What to se in Kiev ?
Kiev will certainly charm anyone who will set foot on its centuries-old land, visit its ancient churches, tread its sacred hills, drag about its old streets and feel the aura of the ancient capital of Ukraine, amiability and hospitality of its people. According to the Chronicle by Nestor the Chronicler Kiev was founded in the 5th century A.D. by three brothers – Kiy, Schek and Khoriv and their sister Lybid and named Kiev after Kiy, the elder brother.
Due to its favorable geographic location on the right bank of the Dnieper river Kiev grew rapidly as the commercial and handicraft center. At the end of the 9th century Prince Oleg united neighboring Slavonic lands and tribes around Kiev. In 988, Kiev Prince Vladimir adopted Christianity as the official state religion and therefore completed formation of the integral powerful Kievan Rus state whose territory spread from the Baltic Sea to the Black Sea. At that time Kiev, the capital of Kievan Rus, became one of the largest political, cultural and commercial centers of Europe.
Basic Sights:
Saint Sophia Cathedreal
In 1037, Kiev Prince Yaroslav the Wise, son of Prince Vladimir the Baptist, founded Saint Sophia Cathedral after the fashion of St. Sophia in Constantinople. The cathedral was decorated with fresco paintings and magnificent mosaics. St. Sophia Cathedral was included in the UNESCO world heritage list owing to its unique complex of the authentic 11th century mosaics.
Saint Andrew Church
Was constructed on the place where according to the legend apostle Andrew, one of the disciples of Jesus Christ, in the 1st century A.D. preached new Christian teaching and predicted the emergence of a big Christian city on this territory. The church was built by order of Russian queen Elizabeth I who liked Kiev and visited Ukraine often as she entered into left-hand marriage with Razumovsky, Ukrainian by birth. Saint Andrew Church, the piece of art of the baroque style, was built in 1749-1754 by the court architect of Elizabeth I Bartholomeo Rastrelli, the designer of the famous Winter Palace and Smolny Monastery in St.-Petersburg and the Mariyinsky Palace.
Andreevsky Descend
Is one of the most ancient and known streets in Kiev. It connects two old parts of Kiev – the upper town on the hills with Podol, the lower part located in the valley of the river. Nowadays, the street is occupied by souvenir sellers and artists offering their pictures and works of art. There are art galleries, artistic salons and several interesting museums in this street, in particular the Museum of One Street and the House-Museum of famous writer Mikhail Bulgakov.
Kiev Pechersk Lavra Monastery
was the first monastery founded on Slavonic lands. It was founded by two monks, Antony and Theodosy, in the middle of the 11th century in the caves made in high hills of the right bank of the Dnieper river. The name of the monastery derives from the word “pechera”, which means “cave”. If you visit the Monastery you can see the caves with Holy Relics of Saints, as well as numerous churches and museums. Kiev Pechersk Lavra Monastery is the oldest and the most honored Orthodox center in our country.
The Golden Gate
built in the beginning of the 11th century by Kiev Prince Yaroslav the Wise, was the main entrance to ancient Kiev. The Gate was a two-tier construction with the Annunciation Church on top. The original Golden Gate was ruined by tatar-mongols in the middle of the 13th century. The modern Golden Gate was reconstructed by 1982, when Kiev celebrated 15 hundred years of its foundation.
St. Vladimir Cathedral
is one of the most beautiful churches in Kiev notwithstanding that the cathedral is not very old: it was built in the second half of the 19th century to commemorate 900 years of Christianity adoption in the country. That is why the cathedral was named after Kiev Prince Vladimir the Baptist. The cathedral was built in pseudo-Byzantine style. The wall paintings inside of considerable artistic value were made by such famous artists as Vasnetsov, Nesterov, Vrubel, Svedomsky, Kotarbinsky etc.
Mariyinsky Palace
was built in the middle of the 18th century in baroque style by architect Bartholomeo Rastrelli by order of Russian queen Elizabeth I. The palace surrounded with the big park was used as the southern residence of Russian tsars and later it was the residence of Kiev governor-generals. Nowadays the palace serves for receiving the official governmental and parliamentary delegations.