Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
(prov Tarasa Shevchenka 8A; admission 7uah; 10am-6pm Wed-Sun, noon-8pm Tue; Maydan
Nezalezhnosti)
A beautifully restored, 19th-century wooden house where the man who
dominates the Ukrainian literary pantheon once lived. You can see drawings he made on
ethnological expeditions of Ukraine, which inspired his nationalism.
Water Museum
MUSEUM
(vul Grushevskoho 1V; tour adult/child 30/25uah; 10am-5pm; Maydan Nezalezhnosti)
In-
side a historic water pump, this Danish-funded museum is a fun place, especially for
children. On the obligatory tour, you're taken on a walk through a rainwater collector, al-
lowed to sit on a giant toilet or stand inside a bubble, and introduced to a yellow fish
called Vasily.
Old Town
St Sophia's Cathedral
CHURCH
(pl Sofiyska; admission grounds/cathedral/bell tower 3/53/13uah; grounds 9am-7pm, cathedral
10am-6pm Thu-Tue, 10am-5pm Wed; Maydan Nezalezhnosti)
The interior is the most
astounding aspect of Kyiv's oldest standing church, St Sophia's Cathedral. Many of the
mosaics and frescoes are original, dating back to 1017-31, when the cathedral was built
to celebrate Prince Yaroslav's victory in protecting Kyiv from the Pechenegs (Tribal
Raiders). While equally attractive, the building's gold domes and 76m-tall wedding-cake
bell tower are 18th-century baroque additions.
Named after the great Hagia Sofia (Holy Wisdom) Temple (currently mosque) in
Istanbul, St Sophia's Byzantine architecture announced the new religious and political
authority of Kyiv. It was a centre of learning and culture, housing the first school and lib-
rary in Kyivan Rus. Adjacent to the Royal Palace, it was also where coronations and oth-
er royal ceremonies were staged, treaties signed and foreign dignitaries received. Prince
Yaroslav himself is buried here, or at least everyone thought so until a few years ago.
Each mosaic and fresco had its allotted position according to Byzantine decorative
schemes, turning the church into a giant 3D symbol of the Orthodox world order. There
are explanations in English of individual mosaics, but the one that immediately strikes
you is the 6m-high
Virgin Orans
dominating the central apse. The Virgin Orans is a pe-
culiarly Orthodox concept of the Virgin as a symbol of the earthly church interceding for
the salvation of humanity. Having survived this long, this particular Orans is now
