, native_name_lang = , logo = , logo_size = , logo_caption = , image =St Cyril's Monastery (Panorama).JPG , image_size = , image_caption = A panorama of St. Cyril's Monastery and its Belfry. , map_type = Ukraine Kyiv##Ukraine Kyiv Oblast#Ukraine , pushpin_relief = 1 , pushpin_label = St. Cyril's Monastery , image_map = , map_caption = , location =

Kyiv Kyiv, also spelled Kiev, is the capital and most populous city of Ukraine. It is in north-central Ukraine along the Dnieper, Dnieper River. As of 1 January 2021, its population was 2,962,180, making Kyiv the List of European cities by populat ...

Ukraine Ukraine ( uk, Україна, Ukraïna, ) is a country in Eastern Europe. It is the second-largest European country after Russia, which it borders to the east and northeast. Ukraine covers approximately . Prior to the ongoing Russian inv ...

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Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) The Ukrainian Orthodox Church ( uk, Українська православна церква, Ukrainska pravoslavna tserkva; russian: Украинская православная церковь, Ukrainskaya pravoslavnaya tserkov', UOC), common ...

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translit. Transliteration is a type of conversion of a text from one script to another that involves swapping letters (thus '' trans-'' + '' liter-'') in predictable ways, such as Greek → , Cyrillic → , Greek → the digraph , Armenian → or ...

''Kyrylivs’kyi monastyr'') is a

medieval In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the late 5th to the late 15th centuries, similar to the Post-classical, post-classical period of World history (field), global history. It began with t ...

monastery in

, the capital of

. The monastery contains the famous St. Cyril's Church, an important specimen of Kyivan Rus architecture of the 12th century, and combining elements of the 17th and 19th centuries. However, being largely Ukrainian Baroque on the outside, the church retains its original Kyivan Rus interior.

History

St. Cyril's Monastery was founded in 1140 by Vsevolod Olgovich, the Kniaz' (''prince'') of Chernigov, in the Dorohozhychi neighbourhood of

and named after his heavenly protector,

Cyril of Alexandria Cyril of Alexandria ( grc, Κύριλλος Ἀλεξανδρείας; cop, Ⲡⲁⲡⲁ Ⲕⲩⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲩ ⲁ̅ also ⲡⲓ̀ⲁⲅⲓⲟⲥ Ⲕⲓⲣⲓⲗⲗⲟⲥ; 376 – 444) was the Patriarch of Alexandria from 412 to 444 ...

. In the second half of the 12th century, Princess Maria, Vsevolod's widow, built the stone church of St. Cyril, which served as an ancestral burial place of the Olgovichi family. The monastery suffered a severe fire in 1734, and was reconstructed by the Ukrainian architect

Ivan Hryhorovych-Barskyi Ivan Grigorovich-BarskyBrumfield, William Craft: Gold in azure: one thousand years of Russian architecture. D.R. Godine, 1983. P. 20. or Ivan Hryhorovych-Barskyi (russian: Иван Григорьевич Григорович-Барский, ) (bo ...

during 1750–1760. His work also included the addition of masonry walls enclosing the monastery's courtyard, a picturesque corner tower and gate, and other monastic buildings. In 1787, St. Cyril's Monastery was closed by the Tsarist Government and its living quarters were converted into a hospital (''St. Cyril's Hospital'') and were later transformed into an insane asylum, which lasted until the mid-late 20th century in

Soviet Ukraine The Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic ( uk, Украї́нська Радя́нська Соціалісти́чна Респу́бліка, ; russian: Украи́нская Сове́тская Социалисти́ческая Респ ...

