Kiev has many churches and we by no means got to them all but we did visit a few impressive ones
St. Vladimir’s church took 30 years to complete,
1862-96. The seven dome, three aisle church only slightly resembles old Ukraine. A team
of accomplished artists did the inside decorations and painting in eleven
years. On each side of the big door were bronze figures of Princess Olga and
Prince Vladimir on a blue enamel background. The white marble walls, marble
floor, and richly painted walls accented with bronze ornamentation, all gave a
feeling of spaciousness inside the church.
Old Town’s historic buildings include St. Sophia’s, a UNESCO site since 1990
and the oldest church in the city. The 11th century, 13 domed church
is considered one of the most remarkable structures from the Kievan-Rus period.
Built 1017-31 by Prince Yaroslav, the church houses some of the country’s
greatest mosaics, frescoes, and ancient icons.
Modeled on St. Sophia in Istanbul, the church is actually a small complex
of two churches, bell-tower, school and monks’ cells. Renovation in the 19th
century was done in Renaissance and Ukrainian baroque styles.
On the extensive tour of the complex we
learned there are 177 hues of color used inside. The old frescos were
magnificent. Stalin closed the church in 1934. Gold covered domes were very
popular with Slavs and the city is full of them---there are domes everywhere!
The iconostasis is gilded over carved linden wood, a popular technique and is
about one third the size of the original one.
The four-story bell-tower stretches 230
feet into the air and features several architectural styles. The first story is
typical Ukrainian of the early 17th-18th century. The next two
stories are embellished with molded decorations of Ukrainian baroque style and
the fourth story is pseudo-Byzantine.
We had a clear view of St. Michael’s domes in a straight line
from the large church plaza. Almost a straight shot, it was an easy walk. A
large statue sat in the left side of the large front church plaza. We did not
spend a lot of time here but did marvel at the hues of slate blue, tan, brown
and black that decorated the inside.
The magnificent 11th century Cave Monastery is a collection of
gold-domed churches and underground labyrinths lined with faithful monks who
were mummified by the dry soil. Monks who lived in natural caves with the goal
of spreading Christianity founded it in 1051. Spread over two rolling hills southeast
of the center of Kiev,
and located along the Dnipro
River the Monastery of
the Caves (Perchersk Lavra) is an active, functioning
monastery compound containing restored churches and towers, as well as a
printing works and miles of maze-like underground tunnels where ancient crypts
hold ecclesiastical treasures. For
centuries Orthodox Christians from throughout Europe
traveled on pilgrimages to the famous monastery. Many compared Kiev to Rome
as a religious destination.
The 11th century (1051)
monastery consists of 86 buildings and eleven churches. At its zenith 1200
monks lived and studied here. Now there are 100 monks. Holy Assumption Church has been damaged and rebuilt several times
since 1073, but in 1941 Nazi planes reduced it to a pile of rubble. In 2000 the
present cathedral was rebuilt in the same spot as the original one. There is a
concert hall in the church.
The bell tower was built in 1744 by a German
after he won a competition. The 96 meters, four story tower is the tallest monumental structure in
Ukraine and is the center of the monastery. A library is housed in the first
two stories. Three of the original 13 bells remain on the third story, and the
clock is on the last story. There are 239 steps leading up to the top.
Monks have a three-year probationary
period. Monks do not marry, but priests do. The monastery was closed in 1922,
became a museum, and reopened in 1988.
KIEV MEMORIES
We had many vodka drinks on this trip. We
learned that vodka is often mixed with a fruit liqueur. Many of them were very
good.
I happen to like borscht and I ate a lot of
it on this trip, however, the very best was in a Kiev cafeteria. It was hearty
and superb. The worst was in the Kiev hotel.
That
year the Russian Orthodox Easter corresponded to May 1. Big festivities were
planned for the breaking of the fast. Walking into the restaurant on the sunny
Sunday morning we accepted a glass of wine and was greeted with Christos voskrese (Christ is risen). We
were unable to respond in Ukrainian. We were then directed to a nearby table
holding decorated hard-boiled eggs and paska.
Paska is a special decorated bread which is always torn and never cut. The
breakfast buffet held special Easter fare. A local gal translated much of the
food for us. What a nice surprise!
Later in the morning at the Lavra Monastery there were long lines of
people with their baskets of food waiting for it to be blessed by the priest.
We
learned about salo—a pig fat
product that is served many ways. It is white in color and reminded me of
Crisco. Apparently it is popular in this part of the world although it did not
appeal to me in any form.
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