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The complex of the cathedral is the main component and museum of theNational 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.
The cathedral is named after the 6th-centuryHagia Sophia (Holy Wisdom) cathedral inConstantinople (present-day Istanbul), which was dedicated to theHoly Wisdom rather than to a specific saint named Sophia. The firstfoundations were laid in 1037 or 1011,[5] 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 nomadicPechenegs in 1036 (who thereafter were never a threat to Kyiv).[6] 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 bothUNESCO and Ukraine, which officially celebrated the 1000th anniversary of the cathedral during 2011.[7] The structure has 5naves, 5apses, and (quite surprisingly forByzantine architecture) 13cupolas. 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 withplinths. On the inside, it retainsmosaics andfrescos from the 11th century, including a dilapidated representation of Yaroslav's family, and theOrans.
Following the 1595–96Union of Brest, the Cathedral of Holy Sophia belonged to theGreek Catholic Church, but after the enthronement ofPetro Mohyla asMetropolitan of Kyiv it returned under possession of theEastern Orthodox Church. Under Mohyla's leadership in 1633-1637[8] it was reconstructed by the Italian architectOctaviano Mancini in the distinctUkrainian Baroque style, while preserving the Byzantine interior, keeping its splendor intact.[citation needed] According to contemporary witnesses,Paul of Aleppo andAbraham van Westerveld, during the mid-17th century the church had 70 altars, and 36 crosses installed on itscupolas.[8] The reconstruction work continued under theCossackHetmanIvan Mazepa and lasted until 1767. During this period thebell tower, a monastery canteen, a bakery, the Metropolitan's residence, the western gates (Zaborovsky Gate), a monastic inn, aBrotherhood 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.
After theOctober Revolution of 1917 inRussia and during theSoviet 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 ofPerekop" (after aRed Armyvictory in theRussian Civil War inCrimea). The cathedral was saved from demolition[9] thanks to the efforts of many scientists and historians, meanwhile theSt. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery located nearby was blown up in 1935.[9] 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.
The interior of the cathedral in 2019
Since the late 1980s, Soviet, and later Ukrainian, politicians promised to return the building to the Orthodox Church. Due to variousschisms and factions within the Orthodox Church the return was postponed as all Orthodox churches and theGreek-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 thefuneral ofPatriarch Volodymyr of theUkrainian 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.[10][11] After events such as those no religious body has yet been given the rights for regular services. The complex now remains a secular museum ofUkraine's Christianity, with most of its visitors being tourists.
On 21 August 2007, the Holy Sophia Cathedral was named one of theSeven 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 ofRussia's war in Ukraine. This move by the United Nations was an effort to produce aid and protection for the site.[12] Relatedly, the cathedral received minor damage from a blast wave in June of 2025 due to Russian airstrikes on the capital.[13]
In 1885 a folk Christmas song (koliadka) telling the story of the construction of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv was recorded by Ukrainian ethnographerMykhailo Zubrytskyi in the village ofMshanets (now part ofSambir Raion,Lviv Oblast). In 1889 the song's text was published byIvan Franko inKievskaia starina magazine, and was later noticed by Ukrainian historianMykhailo 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.[8]
^In late 2010 aUNESCO monitoring mission was visiting theKyiv Pechersk Lavra to check the situation of the site. At the time theMinister of CultureMykhailo Kulynyak stated the historic site along with the Holy Sophia Cathedral was not threatened by the "black list" of the organization.[2] TheWorld Heritage Committee of UNESCO decided in June 2013 that Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, and St Sophia Cathedral along with its related monastery buildings would remain on theWorld Heritage List.[1]
Nikitenko, N.M. (2003).Saint Sophia of Kyiv: History in Art (in Ukrainian). Kyiv: National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Institute of Ukraine of archeography and source studies named after M. S. Hrushevskyi.
Zharkikh, M.I. (2012). "Софійський собор у Києві" [Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv]. In Smoliy, V.A. (ed.).Encyclopedia of the History of Ukraine. Vol. 9. Institute of the History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine. p. 720.ISBN978-966-00-1290-5.
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