreigner, take a lot of patiency with you. The lady at the cash desk does not speak any English, just not any. Even a sentence two adults, two students is just too far for her English knowledge, not to speak about the fact that extetion of ISIC card validity is something she has never heard of. And if you want to pay with a credit card (accepted there), I had to explain to her how to insert the card into the terminal... Even much worse is if you meet their English guide inside. While listening to the pre-recorded explanation of the model, she will come and switch it off. Without even bothering to say a simple sorry. When you make a complain, she will just explain to you that she is there so she has the right to do so, full stop. You can simply wait when she is gone or you can go yourself, take you choice. Such an arrogancy I have not seen for ages. But the site itself is worth of visiting, for sure, just take it...