Saint Sofia is a symbol of Ancient Rus. Saint Sophia of Kiev

The Hagia Sophia in Kiev is a visiting card not only of the Ukrainian capital, but of the state as a whole. How much is connected with this majestic monument of architecture. First, the Kiev Sacred Sofia is an Old Russian symbol, and secondly - it is a witness of ancient and modern history. Every citizen of this unrivaled power is simply forced to visit such a magnificent place at least once in a lifetime. And tourists who come to Ukraine from the remotest corners of the Earth, first and foremost seek to see an architectural masterpiece sung in historical memoirs and chronicles.

Where is he located

Holy Sofia is a symbol of Ancient Rus and not only. Although this temple has the museum status of a historical monument, for a long time it was a witness of every concrete epoch and a contemporary of all generations. The view of the church and its attitude to it were rightly confirmed by all facts about the state of the state and society.

An indigenous Kyivan or a foreign tourist, before getting to the coveted temple, is forced to pass a huge area surrounded by modern buildings, to pass the monument to the great hetman Bogdan Khmelnitsky, established in the century before last. Then, in order to finally see the architectural masterpiece, it is necessary to pass under the arc-shaped bell-tower along the high walls, dating back to the beginning of the XVIII century. And even with all the fact that St. Sophia of Kiev is almost in the center of the metropolis - it's still a quiet and cozy corner. But it's hard to believe that it's always been like this.

Once in the cathedral for the first time, a person will start to look around in surprise, because the wide and low outside structure suddenly rises stately upward, the area becomes larger, and Oranta - the Virgin in gold glow looks straight at the parishioner. A person will feel either as an omnipotent person or as a flimsy creature. But now it will become much easier for him to imagine a noisy veche that was gathering under the walls of this building in order to make the most important decision for the state.

Guesses and facts

St. Sophia (the symbol of Ancient Rus) was erected and consecrated in the XI century, more precisely, in the first half. But even today, historian scholars put forward several dates for its creation. So, it is assumed that the attraction was erected during one of these years: 1011-st, 1017-th or 1037-th.

The last two dates are based on records of various chronicles - Novgorod and the "Tale of Bygone Years", respectively. Confirmation of the first is the results of the study of markings on the walls of the temple, as well as the revision of several facts of old written records.

Also undeniable is the fact that the history of the idea and the building of the church has an inseparable relation to Christianity in Russia. This has to do with the three famous monarchs - the princess Olga, Prince Vladimir and Prince Yaroslav the Wise.

According to the chronicles, the original Holy Sophia - a symbol of Ancient Rus - and the laurel, surrounding the temple, were built by Olga in Kiev. It may also be that this happened some time before visiting the princess of Constantinople. And it is possible that the images of the temple were presented by the Patriarch of Constantinople. The new church was built of wood, and therefore in 1017, and no later, it burnt during the Kiev fire.

Vladimir and Yaroslav Vladimirovich

According to other information from the annals, Svyatoslav Vladimirovich laid the new St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. It was a large church made of wood. It was located in the field (beyond the limits of the then capital), in the place where the prince defeated the Pechenegs.

Architectural, political and spiritual prototype of the church was the Cathedral of St. Sophia in Constantinople. He impressed with his appearance and, most likely, was an unforgettable memory for Princess Olga. And if we allow the fact of a woman's baptism, we should start from the fact that it happened in Constantinople, in the church of Hagia Sophia. And in Korsunsky church of Hagia Sophia capped and baptized actually prince Vladimir. That is why the construction of the temple in Russia was not an accident.

Under Yaroslav the temple was to reach its peak and emphasize the independence and strength of Kievan Rus.

Greatness of the Cathedral

Almost simultaneously with the consecration of St. Sophia (the history of creation is described in our article), the Department of Metropolitans of Kiev also got a job. The courtyard of the residence of the metropolitans was enclosed by a wall. But even by the standards of that time, its territory was simply impressive by its size. Therefore, not only the authorities and the clergy could deal with religious and state affairs, but ordinary citizens were allowed to gather near the walls, or to celebrate the ascension of the new prince to the throne.

What does he look like

And yet most scientists believe that St. Sophia in Kiev was built during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. Up to now, the building has been able to preserve the luxury of ancient architecture and the picturesque grandeur of the 11th century. This church harmoniously combines fresco and mosaic. The main parts of the interior are distinguished with the help of a mosaic (altar and central dome). The rest of the territory was decorated with frescoes. Today, parishioners and guests can see 260 m ^{2 of} original mosaics dating from the 11th century, and about 3 thousand square meters. M mural painting.

The cathedral was dedicated to Sofia, embodying wisdom, and therefore the architecture and painting of the church was supposed to strengthen and assert Christianity and the power of the feudal lords. In the altar and the central dome are depicted the faces of the main characters and episodes of the Christian dogma. They are recruited from smalt on raw plaster. The mosaic of the temple consists of 177 color shades.

In the medallion of the central dome, Christ the Almighty is depicted. And around the zenith there used to be four archangels, but only one figure remained in the mosaic form. The others are already finished with oil.

Museum become

In the mid-1930s, the authorities of Soviet Ukraine then decided that St. Sophia (the symbol of Ancient Rus) should become a museum-preserve. In the cathedral began to carry out research and restoration work. And at the end of the last century the work of the museum was recognized by the world. Today it is the National Reserve "Sophia of Kiev".