The Saint Sophia Cathedral (Ukrainian: Софійський собор, romanized: Sofiiskyi sobor or Софія Київська, Sofiia Kyivska) in Kyiv, Ukraine, is an architectural monument of Kyivan Rus'. The former cathedral is one of the city's best known landmarks and the first heritage site in Ukraine to be inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the Kyiv Cave Monastery complex.[better source needed] Aside from its main building, the cathedral includes an ensemble of supporting structures such as a bell tower and the House of Metropolitan.
| Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv | |
|---|---|
Софійський собор | |
Saint Sophia Cathedral | |
Interactive fullscreen map | |
| 50°27′10″N 30°30′52″E / 50.45278°N 30.51444°E | |
| Location | National Reserve "Sophia of Kyiv" Holy Sophia Cathedral Complex Shevchenkivskyi District, Kyiv |
| Country | Ukraine |
| Website | st-sophia |
| History | |
| Dedication | Holy Wisdom (Hagia Sophia) |
| Architecture | |
| Style | Byzantine architecture, Ukrainian Baroque |
| Years built | 11th century |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 41.7 m (137 ft) |
| Width | 54.6 m (179 ft) |
| Dome height (inner) | 28.6 m (94 ft) |
Interactive map of Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv | |
UNESCO World Heritage Site | |
| Official name | Saint-Sophia Cathedral |
| Location | Europe |
| Part of | Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra |
| Criteria | i, ii, iii, iv |
| Reference | 527 |
| Inscription | 1990 (14th Session) |
| Endangered | 2023 |
| Official name | Софійський собор (Saint Sophia Cathedral) |
| Type | Architecture, History, Monumental Art |
| Reference no. | 260072/1-Н |
In 2011 the historic site was reassigned from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Regional Development of Ukraine to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. One of the reasons for the move was that both Saint Sophia Cathedral and Kyiv Pechersk Lavra are recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Program as one complex, while in Ukraine the two were governed by different government entities. The cathedral is a museum.
The complex of the cathedral is the main component and museum of the National Reserve "Sophia of Kyiv" which is the state institution responsible for the preservation of the cathedral complex as well as four other historic landmarks across the nation.
History
Medieval period
The cathedral is named after the 6th-century Hagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) cathedral in Constantinople (present-day Istanbul), which was dedicated to the Holy Wisdom rather than to a specific saint named Sophia. The first foundations were laid in 1037 or 1011, but the cathedral took two decades to complete. According to one theory, Yaroslav the Wise sponsored the construction of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in 1037 to celebrate his decisive victory over the nomadic Pechenegs in 1036 (who thereafter were never a threat to Kyiv). According to Dr. Nadia Nikitenko, a historian who has studied the cathedral for 30 years, the cathedral was founded in 1011, under the reign of Yaroslav's father, Vladimir the Great, the Grand Prince of Kyiv. This has been accepted by both UNESCO and Ukraine, which officially celebrated the 1000th anniversary of the cathedral during 2011. The structure has 5 naves, 5 apses, and (quite surprisingly for Byzantine architecture) 13 cupolas. It is surrounded by two-tier galleries from three sides. Measuring 37 to 55 m (121 to 180 ft), the exterior used to be faced with plinths. On the inside, it retains mosaics and frescos from the 11th century, including a dilapidated representation of Yaroslav's family, and the Orans.
Originally the cathedral was a burial place of the Kyivan rulers including Vladimir Monomakh, Vsevolod Yaroslavich and Yaroslav the Wise, although only the latter's grave survived to this day (see picture). After the pillaging of Kyiv by Andrei Bogolyubsky of Vladimir-Suzdal in 1169, followed by the Mongol invasion of Rus' in 1240, the cathedral fell into disrepair.
