Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
thought indestructible by Orthodox believers. (Unesco was slightly less certain, adding
the cathedral to its protective World Heritage List in 1990.)
Less obvious, but worth seeking out, are fragments in the central nave and the north
stairwell of two group portraits of Yaroslav and family. The prince's tomb is found on the
ground floor, in the far left corner from the main entrance.
In front of the cathedral complex on pl Sofiyska is a
statue
of Cossack hero Bohdan
Khmelnytsky. Just before the bell tower lies the ornate
tomb
of Kyiv Patriarch Vo-
lodymyr Romanyuk. Religious disputes prevented him from being buried within the
complex.
St Michael's Monastery
MONASTERY
(Mykhaylivsky Zolotoverkhy Monastyr;
http://www.archangel.kiev.ua
;
vul Tryokhsvyatytelska 6; ad-
mission free, museum 14uah; 8am-8pm,museum 10am-7pm Tue-Sun; Poshtova pl)
Looking
from St Sophia's past the Bohdan Khmelnytsky statue, it's impossible to ignore the gold-
domed blue church at the other end of proyizd Volodymyrsky. This is St Michael's Gold-
Domed Monastery, named after Kyiv's patron saint. As the impossibly shiny cupolas im-
ply, this is a fresh (2001) copy of the original St Michael's (1108), which was torn down
by the Soviets in 1937.
The church's fascinating history is explained in great detail (in Ukrainian and English
placards) in a
museum
(admission 9uah; 10am-6pm Tue-Sun, ticket office 10am-5pm)
in the
monastery's bell tower. The museum also explains the sad history of the neighbouring
Tryokhsvyatytelska Church, destroyed by the Soviets in 1934. They then added insult to
Heading around the left of the church to the rear, you'll find the quaint
funicular
(tick-
ets 1.50uah; 7am-10pm, weekends & holidays 8am-11pm; Poshtova pl)
that runs down a
steep hillside to the river terminal in the mercantile district of Podil. Although in summer
trees partially obscure your view, this is still the most fun public-transport ride in town.
Zoloti Vorota
HISTORIC BUILDING
(Golden Gate; vul Volodymyrska; admission 10uah; Zoloti Vorota)
Part of Kyiv's fortifications
during the rule of Yaroslav the Wise, the famous Zoloti Vorota sounds much better than it
looks, but the summer patio around the fountain out the front is a great place to have a
drink. Erected in 1037 and modelled on Constantinople's Golden Gate, this was the main
