Mosaics and frescoes of St. Sophia of Kyiv: description, photo

2024 Author: Harold Hamphrey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:06

St. Sophia of Kyiv is a unique cultural monument that has several names. It is called the Hagia Sophia, the Sofia Museum or the National Reserve. But no matter how its name sounds, this place remains a unique architectural monument of Ancient Russia and Byzantium.

The museum is famous for its frescoes and mosaics. The frescoes of St. Sophia of Kyiv adorn 3000 sq.m. An impressive mosaic is assembled on 260 square meters. Sophia of Kyiv for the Old Russian state was not only a church building, but also a public building.

History of Creation

Nothing is known about the time of construction of the monument. However, the Tale of Bygone Years mentions 1037 as the year of construction of the Hagia Sophia. Yaroslav the Wise ruled at this time. Some sources claim that the foundation of the temple was laid back in 1017 during the reign of Vladimir I Svyatoslavovich. Most scientists are still inclined to believe that it was in 1037 that the construction of the monument began. Surprisingly, the frescoes of St. Sophia of Kyiv have retained their original value to ourtime.

Chronicles say that the year 1036 is associated with the presence of Yaroslav the Wise in Novgorod Volynsky. At this time, the news reached him that the Pechenegs were preparing an offensive against Kyiv. Yaroslav gathered allies from the inhabitants of Novgorod. Soon a battle took place in which the king won and forced the Pechenegs to flee. In the name of this victory, a temple was founded on the site of the battle.

From the Greek language Sophia is translated as "wise". Therefore, the Hagia Sophia was considered a symbol of Christian wisdom and marked the victory of the Orthodox people over paganism. Sophia of Kyiv as a monument of spiritual culture and today is of particular value.

Construction of the Cathedral

Specialists say that about 40 craftsmen with numerous assistants were involved in the construction of St. Sophia of Kyiv. The monument was built for about 3 years, and it took a couple more years to complete the interior decoration. The construction of the temple was carried out by masters from Constantinople, who were specially invited by Yaroslav the Wise. Initially, the cathedral building was rectangular and surrounded by twelve cross-shaped pillars. It was decorated with thirteen domes (today there are already 19), which symbolized the 12 apostles and Jesus Christ. The main dome was erected in the center of the temple, four were above the altar, the rest were located in the western corners of the building.

At that time, the cathedral had only two rows of galleries in the form of an open balcony surrounding the building on three sides. The second floor was occupied by the so-called chambers for the princely family and noble residents of the city.

For constructionThe cathedral used granite blocks and limestone mortar with the addition of crushed bricks. The facades of the building were not plastered. The roof was made of lead sheets, which covered the domes and vaults. The walls, pillars and vaults of St. Sophia Cathedral were decorated with magnificent murals covering 5,000 square meters. Today, only 2,000 square meters of frescoes have survived in their original form.

Chronology of events

During its history, St. Sophia Cathedral has endured many trials. It was repeatedly destroyed and rebuilt, almost completely rebuilt. In 1240, the temple underwent major changes for the first time, it was then that the Mongol-Tatars attacked Kyiv. Sophia of Kyiv (photos of the cathedral are presented in the article) was looted and almost completely destroyed. The splendor and riot of colors went out for a while.

Complete restoration of the monument to St. Sophia of Kyiv took place under Metropolitan Peter Mogila, who founded a monastery at the temple. The cathedral had the same appearance, but the building itself required immediate reconstruction. In 1633-1647 the temple was partially restored. They repaired, replaced the roof, floors and installed a luxuriously decorated iconostasis in the Cathedral of St. Sophia of Kyiv. The photo taken inside can convey only a small part of all the beauty.

1697 was a fatal year for the cathedral. The fire consumed almost all the wooden buildings of the monastery. After that, it was decided to overhaul. At that time, a three-tiered St. Sophia bell tower was erected. In 1852, the fourth tier was completed. The cathedral building itself was also rebuilt, and it acquired the features of the Ukrainian baroque characteristic of that time.

