St. Sophia Cathedral (Kiev)

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Bell tower and domes of St. Sophia Cathedral

The St. Sophia Cathedral ( Софійський собор ) in Kiev , Ukraine is considered to be one of the most outstanding buildings of European - Christian culture. It was started at the beginning of the 11th century, destroyed, rebuilt and expanded several times over the centuries. It has been a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1990.

history

First construction and later destruction

Model of the original appearance in the 11th century

In the lore, the construction started with the year 1037 after the Kiev prince Yaroslav the Wise (Ярослав Мудрий) defeated the Pechenegs in 1036 .

The cathedral was built as a seven-domed, five-aisled cruciform church with an open gallery based on the Byzantine model - specifically after that of Hagia Sophia in Constantinople . As the main cathedral of the Kievan Rus , it was called, according to its Christian and cultural importance, to proclaim the wisdom of Christianity and the consolidation of the political power of the Rus . The cathedral was the center of the cultural and political life of the ancient Russian people . Here, among other things, the accession to the throne of the Kiev princes took place, the Kiev People's Assembly ( Veche ) met here, state guests were received and court ceremonies were held here. As the namesake, Sophia served as a symbol of wisdom.

The dimensions of the cathedral - 37 meters long, 55 meters wide and 29 meters high up to the central dome - were impressive for the time. The cathedral also served as the burial place of the Kiev princes. The coffin of Yaroslav the Wise , which was buried here in 1054, has been preserved as an important tomb .

After the Mongol invasion of the Rus (mid-13th century), not only did the city of Kiev lose its central political and cultural function, the St. Sophia Cathedral also lost its ecclesiastical significance. The church building was partially destroyed and the seat of the Metropolitan was moved to Veliky Novgorod (and later to Moscow ). In the following two centuries, the cathedral was increasingly destroyed by further incursions by the Crimean Tatars in Kiev.

First reconstruction

At the beginning of the 17th century, Metropolitan Petro Mohyla finally arranged for a reconstruction. The Italian builder Octaviano Mancini was invited, under whose direction the work was carried out around 1630. The furnishings were hardly changed, so that the great Byzantine impression has been preserved to this day. In contrast, the outer church building was enlarged by closing the outer galleries, but a number of wooden structures were preserved.

Second reconstruction and shutdown

Main building of St. Sophia Cathedral, 18th century

After a great fire damaged the cathedral badly in 1697, Tsar Peter I had the church completely rebuilt from stone in the Ukrainian baroque style . The building was raised by one floor and six domes in the typical pear shape were added. The area of ​​the St. Sophia Cathedral was given a surrounding wall and other buildings such as the Metropolitan Palace, the south gate, the refectory (also known as “Warm Sophie” as a heated church) and the spiritual seminary were built. The new bell tower, which was built over the main entrance at Sophienplatz in 1699–1707, is particularly dominant . After adding a fourth floor in 1851, it is now 76 meters high.

In 1934, when it belonged to the Soviet Union, the building complex was closed as a church institution and opened as the “State Reserve Sophien Museum”.

Attempt to revive a church use

It was not until the Ukraine separated from the collapsing Soviet Union in 1991 that the St. Sophia Cathedral was returned to the Orthodox Church. But in the following years there were significant disputes within the Orthodox Church over the membership of the cathedral: either to the Orthodox Church of the Kiev Patriarchate or the Moscow Patriarchate . There were also claims by the Ukrainian Catholic Church . Since these disputes could not be resolved, the Ukrainian state prevailed and again closed the St. Sophia Cathedral for church and liturgical purposes. It is since then a museum complex, which the World Heritage Site of UNESCO belongs.

Current situation

In December 2018, the Synod took place in the St. Sophia Cathedral , at which the founding of the new Orthodox Church of Ukraine was decided. On January 7, 2019, the Christmas liturgy was celebrated in the presence of the Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko , during which the Tomos on the conferment of ecclesiastical independence was presented.

Furnishing

Mosaic image of the praying mother of God ( Orans )
Sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise

Wall decorations

The interior was also based on the Byzantine model, primarily through wall paintings (around 3000 square meters of frescoes ) and around 260 square meters of mosaics . Be highlighted the large mosaic of "Pray Rosary" ( " Orans ") in the altar apse and the mosaic of allherrschenden Christ ( " Pantocrator ") in the central dome. Counts have shown that 177 different shades of color were used for the mosaics. On the second floor there are now mosaics and frescoes from St. Michael's Cathedral, made in the 12th century.

Today a golden icon wall adorns the main room, in which only a few originals have been preserved. Many icons disappeared in the 1930s.

Sarcophagi

The white marble sarcophagi of Yaroslav the Wise and his wife Irina , made in the 8th century, are located in the side rooms of the cathedral .

Bell jar

On the second floor of the cathedral a 13 ton bronze bell from 1705 is suspended.

floor

The cathedral floor was decorated with brightly colored paintings, some remains of which could be exposed. In the 19th century, a Russian entrepreneur donated cast-iron tiles as permanent covering, the motifs of which take up their Byzantine origins.

Underground

According to unconfirmed information and a publication, there are said to be caves under the cathedral. Experts suspect that this is the as yet unrecovered extensive library of Yaroslav the Wise. The first excavations took place in 1916, but were not completed due to political developments.

Effects of neighboring activities

In 2002 an underground car park and a swimming pool with a fitness center were to be built in the immediate vicinity of the Sophienkathedrale building complex in a densely built residential complex. Due to the large excavation and the extensive construction work, earth movements occurred, which endangered the structure of the entire ensemble of St. Sophia Cathedral. The large bell tower, which had already reached a slight incline over the centuries, leaned a little further - although it was not visible - and parts of the wall on the individual buildings were cracked. After fear of greater damage, the construction work finally had to be stopped. However, no one could be held responsible for the damage caused.

The St. Sophia Cathedral in art and in the media

Painting by Yuri Chimich 1965 on a Ukrainian postage stamp from 2005.

The Kiev Cathedral of St. Sophia was depicted on a current Russian coin . It can also be seen on the back of the two hryvnia note. As early as 1965, Yuri Khimich painted the ensemble of buildings, which was reproduced on a Ukrainian postage stamp in 2005.

literature

Web links

Commons : Kiev Cathedral of St. Sophia  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. a b Ukraine. Historical places…
  2. Orthodox national church founded in Ukraine In: faz.net. December 15, 2018, accessed January 13, 2019
  3. Christmas liturgy in St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv In: ukrinform.de. January 8, 2019, accessed January 13, 2019
  4. Kyiv ...
  5. The Treasure of Yaroslav the Wise . "Around the world" magazine, № 6 (2657), June 1995

Coordinates: 50 ° 27 ′ 10.3 ″  N , 30 ° 30 ′ 51.8 ″  E