Kyiv 3-Hour Sightseeing Tour. Personal tour.

It is the most famous cathedral in Kyiv. The main temple of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church was erected over 20 years from 1862 to 1882. It was built in the Russian-Byzantine style, the temple is richly painted from the inside by famous artists of that time, such as V. Vasnetsov, M. Nestorov, M. Vrubel, V. Zamirailo, S. Kostenko, N. Pimonenko.

The Golden Gates of Kyiv is a major landmark of the Ancient Kyiv and historic gateway in the ancient city fortress, located in the capital of Ukraine. Currently it serves as a museum and can be found on the corner of Volodymyr street and Yaroslaviv Val Street (Yaroslav’s Moat). The name Zoloti Vorota is also used for a nearby theatre and a station of the Kiev Metro.

Back in 11th century St. Demetrius’s Monastery stood here. It was founded by Prince Isyaslav of Kyiv (Christian name – Demetrius). In July 1108 his son Sviatopolk (Christian name – Michael) started to bulid the stone St. Michael’s church inside the monastery built by his father. The dome was plated with gold, and the new cathedral became known as the St. Michael’s Monastery of the Golden Domes. By the middle of the 18th century and after numerous renovations, the Cathedral had seven domes, all of the gold-plated. The interior was decorated with frescoes and mosaics.

Sticking back to the history, the idea to construct the St. Andrew’s church came to Empress Elizabeth, who visited Kyiv in 1744, and with her own hand she laid the first stone of the future church. Now the monogram of the sovereign is inscribed on the frontons of Saint Andrew’s Church. The chief-architect of the court was Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who was known for numerous constructions in the baroque style – grandiose palaces and churches in Saint Petersburg. But the Church of Saint Andrew with its modest proportions is perharps the most harmonious and picturesque work he left behind. Saint Andrew’s Church, an outstanding monument of the 18th century, was declared as a museum in 1968.

Kyiv’s oldest standing church, St. Sophia’s was built in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise, who incidentally was laid to rest inside. He commissioned the project to commemorate the site of a victory of Kyivan Rus over the Pechenegs (Asian nomadic tribes) and to glorify Christianity. It was named after the famous St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Constantinople. This majestic 13-cupola sanctuary adjoined Yaroslav’s Palace and became a holy place of worship for Kyivites as well as a political and cultural centre. With an interior of rich frescoes and mosaics, many of which are still intact almost a millennium later, the cathedral made a huge impression on the ordinary worshippers of Kyiv. Meetings with foreign diplomats and treaty negotiations were held here, and the church housed the first library and school in Kyivan Rus. The azure and white bell tower is 76m high and was finished in 1752. The cathedral’s upper Ukrainian Baroque section and gilded cupola were added in 1852. Today the entire complex is protected by Ukraine, and also receives support from UNESCO.

The construction of the Kyiv Opera was completed in 1901. One of the most luxurious theatrical buildings in the world is the masterpiece of the architect V. Schroeter, executed in the forms of the “French Renaissance”, decorated with masks and measures, sculptures of gryphons and muses. In different years, B. Gmyrya, O. Petrusenko, E. Miroshnichenko, A. Kocherga performed here, P. Tchaikovsky, S. Rakhmanov, and F. Chaliapin toured.