Kiev Ukraine Church of the Nativity of the Virgin

overview

This three-hailed church with three tall windowed cupolas along the cast-west axis is unique in composition. Four small chapels with apses and decorative cupolas adjoin this main structure and form an integral unity with it. The many-cusped cornices, the pilasters, grouping of masses intended to give a vivid play of light and shade, and the soft outlines of the onion-shaped cupolas make this one of the best works of Ukrainian Baroque architecture.

The Church of the Nativity of the Virgin position is carefully thought out: it stands on a tall natural podium. On the lower ground to the north of the building is an arched gallery with a staircase tower leading to the upper level. The original decoration of the interior, like the iconostasis, has not been preserved.

The bell-tower of Church of the Nativity of the Virgin was designed by Ivan Grigorovich-Barsky. The bell-tower has two tiers with a Baroque cupola in three sections. The lower tier, with an archway, is faced with Grigorovich-Barsky's characteristic banded rustication, while the upper tier has Corinthian columns surmounted by four tall spires at the corners. The facades are tastefully decorated with narrative reliefs and stucco plant ornament.