Day 2 in Kiev
Visit the religious buildings of Kiev!
The unbelievable religious patrimony is undoubtedly the most interesting and the richest you have ever discovered from the aesthetic point of view. The Kiev Pechersk Lavra is the most outstanding national historic-cultural sanctuary and monastery in the city! It is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site and was named one of the Seven Wonders of Ukraine in 2007. The Kiev Pechersk Lavra complex contains numerous architectural monuments, ranging from bell towers, the main one being the Great Lavra Belltower, to cathedrals and to underground cave systems and to strong stone fortification walls.
On the complex’s area, find one of the most visited religious buildings – the Uspenskiy Sobor, or the Dormition Cathedral. The original church was destroyed by the Bolsheviks in 1935, but in 1998 a new church was constructed here. Even if it is a rather new building, it has huge popularity. The Cathedral is the main center of the city for the locals, so it is difficult to overestimate the importance of church in the everyday life of Ukrainians.
One of the most beautiful religious monuments in the Ukrainian capital is the Orthodox Church of St. Andrew. The edifice dates from 1754, being built in Baroque style by the architect of Russian ethnicity Bartolomeo Rastrelli. The Kiev locals call the church the Cathedral of the city, thanks to its dimension. The tourists who want to visit it can find the Church on the Andriyivska hill, in the historical district in the center of Kiev, Podil. Besides its impressive exterior, the inner walls are decorated with many icons created by renowned Russian and Ukrainian artists.
Visit Saint Sophia Cathedral – the second UNESCO World Heritage Site. This is one of the city’s best known landmarks and an outstanding architectural monument of Kievan Rus’. Besides the cathedral itself, you can observe near it an ensemble of supporting structures such as a bell tower and the House of Metropolitan. The cathedral was built to honor Holy Wisdom. In the interior, you can also explore the grave of the cathedral’s founder, Yaroslav I the Wise.
Finish your second day of your 3-day trip to Kiev in Church on the water! The church was built basing on the idea of the founders of the “Ukrainian river fleet” company of constructing a church on the water, not far from the pier, so that the sailors who are embarking on a journey could say their prayers. The church was raised in 2004, on the bank of the Dnieper river. Later, it became an architectural wonder of Kiev.
