View source for Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv

{{Short description|Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine}}
{{Expand Ukrainian|Софійський собор (Київ)|topic=struct|date=October 2024}}
{{Infobox church
| name             = Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kyiv
| native_name      = Собор святої Софії/Софійський собор
| image            = 80-391-0151 Kyiv St.Sophia's Cathedral RB 18 2 (cropped).jpg
| image_size             = 220
| caption          = Saint Sophia Cathedral
| mapframe         = yes
| mapframe-caption = Interactive fullscreen map
| mapframe-zoom    = 13
| mapframe-wikidata = yes
| coordinates      = {{WikidataCoord|display=title}}
| location         = National Sanctuary "Sophia of Kyiv"<br />Holy Sophia Cathedral Complex<br />[[Shevchenkivskyi District, Kyiv|Shevchenkivskyi District]], [[Kyiv]]
| country          = [[Ukraine]]
| length           = {{convert|41.7|m|abbr=on}}
| width            = {{convert|54.6|m|abbr=on}}
| dome height inner = {{convert|28.6 |m|abbr=on}}
| dedication       = [[Hagia Sophia]]
| heritage designation = 
| years built      = 11th century
| style            = [[Byzantine architecture]],<br /> [[Ukrainian Baroque]]
| website          = {{Official website|https://st-sophia.org.ua/}}
| embedded         = {{Infobox UNESCO World Heritage Site
 | Official_name = Saint-Sophia Cathedral
 | Part_of = Kyiv: Saint-Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, [[Kyiv Pechersk Lavra|Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra]]
 | Location      = [[Lists of World Heritage sites in Europe|Europe]]
 | Criteria      = i, ii, iii, iv
 | ID            = 527
 | Year          = 1990
 | Danger          = 2023
 | child         = yes
 }}
}}
'''Saint Sophia Cathedral''' in [[Kyiv]], Ukraine, is an [[Architecture of Kyivan Rus|architectural monument of Kievan Rus']]. The former cathedral is one of the city's best known landmarks and the first heritage site in Ukraine to be inscribed on the [[World Heritage List]] along with the [[Kyiv Pechersk Lavra|Kyiv Cave Monastery]] complex.<ref name="Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Holy Sophia Cathedral remain on UNESCO’s World Heritage List">{{citation|url=http://www.interfax.co.uk/ukraine-news/kyiv-pechersk-lavra-st-sophia-cathedral-remain-on-unescos-world-heritage-list/ |archive-url=https://archive.today/20130624183743/http://www.interfax.co.uk/ukraine-news/kyiv-pechersk-lavra-st-sophia-cathedral-remain-on-unescos-world-heritage-list/ |url-status=dead |archive-date=24 June 2013 |title=Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, St. Sophia Cathedral remain on UNESCO's World Heritage List|publisher=[[Interfax-Ukraine]] |date=20 June 2013}}</ref>{{better source|date=October 2024}}{{#tag:ref|In late 2010 a [[UNESCO]] monitoring mission was visiting the [[Kyiv Pechersk Lavra]] to check the situation of the site. At the time the [[Ministry of Culture (Ukraine)|Minister of Culture]] [[Mykhailo Kulynyak]] stated the historic site along with the Holy Sophia Cathedral was not threatened by the "black list" of the organization.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mincult.kmu.gov.ua/mincult/uk/publish/article/238820|title=Міністерство культури України|access-date=10 July 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150711080914/http://mincult.kmu.gov.ua/mincult/uk/publish/article/238820|archive-date=11 July 2015}}</ref> The [[World Heritage Committee]] of UNESCO decided in June 2013 that Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, and St Sophia Cathedral along with its related monastery buildings would remain on the [[World Heritage List]].<ref name="Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Holy Sophia Cathedral remain on UNESCO’s World Heritage List" />|group=nb}} Aside from its main building, the cathedral includes an ensemble of supporting structures such as a [[Bell Tower of Saint Sophia Cathedral|bell tower]] and the House of Metropolitan. In 2011 the historic site was reassigned from the jurisdiction of the [[Ministry of Regional Development (Ukraine)|Ministry of Regional Development]] of Ukraine to the [[Ministry of Culture and Information Policy|Ministry of Culture]] of Ukraine.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://mincult.kmu.gov.ua/mincult/uk/publish/article/237552?search_param=%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%97+%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B8&searchForum=1&searchDocarch=1&searchPublishing=1|title=Міністерство культури України|access-date=10 July 2015|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20120721184534/http://mincult.kmu.gov.ua/mincult/uk/publish/article/237552?search_param=%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%97+%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B8&searchForum=1&searchDocarch=1&searchPublishing=1|archive-date=21 July 2012}}</ref><ref>[http://mincult.kmu.gov.ua/mincult/uk/publish/article/237232?search_param=%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%97+%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B8&searchForum=1&searchDocarch=1&searchPublishing=1 Голос України.–2011.–9 лютого. Міністерств багато, а Софія Київська&nbsp;– одна.–Градоблянська Т. (government website)] {{webarchive|url=https://archive.today/20120716214713/http://mincult.kmu.gov.ua/mincult/uk/publish/article/237232?search_param=%D0%BA%D1%83%D0%BB%D1%8C%D1%82%D1%83%D1%80%D0%BD%D0%BE%D1%97+%D1%81%D0%BF%D0%B0%D0%B4%D1%89%D0%B8%D0%BD%D0%B8&searchForum=1&searchDocarch=1&searchPublishing=1 |date=2012-07-16 }}</ref> One of the reasons for the move was that both Saint Sophia Cathedral and [[Kyiv Pechersk Lavra]] are recognized by the [[World Heritage Site|UNESCO World Heritage Program]] as one complex, while in Ukraine the two were governed by different government entities. The cathedral is a museum..