Early modern era
Following the 1595–96 Union of Brest, the Cathedral of Holy Sophia belonged to the Greek Catholic Church, but after the enthronement of Petro Mohyla as Metropolitan of Kyiv it returned under possession of the Eastern Orthodox Church. Under Mohyla's leadership in 1633-1637 it was reconstructed by the Italian architect Octaviano Mancini in the distinct Ukrainian Baroque style, while preserving the Byzantine interior, keeping its splendor intact.[citation needed] According to contemporary witnesses, Paul of Aleppo and Abraham van Westerveld, during the mid-17th century the church had 70 altars, and 36 crosses installed on its cupolas. The reconstruction work continued under the Cossack Hetman Ivan Mazepa and lasted until 1767. During this period the bell tower, a monastery canteen, a bakery, the Metropolitan's residence, the western gates (Zaborovsky Gate), a monastic inn, a Brotherhood campus and a bursa (seminary) were erected around the cathedral. All of these buildings, as well as the cathedral after the reconstruction, have distinctive features of Ukrainian Baroque.
Modern period
After the October Revolution of 1917 in Russia and during the Soviet anti-religious campaign of the 1920s, the government plan called for the cathedral's destruction and transformation of the grounds into a park named in honour of the "Heroes of Perekop" (after a Red Army victory in the Russian Civil War in Crimea). The cathedral was saved from demolition thanks to the efforts of many scientists and historians, meanwhile the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery located nearby was blown up in 1935. Nevertheless, in 1934, Soviet authorities confiscated the building and the surrounding 17th–18th-century architectural complex from the Orthodox church and designated it as an architectural and historical museum.
Since the late 1980s, Soviet, and later Ukrainian, politicians promised to return the building to the Orthodox Church. Due to various schisms and factions within the Orthodox Church the return was postponed as all Orthodox churches and the Greek-Catholic Church lay claim to it. While the Greek-Catholic Church has not been permitted to use the cathedral, all the Orthodox churches have sometimes been allowed to conduct services at different dates, and other times they were denied access. A serious incident occurred at the funeral of Patriarch Volodymyr of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate in 1995, when riot police were forced to prevent the burial on the premises of the museum and a bloody clash took place. After events such as those no religious body has yet been given the rights for regular services. The complex now remains a secular museum of Ukraine's Christianity, with most of its visitors being tourists.
On 21 August 2007, the Holy Sophia Cathedral was named one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine, based on votes by experts and the internet community.
In September 2023, Kyiv was listed as a World Heritage "in danger" because of Russia's war in Ukraine. This move by the United Nations was an effort to produce aid and protection for the site. Relatedly, the cathedral received minor damage from a blast wave in June of 2025 due to Russian airstrikes on the capital.
Gallery
- The Virgin Orans, c. 1000
- Church Fathers Order, c. 1000
- The Deesis, 1000
- Princely group portrait. South wall of the nave, c. 1000
- Sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise
- The Annunciation. The Archangel Gabriel, 1000.
- Saint Sophia The Wisdom of God, 1700
Cathedral complex
- Sophia Cathedral
- Bell tower
- House of the Metropolitan
- Refectory Church
- Brotherhood building
- Bursa (high school)
- Consistory
- Southern entrance tower
- Zaborovski Gate
- Cells
- Monastic Inn
- Memorial Stela of Yaroslav's library
In culture
In 1885 a folk Christmas song (koliadka) telling the story of the construction of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv was recorded by Ukrainian ethnographer Mykhailo Zubrytskyi in the village of Mshanets (now part of Sambir Raion, Lviv Oblast). In 1889 the song's text was published by Ivan Franko in Kievskaia starina magazine, and was later noticed by Ukrainian historian Mykhailo Hrushevskyi. The song contains a precise depiction of the cathedral's architecture before its later reconstruction, which allows to date it to the 17th century.
Saint Sophia Cathedral has served as the backdrop since 2018 to Bouquet Kyiv Stage, the annual outdoor arts festival started by entrepreneur Evgeni Utkin drawing top Ukrainian artists and musical acts, including the Kyiv Chamber Choir, DakaBracka, and concert pianist Antonii Baryshevskyi.
See also
wikipedia, wiki, encyclopedia, book, library, article, read, free download, Information about Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv, What is Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv? What does Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv mean?