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ST. SOPHIA'S CATHEDRAL

Saint Sophia's is a national treasure of Ukraine. St. Sophia's Cathedral is the Kyiv's oldest surviving church. Today it is a museum. The exhibits of the museum include models of ancient Kyivan Rus' towns. Saint Sophia's is the highlight of many visitors' stay in Kyiv. The majestic 13-domed church was named after the Constantinople's Saint Sophia's Cathedral built in 537 and consecrated to the Divine Wisdom - Sophia. / It is in Istanbul now. It was rebuilt in 1453 and minarets were added/. St. Sophia's Cathedral was built in 1037 during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise to commemorate the victory over the Pechenegs and to glorify Christianity. Legend has it that this was the site where the troops of Rus led by Yaroslav the Wise defeated the hordes of Pechenegs.

The Cathedral is 37 meters long, 35 meters wide and 29 meters high. In 1707 the Cathedral was rebuilt in the style of Ukrainian baroque /sky-blue and white colours/. Its appearance has changed many times as a result of reconstruction.

The church became a holy place of worship for ancient Kyivites. It was a major cultural and political center of Kyivan Rus. Saint Sophia's and adjoining Yaroslav's palace were often used to receive foreign ambassadors. The princes were enthroned and triumphal meetings held in honour of victorious military leaders.

The first library and school were situated in the Cathedral. It was the center tor the writing of manuscripts. Sophia's has rich frescoes and mosaics, many of them are still intact /260 sq.m. /. The mosaic of me Goddess Oranta is 5,45 meters high. The fresco paining represents the group portrait of Yaroslav's family. The family portrait was made of 12 figures. On the southern wall there were four younger daughters of the Prince, with Anna, the future Queen of France. The four sons were depicted on the northern wall. Prince Yaroslav, himself, the Grand Princess Irene, their elder daughter Elisabeth -the future queen of Norway, and elder son Volodymyr, were painted on the Western Wall. In the Cathedral there was a burial vault of Grand Princes Yaroslav the Wise, Volodymyr Monomakh and others. The marble sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise, which is covered with fine ornamentation, is of unique value.

Behind the Cathedral stands the four storeyed, azure and white, stone Bell Tower. It is 16 metres high. The tower was built in 1752. The Ukrainian Baroque fourth storey and gilded cupola of the Tower were added in 1852.

On the left there is 18^th century Refectory. It was built in typical baroque style in 1730. It is an example of Ukrainian civil architecture of the 18^th century. It is now a museum and houses archeological and architectural displays. In 1969 a memorial stele to the library of Sophia's was erected.

St. Sophia's museum includes the branches of the Cyril Church, the Andrew Church, the Golden Gate and the Sudak fortress in Crimea.

The Cyrillic church was built in 1146 /one cupola cathedral/. In 18^th century 4 cupolas were added. In 19^th century the interior was reconstructed by M.Vrubel /1856-1910/, who created also four icons in 1855.

The Andrew Church is a monument of Ukrainian architecture of the 18^th century. It was built in 1754 in the style of baroque. It was designed by V.V. Rastrelli. The church is 60 m high, 32 m long and 23 m wide. It has an elegant outline and proportions. Since 1968 it is a branch of the Sophia's Museum.

The Golden Gate was the main gate of the Kyivan Rus. They were built in 1037 during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. The remains of the Golden Gates can be seen on the corner of Volodymyrska and Pidvalna streets. The gate was a complicated construction of a stone wall with an entrance arch. On top of the wall was the small Annunciation Church. The cupola of the church is believed to be gold-plated. It also served as a watchtower. The Golden Gate was heavily fortified. When Mongol-Tatars hordes stormed into Kyiv they could not break through the main entrance. In the course of time the Golden Gate lost its defensive role and was used as the main entrance into Kyiv on important occasions. In 1648 Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, the founder of the Ukrainian Cossack State, made his triumphant entry through the Golden Gate into the capital after routing the Polish troops.

In 18^th century the remains of the Golden Gate were buried under the layers of earth and gradually forgotten. They were discovered in 1832 by the Kyiv archeologist K. Lokhvytskyi. Today the Golden Gate is one of the oldest historical monuments of Kyiv and Kyivan State.

Notes

exhibit - експонат, показ

to be in the highlight - бути в центрі уваги

dome - купол

consecrated - присвячений

divine - служитель богові

wisdom – мудрість

horde - орда

worship - культ, поклоніння

enthrone - зводити до престолу

gilded – позолочені

refectory - трапезна

stele - колона з надписами, надгробний обеліск