The complex of the cathedral is the main component and museum of the [[National Sanctuary "Sophia of Kyiv"]] which is the state institution responsible for the preservation of the cathedral complex as well as four other historic landmarks across the nation.

==History==
The cathedral is named after the 6th-century [[Hagia Sophia]] (''Holy Wisdom'') cathedral in [[Constantinople]] (present-day Istanbul), which was dedicated to the [[Sophia (wisdom)|Holy Wisdom]] rather than to a specific saint named Sophia. The first [[foundation (architecture)|foundation]]s were laid in 1037 or 1011,<ref>[http://www.facts.kiev.ua/archive/2010-01-14/103162/index.html Facts.kieve.ua] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117191144/http://www.facts.kiev.ua/archive/2010-01-14/103162/index.html |date=2010-01-17 }}</ref> but the cathedral took two decades to complete. According to one theory, [[Yaroslav the Wise]] sponsored the construction of the Saint Sophia Cathedral in 1037 to celebrate his decisive victory over the nomadic [[Pechenegs]] in 1036 (who thereafter were never a threat to Kyiv).<ref>{{cite news |title=Kyiv |url=https://www.worldheritagesite.org/list/Kyiv+Cathedral+and+Lavra |work=World Heritage Site}}</ref> According to Dr. [[Nadiia Nikitenko|Nadia Nikitenko]], a historian who has studied the cathedral for 30 years, the cathedral was founded in 1011, under the reign of Yaroslav's father, Grand Prince of Kievan Rus, [[Vladimir the Great]]. This has been accepted by both [[UNESCO]] and Ukraine, which officially celebrated the 1000th anniversary of the cathedral during 2011.<ref>Booklet "The Millenary of St. Sophia of Kyiv" by Nadia Nikitenko, Kyiv 2011</ref> The structure has 5 [[nave]]s, 5 [[apse]]s, and (quite surprisingly for [[Byzantine architecture]]) 13 [[cupola]]s. It is surrounded by two-tier galleries from three sides. Measuring {{convert|37|to|55|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, the exterior used to be faced with [[plinth]]s. On the inside, it retains [[mosaics]] and [[fresco]]s from the 11th century, including a dilapidated representation of Yaroslav's family, and the [[Orans of Kyiv|Orans]].