In 1722-1730, a refectory and a bakery were built on the territory of the monastery, which later housed the diocesan administration.

In 1934, by decision of the Soviet government, the temple buildings were declared the State Reserve of History and Architecture.

The Soviet period breathed new life into the development of the monastery. It was at this time that restoration work was actively carried out, as a result of which the appearance of the temple and other buildings of the complex were restored.

In 1990, Sophia of Kyiv was included in the UNESCO List of World Cultural Sites. In the same year, the cathedral was awarded a charter that gave the right to self-government.

A unique monument of architecture - St. Sophia of Kyiv. The description and history of its creation excites the imagination of even people far from religion.

7 facts about St. Sophia of Kyiv

1. The bell tower of the cathedral was erected by Hetman Ivan Mazepa. Until now, there is a huge bell "Mazepa", which in 1705 was poured by the master Afanasy Petrovich by order and at the expense of Ivan Mazepa. The bell is a real architectural masterpiece. It is decorated with an ornament and the coat of arms of the hetman.
2. The cellars of St. Sophia Cathedral kept a huge library of Yaroslav the Wise, which mysteriously disappeared somewhere. The only mention of it is in the "Tale of Bygone Years" by Nestor the Chronicler. Perhaps now she is hidden in the Kiev-Pechersklaurel.
3. Sofia Kyiv keeps one of the rarest Oranta mosaics. It depicts the Mother of God with outstretched arms, reading a prayer. Without a baby, she is almost never depicted. This majestic image is known as the "Indestructible Wall".
4. The frescoes of St. Sophia of Kyiv are mostly religious. Basically, they depict prayers for mercy for people. One of the walls contains the inscription of Prince Bryachislav with a request to have mercy on him, a sinful and wretched one.
5. In 2008, St. Sophia of Kyiv regained its openwork silver Gates with images of saints. In the 1930s, they were sent to be melted down by the Soviet authorities. It took about 100 kg of silver to restore them.
6. The shrine is filled not only with prayers, here you can find secular inscriptions.
7. During the construction of the temple in Kyiv, there was a separate tax, according to which everyone who visited the city had to bring a few stones with them.

The murals of the monument to Sophia of Kyiv are of particular value. Mosaics and frescoes are the main decoration of the cathedral.

Mosaic painting of St. Sophia of Kyiv

This type of painting is the main element of the interior design of the cathedral. The central dome and apse are decorated with colorful mosaic elements. On other parts of the cathedral, you can see no less picturesque frescoes. Many ancient paintings have been preserved in the world, but it is the frescoes and mosaics of St. Sophia of Kyiv that are considered genuine examples of monumental painting. They have been preserved in their original form and neverundergone renovations and additions. They were only cleaned of dust, which gave them their original freshness and beauty.

The colors of the Sofia mosaics are so beautiful that sometimes it seems as if the eye has never seen a more harmonious combination of so many colors, shades and shapes.

Experienced artists count here 35 shades of brown, 34 halftones of green, 23 shades of yellow, 21 shades of blue and 19 shades of red. The palette of Sofia mosaics consists of 150 shades, which indicates that Kievan Rus was unsurpassed in the production of sm alt.

The gold background gives the Sofia mosaics a special sophistication and luxury. It is with him that all other shades are in perfect harmony.

Mosaic "Christ - Pantocrator"

The base of the central dome is decorated with a huge medallion, in the center of which is the image of "Christ - Pantokrator". The mosaic is made according to all the rules of perception from a long distance. Initially, there were four images of archangels in the dome. Unfortunately, of these, only one mosaic image has been partially preserved, which dates back to the 11th century. The remaining parts were completed with paints in the 19th century.

On the central domed drum there is also a mosaic figure of the Apostle Paul and Jesus Christ, representing the image of the Priest. The image of the Mother of God is half lost.

The sail of the dome drum is decorated with the image of the Evangelist Mark. There were originally 30 picturesque mosaics on the arches, of which only 15 have survived.

