Kiev Ukraine St Sophia Cathedral
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According to the Novgorod I Chronicle this was begun in 1017; according to the Lavrenty Chronicle, in 1037. Recent investigations have led scholars to the conclusion that the Saint Sophia's cathedral of Kiev city was begun in 1017/1019 and completed ten years later. Its maximum external dimensions are forty-two by fifty-two meters. St Sophia's Cathedral was based on the Byzantine three-aisled cruciform domed temple.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral view
But at the founder's request St Sophia's Cathedral of Kiev was provided with five instead of three aisles, to accommodate two additional altars - to St George, the patron saint of Yaroslav the Wise, and the Archangel Michael, protector of the Kiev city and of its host. The nave and aisles formed the kernel around which ran an ambulatory and gallery above it inside and an open ambulatory outside, with two staircase towers; that at the north gave access to the choir loft from outside the church, while that at the south served to link the ground and upper floors, where the metropolitan's chambers, office, counting-house, library, scriptorium, and school were disposed around the central part of the cathedral.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral view
This central part of St Sophia's Cathedral was divided into aisles and transepts by twelve cruciform supporting pillars; and this system of articulation is continued in the ambulatories and gallery producing a clear and logical overall plan. The building was crowned with twenty-five cupolas.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral view
The vaults and cupolas were arranged in such a way as to neutralize the outward thrust of the central cupola: the thrust decreased gradually with increasing distance from the centre, and the cupolas and vaults were made correspondingly lower. In this way a harmonious pyramidal arrangement was achieved. In its long history the Saint Sophia's Cathedral of Kiev city has undergone significant changes. While it was still being built the eastern end of the north ambulatory was closed off, as is shown by the frescoes, which were painted at the same time as those in the main part of the cathedral.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral view
In 1054, after the death of Yaroslav the Wise, two eastern bays of the northern internal ambulatory were transformed into a burial vault for him, and the corresponding arches of the external ambulatory walled up. In the twelfth century a baptistery was created in the western external ambulatory by the south tower, and for this purpose a small apse was built in the archway of the internal ambulatory.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral at winter
After the earthquake of 1230 menacing cracks appeared in the St Sophia's Cathedral, and buttresses were erected against the central apse. The worst damage was done in the sixteenth century, when the lead roofing was removed and the exposed vaults began to decay rapidly. In the 1640s the collapsed vault over the nave and the two-tiered triple arcade were dismantled and a new vault built, at the same time the choir loft was widened. Apses were built on to the internal and external ambulatories at the east end, and a new iconostasis was erected.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral view
Between 1685 and 1707 an upper storey was added over the external ambulatory, with six new cupolas, and buttresses were built against the north and south facades. In 1843-1846 the walls were cleaned of whitewash to reveal a mosaic and some frescoes, and in 1847-1853 a "renewal" was carried out, which caused irreparable harm to the St Sophia's cathedral original decor, especially the frescoes which were repainted in oils. Only the frescoes of saints in the chapel of the Archangel Michael were retained in their original form.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral inner view
In 1935 St Sophia's Cathedral of Kiev city was declared a state museum of history and culture, and scientific restoration work begun on a large scale. It was interrupted by the World War II in 1941-1945 and recommenced in 1950. The main work was completed by 1960, but where fragments of old frescoes have been uncovered restoration is still continuing. In all about 260 square meters of mosaics and over 2,000 square meters of frescoes have been revealed.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral inner view
The stucco decoration on the facades, done between 1746 and 1748, was restored in 1952-1953. Despite extensive losses the mosaics and frescoes of St Sophia's Cathedral have been preserved more fully than those of any other existing monument of eleventh-century architecture.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral inner view
The decoration of St Sophia's Cathedral is reminiscent of mid-Byzantine art. However, the choice of subjects deviates from the accepted scheme; the emphasis is placed on the Last Supper, the Crucifixion, and the Resurrection, and not on the cycle of church feasts. Moreover, unlike the Byzantine temples, where only the vaults were painted and the walls and pillars were revetted with marble, St Sophia's Cathedral has mosaics and frescoes on the pillars and walls as well, and only at the bottom, to a height of one meter from the floor, is there a dado of fresco painting in imitation of marble.
Only the main cupola, the transverse arches and the sanctuary are decorated with mosaics; the remaining parts of the building are covered with frescoes. In ancient times the saturated colors of the mosaics, frescoes, and ornamental pavements gave a special beauty to the interior. The outlines of the figures, made up of dark and light blue, red, green, ochre, brown, pink, white, and grey tesserae of glistening smalt and of matt pieces of marble, stood out clearly against the glinting golden background.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral inner view
The matt surface of the frescoes was also brightly colored and sharply distinguished from the dark blue background. The composition of the mosaics and frescoes is in close harmony with the architectural divisions. The disposition and measured rhythm of the main figures underlines the building's overall structure. The floor under the crossing, which was raised by thirty centimeters above the rest, was decorated with opus sectile (ornamental marble slabs); elsewhere the floor was laid with glazed ceramic tiles.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral inner view
One curious feature of the decor of St Sophia's Cathedral is the use of secular subjects in the frescoes in the towers: they show horse-races, wild beast hunts, merry-andrews, mummers, acrobats, carollers, and so on. At the west end of the nave were portraits of the family of Yaroslav the Wise; this fresco originally occupied three walls, on the north, south, and west sides. Only fragments on the south and north walls have survived. Because of their poor state of preservation the portraits cannot be identified with confidence.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral location - Ukraine, Kiev city, Vladimirskaya Street, 24.
Kiev Ukraine St Sophia's Cathedral inner view
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