Originally the cathedral was a burial place of the Kievan rulers including [[Vladimir Monomakh]], [[Vsevolod Yaroslavich]] and the cathedral's founder [[Yaroslav I the Wise]], although only the latter's grave survived to this day (see [[:Image:Yaroslavtomb.jpg|picture]]).
<!-- [[File:Saint Sofia, Kyiv.jpg|left|thumb|Saint Sophia Cathedral, in 1889, [https://www.nga.gov/research/library/imagecollections/features/watsons_russia.html Department of Image Collections], National Gallery of Art Library, Washington, DC]]
 -->
After the pillaging of Kyiv by [[Andrei Bogolyubsky]] of [[Vladimir-Suzdal]] in 1169, followed by the [[Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus'|Mongol invasion of Rus']] in 1240, the cathedral fell into disrepair. It was greatly rebuilt in its modern splendor in the 16th century, when the [[Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth]] was trying to unite Catholic and Orthodox churches. Following the 1595–96 [[Union of Brest]], the Cathedral of Holy Sophia belonged to the [[Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church]] which commissioned the repair work and the upper part of the building was thoroughly rebuilt, modeled by the Italian architect [[Octaviano Mancini]] in the distinct [[Ukrainian Baroque]] style, while preserving the Byzantine interior, keeping its splendor intact. The work continued under the [[Cossack]] [[Hetman]] [[Ivan Mazepa]] until 1767. During this period around Holy Sophia Cathedral a bell tower, a monastery canteen, a bakery, a "House of Metropolitan", the western gates (Zborovski gates), a Monastic Inn, a Brotherhood campus and a bursa (seminary) were all erected. All of these buildings, as well as the cathedral after the reconstruction, have distinctive features of Ukrainian Baroque.
After the [[October Revolution]] of 1917 in Russia and during the [[USSR anti-religious campaign (1921–1928)|Soviet anti-religious campaign of the 1920s]], the government plan called for the cathedral's destruction and transformation of the grounds into a park "Heroes of [[Perekop]]" (after a [[Red Army]] victory in the [[Russian Civil War]] in [[Crimea]]). The cathedral was saved from demolition<ref name="Forgotten Soviet Plans For Kyiv">[http://www.kyivpost.com/news/nation/detail/109648/ Forgotten Soviet Plans For Kyiv], [[Kyiv Post]] (28 July 2011)</ref> (the opposite [[St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery]] was blown up in 1935<ref name="Forgotten Soviet Plans For Kyiv"/>) primarily with the effort of many scientists and historians. Nevertheless, in 1934, [[Soviet Union|Soviet]] authorities confiscated the structure from the church, including the surrounding 17th–18th-century architectural complex and designated it as an architectural and historical museum.

[[File:Interior of Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv Ukraine in August 2019.jpg|thumb|leftThe interior of the cathedral in 2019]]
Since the late 1980s, Soviet, and later Ukrainian, politicians promised to return the building to the Orthodox Church. Due to various [[History of Christianity in Ukraine|schisms and factions]] within the Church the return was postponed as all Orthodox and the Greek-Catholic Churches lay claim to it. Although all the Orthodox churches have been allowed to conduct services at different dates, at other times they are denied access. A severe incident was the funeral of [[Patriarch Volodymyr]] of the [[Ukrainian Orthodox Church – Kyiv Patriarchate]] in 1995 when riot police were forced to prevent the burial on the premises of the museum and a bloody clash took place.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Reuters Archive Licensing |url=https://reuters.screenocean.com/record/261903 |access-date=2023-06-23 |website=Reuters Archive Licensing |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=1995-07-19 |title=Police beat mourners at patriarch's burial |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/police-beat-mourners-at-patriarch-s-burial-1592273.html |access-date=2023-06-23 |website=The Independent |language=en}}</ref> After events such as those no religious body has yet been given the rights for regular services. The complex now remains a secular museum of Ukraine's Christianity, with most of its visitors being tourists.

On 21 August 2007, the Holy Sophia Cathedral was named one of the [[Seven Wonders of Ukraine]], based on votes by experts and the internet community.