. (''Out of print'') On May 8, 1929, the Council of Commisars of the Ukrainian SSR proclaimed St. Cyril's Monastery as a monument of historic significance and ordered that a "preservation district" be established. However, at the same time, the monastery's church was closed to worship and it was prepared for transformation into a museum. The monastery's belfry was to hold a museum dedicated to Ivan Hryhorovych-Barskyi. Like the many other numerous state protection districts throughout the Ukrainian SSR, the St. Cyril's complex was owned by the People's Commisariat of Education. Pursuant to legislation passed by the

Verkhovna Rada The Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine ( uk, Верхо́вна Ра́да Украї́ни, translit=, Verkhovna Rada Ukrainy, translation=Supreme Council of Ukraine, Ukrainian abbreviation ''ВРУ''), often simply Verkhovna Rada or just Rada, is the ...

in June 1936, the Commisariat of Education had to grant permission for the dismantlement of the St. Cyril's Monastic structures. According to the former curator of the St. Cyril State Preservation District, the monastic walls, gates, one corner tower and the belfry were dismantled for their brick material in 1937. St. Cyril's Church, including the medieval interior frescoes and the 1880s murals by the famous Russian painter Mikhail Vrubel, were fortunately preserved. The remaining constructions of the complex, the rest of the monastic walls, one corner tower ('' see picture''), and two buildings constructed by Barskyi were also preserved. Of the monastery's cemetery, only two 18th century graves remained. In 1965, the Church became a branch of the National Sanctuary "Sophia of Kyiv", allowing for major restorations as well as historical documentation to begin. Since the late 1990s, the

Ukrainian Orthodox Church The history of Christianity in Ukraine dates back to the earliest centuries of the history of Christianity, to the Apostolic Age, with mission trips along the Black Sea and a legend of Saint Andrew even ascending the hills of Kyiv. The first Ch ...

has been allowed to conduct regular services inside the structure.

Buildings

St. Cyril's Church

St. Cyril's Church ( uk, Кирилівська церква,

''Kyrylivs’ka tserkva'') is a rectangular-shaped structure with three apses jutting out on the eastern side. The church's dome and vaults rest upon six cruciform piers. A staircase built into the north wall leads up to the gallery in the western section. On this side there is also a chapel - a rare feature of ancient

Kyivan Rus Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...

churches. The baptistery and the niches of the

narthex The narthex is an architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar. Traditionally the narthex ...

are other uncommon features. Originally, each of the vaults was roofed with plates of sheet steel. Throughout the centuries, the church suffered more than once from devastating enemy raids and a devastating fire in 1734. The church was restored and reconstructed many times, altering its original appearance. As St. Cyril's Church is located within the contemporary limits of Kyiv, the church is the only medieval church structure that survived until the 20th century without any major additions. The current exterior of the church was shaped during restoration works carried out during 1750–1760, by the Ukrainian architect

. Although containing elements of Ukrainian Baroque on the exterior, the interior remains largely unchanged from its original style.

Belfry

Of the monastic buildings Ivan Hryhorovych-Barskyi constructed within the monastery, his most important construction was a free standing belfry, built in 1760. The belfry combined the idea of a tall

campanile A bell tower is a tower that contains one or more bells, or that is designed to hold bells even if it has none. Such a tower commonly serves as part of a Christian church, and will contain church bells, but there are also many secular bell tower ...

with a gate on the ground level and a

chapel A chapel is a Christian place of prayer and worship that is usually relatively small. The term has several meanings. Firstly, smaller spaces inside a church that have their own altar are often called chapels; the Lady chapel is a common ty ...

on the belfry's second tier. The two lower levels of the belfry had some elements of a Ukrainian tripartite church, consisting with the belltower placed over the central part of the nave. This architectural combination in a belfry with two apse-like lower elements on each side. The original roof above the belfry's chapel was a stepped-hipped roof, which was popular at the time. After the fire of 1849, the roofs over the chapel and the cupola were modified from the original. After the Ukrainian SSR's decision on the demolition of the belfry in 1936, the belfry was destroyed a year later, to be used as bricks in construction projects.

References

External links

Official Web-site of Holy Trinity Saint Cyril's Monastery

Official Facebook page

Official Web page

Kyiv History Site
- St. Kirill Church * *

- Information from the museum's page and a photo gallery. {{DEFAULTSORT:Saint Cyril's Monastery Churches in Kyiv Monasteries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) Sophia Square Stone churches Shevchenkivskyi District, Kyiv Christian monasteries established in the 12th century Religious buildings and structures completed in 1760 1760s establishments in the Russian Empire Tourist attractions in Kyiv Baroque architecture in Kyiv Baroque church buildings in Ukraine Architectural monuments of Ukraine of national importance in Kyiv