National Reserve "Sophia Kievskaya"

National Reserve "Sophia Kievskaya"
 

Founded in XI century, Sofia Kievska has been everyone's delight in any time, being a perfect example of art. An ancient Russian writer Ilarion said: " this church is amazing and glorious for all foreign countries...".

There were patronage St.Irina and St.Georgyi churches nearby St.Sophia church, prince and boyar's palaces made of stone, and wooden houses of Kievers. The main idea of it has been remained in subsequent times - after steppe nomads' invasion and also, in 1240 when it was sacked and destroyed during Tatar-Mongol invasion but it still held services; in XVII century, when the new wooden monastery buildings were built in its coaching inn; and in XVIII century, when the stone constructions were built around the church which still beautifies our Kiev. Many interesting events have been connected to St.Sophia Church, such as political, public and cultural events of life in Kyevan Rus.

Overehere, the ceremonial inaguration of Kiev Prince took place, meetings with foreign embassadors were held, the treaty of friendship was signed between princes. Excatly here, the first library in Kyevan Rus was established by the Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise, a workshop of miniature-painters used to be as well as a workshop of book copiests.

Nearby the walls of Sophia, the Kiev Veche (meeting of boyars and princes who ruled Rus) took place in past times. It has been the social centre of Kyevan Rus during all the history. In 1654, on an unforgettable January day, the Kievers were welcoming a historical decision of Pereyaslavskaya Rada in front of St.Sophia. The rebuilding of the church which took place in XVII-XVIII centuries changed a lot its original look but the construction of XI century has been remained after the reconstructions. The main dimensions of its interior are still the same (37x55m, 29 m height ). However, its conception and architecture has been changed. The eastern front of the church was added to five apses (it represented inside five naves structure), the church was surrounded with the opened galleries from the north, west and south - two level internal and one floor external ones). The temple has been crowned with 13 domes of hemisphere shape, covered with lead. Two towers with staircase have been installed non centrally in the western front of the church. The eastern part of the north gallery represented closed premises with a small apse where the Prince's burial-vaults had been (here the stone sarcophaguses of Yaroslav the Wise, Vsevolod Yaroslavich, Vladymyr Monomah and other figures of Kyevan Rus used to be located). The original picturesque look of the church was obtained due to the open stone-work - the laying of crimson quarrystones, thin layer of bricks based on pink cement grout. The church interior has been remained its original architecture of XI century: the walls, 12 columns deviding the space in five naves, columns and arches of the galleries and of course 13 domes with illuminated barrels. The main dome installed at the intersection of long and cross naves has been illuminating the central space of the church. In XVIII century, the one level galleries were added to one more level with domes and arches. The western two-level arcade of the central part has not been remained. Thus, the central underdomed space has changed its original look.