In September 2023, Kyiv was listed as a World Heritage “in danger” because of [[Russian invasion of Ukraine|Russia’s war in Ukraine]]. This move by the United Nations was an effort to produce aid and protection for the site.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Francis |first=Ellen |last2=Han |first2=Jintak |date=2023-09-16 |title=In photos: Centuries-old Kyiv cathedral and monastery on U.N. danger list |url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/2023/09/16/unesco-world-heritage-ukraine-kyiv-lviv-photos/ |work=[[The Washington Post]]}}</ref>
<!-- ==Architecture; Art and treasures; Precinct== -->

==Gallery==
{{Gallery
|height=140
|mode=packed
|File:Oranta-Kyiv.jpg|The Virgin [[Orans]], {{circa|1000}}
|file: Church Fathers Order (left part) - Google Art Project.jpg|Church Fathers Order, {{circa|1000}}
|file: The Deesis - Google Art Project.jpg|The Deesis, 1000
|file: Princely group portrait. South wall of the nave. - Google Art Project.jpg|Princely group portrait. South wall of the nave, {{circa|1000}}
|file:Саркофаг Ярослава Мудрого.jpg|Sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise
|file:The Annunciation. The Archangel Gabriel - Google Art Project.jpg|The Annunciation. The Archangel Gabriel, 1000.
|file: Saint Sophia The Wisdom of God - Google Art Project.jpg|Saint Sophia The Wisdom of God, 1700
}}

==Cathedral complex==
* Sophia Cathedral
* [[Bell Tower of Saint Sophia Cathedral|Bell tower]]
* House of the Metropolitan
* Refectory Church
* Brotherhood building
* Bursa (high school)
* Consistory
* Southern entrance tower
* Zaborovski Gate
* Cells
* Monastic Inn
* Memorial Stela of Yaroslav's library

==See also==
* [[List of UNESCO World Heritage Sites in Ukraine]]

==Notes==
{{Reflist|group=nb}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
*{{cite book |last1=Nikitenko |first1=N.M. |title=Saint Sophia of Kyiv: History in Art |date=2003 |publisher=National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Institute of Ukraine of archeography and source studies named after M. S. Hrushevskyi |location=Kyiv |ref=none |language=uk}}
*{{cite encyclopedia |last=Zharkikh  |first=M.I. |author-link= |editor-last=Smoliy |editor-first=V.A. |editor-link= |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of the History of Ukraine |title=Софійський собор у Києві |trans-title=Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv |url= |access-date= |language= |edition= |date=2012 |year= |publisher=Institute of the History of Ukraine of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine |series= |volume=9 |location= |id= |isbn=978-966-00-1290-5 |issn= |oclc= |doi= |page=720 |pages= |archive-url= |archive-date= |url-status= |quote= |ref=none }}

==External links==
{{commons}}
* [https://my.matterport.com/show/?m=XxDnKGZfXJG 3D-model of Sophia Cathedral (3.2 Mb)]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20071109144802/http://oldkyiv.org.ua/data/sophia.php?lang=ua Holy Sophia Cathedral - Kyiv History Site]
* [http://travel.kyiv.org/old/churches/uach2_e.htm Travel.kyiv.org] - information for tourists
* [http://www.icon-art.info/location.php?lng=en&loc_id=148 Mosaics and frescoes of St. Sophia Cathedral]
* [http://en.uartlib.org/books/mosaics-and-frescoes-of-st-sophias-cathedral-of-kyiv/ Mosaics and Frescoes of Saint Sophia Cathedral of Kyiv. Photoalbum. Kyiv, Mistectvo, 1975.]
*[https://artsandculture.google.com/partner/st-sophia-of-kyiv?hl=en Saint Sophia Cathedral] within [[Google Arts & Culture]]
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[[Category:Cathedrals in Kyiv]]
[[Category:Sophia Square]]
[[Category:Eastern Orthodox cathedrals in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Church buildings converted to a different denomination]]
[[Category:Religious museums in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Art museums and galleries in Kyiv]]
[[Category:Shevchenkivskyi District, Kyiv]]
[[Category:11th-century Eastern Orthodox church buildings]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the Rurik dynasty|Sophia]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the House of Godwin|Sophia]]
[[Category:Burial sites of the House of Munsö|Sophia]]
[[Category:Church buildings with domes]]
[[Category:World Heritage Sites in Ukraine|Sophia Cathedral in Kiev]]
[[Category:Baroque architecture in Kyiv]]
[[Category:Baroque church buildings in Ukraine]]
[[Category:Volodymyrska Street]]
[[Category:Symbols of Kyiv]]
[[Category:Architectural monuments of Ukraine of national importance in Kyiv]]
[[Category:Sophia of Kyiv]]
[[Category:Ukrainian Baroque church buildings]]