Mosaic"Maria Oranta"

The vault of the main altar is decorated with a huge mosaic of Our Lady (Oranta) in a state of prayer. This image stands out from the entire interior painting. Its height is about 6 meters. The Mother of God stands on a platform decorated with precious stones with her hands held high. She is dressed in a blue tunic and covered with a long woman's veil with golden folds. Wearing red boots.

This figure is distinguished by its monumentality and special grandeur. Juicy colors immediately catch the eye. Under this image is a mosaic "Eucharist", symbolizing the scene of the communion of the apostles. Near the throne are archangels with fans. Also next to it is a figure of Jesus Christ. He distributes to the apostles, solemnly approaching him from different sides, the sacrament in the form of bread and wine. The apostles are dressed in light costumes, Jesus is wearing a blue cloak and a purple chiton, decorated with gold. A crimson throne gives a special color saturation to the composition. The lower tier of the vault is decorated with images of saints and archdeacons.

Sophia of Kyiv: frescoes

Frescoes decorate all the side parts of the cathedral, they can also be seen on the towers, choirs and galleries. The original images were partially updated during restoration in the 17th century. At the end of the 17th century, the damaged frescoes of St. Sophia of Kyiv were completely restored. Partially, new images were applied with oil paints. Oil painting at that time was not of artistic value, but its subjects completely repeated the paintings of ancient frescoes.

In the 19th century, major restoration work was carried out, as a result of which all the layers from the ancient frescoes were cleared away. In some places, some images had to be applied to preserve the original ensemble.

The fresco system of St. Sophia of Kyiv includes images of numerous ornaments, scenes, full-length and half-figures of saints.

Fresco "Family of Yaroslav the Wise"

This image is especially interesting at the monument to Sophia of Kyiv. Frescoes occupy the north, west and south sides of the main nave. Surprisingly, the central part of this composition has not survived to this day; you can recognize it from the work of the Dutch artist Abraham Van Westerfeld, who visited Kyiv in 1651.

On the mosaic, Yaroslav the Wise is holding a model of St. Sophia of Kyiv, next to him is his wife, Princess Irina. They are heading to Jesus Christ, who is depicted together with Prince Vladimir and Olga, the founders of Christianity in Ancient Russia. Behind the princely couple are their children, also heading towards Christ. This huge composition is only partially preserved. Today only two figures can be seen on the north side and four on the south wall.

Sarcophagus of Prince Yaroslav

The eastern part of the galleries of St. Sophia of Kyiv was occupied by the tomb of the prince. It contained the burial places of the entire princely family. Today you can see only the sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise, which occupies part of the altar room of the northern gallery. This is a rectangular box with a protrudingcover on the sides. Everything is decorated with images of plants, birds, crosses and other symbols of ancient Christianity. The tomb weighs about 6 tons. The marble sarcophagus was brought from Byzantium.

In 1939, the tomb was opened, and scientists found there the skeletons of a man and a woman, the bones of which were mixed. This fact, as well as the fact that there were no traces of clothing in the sarcophagus, is direct evidence of a robbery.

It was proved that the male skeleton belonged to Yaroslav the Wise, and the female skeleton belonged to his wife Irina. The skull of Yaroslav the Wise served as a model for creating a sculptural portrait of the prince, which is now located in the northern part of the cathedral. In September 2009, the sarcophagus was again opened for research. After that, rumors spread that there was no guarantee that the remains of the bones belonged to Yaroslav the Wise.

Every resident and guest of the city of Kyiv can see the beauty and grandeur of the monument to St. Sophia of Kyiv. How to get to the main temple of Kievan Rus? The shrine is located at: Vladimirskaya, 24.

Here is also the famous Sofiyskaya Square, where all kinds of events not only of a religious nature, but also of a socio-economic and political purpose have been held for a long time. Meetings were held here and fairs were organized. Today the square is decorated with the monument of Bogdan Khmelnytsky.