TL20120714KievCity

Kiev City Tour/St. Sophia's Cathedral

We set off to tour the ancient and magnificent city of Kiev, often called the city of golden domes because of the
great number of Orthodox churches with that striking feature.

We visited the St. Sophia Cathedral, one of the city’s great and historic landmarks. Built in the eleventh century,
this majestic 13-domed church is considered one of the most remarkable structures from the Kievan-Rus period.
The Cathedral was built in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise (who is buried inside) to commemorate the victory
over the Pechenegs (Asian nomadic tribes) and to glorify Christianity. The church is actually a small complex with
two churches, a bell tower, a school, and monks’ cells. The church was renovated and expanded right up to the
19th century, mostly in the Renaissance and Ukrainian Baroque style. It is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Note the ancient icons and frescoes, as well as old columns that retain the scribbling of people who visited the
church centuries ago.