Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary(in common parlance the “Great Church”) is the main cathedral temple of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, the “God-created” prototype of all monastic churches of Ancient Rus', the tomb of the Kyiv princes.
V.V. Vereshchagin. “Great Church of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra” (1905)
Founded in 1073 on the initiative of Theodosius of Pechersk and built in three years with the money of Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavovich. Its construction was surrounded by legends. The Kiev-Pechersk Patericon connects the construction and decoration of the church with the Greek craftsmen who came to Kyiv from Constantinople at the direction of the Mother of God who appeared to them in a dream with the image of the temple: “The measure I sent was the belt of My Son.” The most active participant in the construction in the patericon is the nephew of Yakun the Blind, the noble Varangian Shimon Afrikanovich, from whom many Russian families later traced their origins - the Velyaminovs, Vorontsovs, Aksakovs.
D. S. Likhachev associated the beginning of the spread of the veneration of the Mother of God in Rus' with the construction of the Assumption Church:
P. A. Rappoport notes that the image of the Pechersk Church was perceived in Rus' as a kind of canon of temple building: “Consecrated by tradition and the legend of the miraculous construction, the Assumption Cathedral of the Pechersk Monastery became, as it were, the standard of the temple, and the church authorities undoubtedly demanded that the general typological principle of the construction of this the cathedral was strictly preserved."
The temple was severely damaged by an earthquake in 1230, and in 1240 it was plundered by the Mongols of Batu Khan. The cathedral was repaired in 1470, but already in 1482 it was again plundered by the Crimean Tatars of Khan Mengli-Girey during a raid on Kyiv. Subsequently restored, it served as a burial vault for the Lithuanian and Russian gentry. Destroyed by a strong fire in 1718. Restored in 1729, expanded and decorated in the Ukrainian Baroque style.
Ruins of the Assumption Cathedral after the explosion in 1941
During the Great Patriotic War, the cathedral was destroyed by an explosion on November 3, 1941. According to the materials of the Nuremberg trials, the explosion was carried out by German occupation forces. Before the destruction of the temple, under the leadership of Reich Commissioner Erich Koch, a massive removal of the temple's valuables was carried out, among them a cast silver throne from the altar, silver royal doors, silver vestments taken from icons, silver tombs, Gospels in precious frames, a collection of fabrics and brocades, as well as about 2 thousand precious items. In those same days, the trace of the ancient icon of the Pechersk Mother of God, which gave the name to the entire Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, is lost. According to this version, the Assumption Cathedral was blown up in order to hide traces of its looting.
There is a version about the authorship of Soviet saboteurs, based on the argument that for the Germans, who sought to win over the Ukrainian population, the destruction of the temple did not make sense, since they, on the contrary, sanctioned the revival of monastic life in the monastery [ not in the source] . Currently, tourists are assured that the temple was blown up by Soviet partisans who entered the city. The probable purpose of the explosion is an attempt on the life of Slovak President Tiso, who was visiting the Lavra, and left the temple two hours earlier than the saboteurs expected [ unreputable source?] .
The credibility of this version suffers greatly from the fact that the explosion of the cathedral was recorded by the Germans on film and was included in the official newsreel. In the mid-1990s, its footage was found in a private collection in Oberhausen and sent to Kyiv with the assistance of Dr. Wolfgang Eichwede (Eichwede), director of the Forschungesstelle Osteuror of the University of Bremen, who dealt with restitution issues. Thus, the German authorities knew in advance about the time of the explosion and gave their cameraman the opportunity to choose a safe point for spectacular filming. The German undermining of the action is supported not only by the technical limitations of Soviet radio mines, but also by Hitler’s secret order to the police and SS command of October 9:
No priests, monks or other local people who usually work there have the right to enter the monastery, which is contained in the citadel of Kyiv. Under no circumstances should a monastery be a place of work or religious activity. Must be handed over to the police and SS and then destroyed or left at their discretion.
It is also known about the statements of high-ranking Nazi officials that the absence of this shrine would weaken the national consciousness of Ukrainians, as well as the advisability of preventing “... ancient places of religious worship from becoming places of pilgrimage and, consequently, centers of the movement for autonomy.” According to recently discovered archival documents and memoirs, the Germans themselves admitted their involvement in the destruction of the Assumption Cathedral. This is evidenced by the memories and confessions of a number of Nazi leaders and military personnel: Minister of Armaments Albert Speer, head of the religious policy group of the Ministry of Occupied Eastern Territories Karl Rosenfelder, Wehrmacht officer Friedrich Heyer, who had the rank of an evangelical priest, SS Obergruppenführer Friedrich Jeckeln, who directly supervised the bombing of the temple.
The back side of the recreated Assumption Cathedral
After the liberation of Kyiv, the temple was left in ruins as evidence of Nazi crimes. Plans to recreate it in its original medieval forms for the celebration of the 1000th anniversary of the baptism of Rus' were not realized. Only on December 9, 1995, the President of Ukraine L. Kuchma issued a Decree on the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral. The temple was rebuilt in great haste, in almost two years, without serious scientific preparation, using modern materials. The builders were faced with the task of meeting the 950th anniversary of the monastery. It was consecrated on August 24, 2000. Initially, the cathedral was not painted; work on painting the temple began in 2013 and is currently not yet completed.
The Great Lavra Church was one of the largest monuments of ancient Russian architecture. It was a six-pillar, cross-domed, single-topped church with three naves, which ended with apses on the east. The pillars had the shape of a cross in cross section. The space under the dome is very wide - larger than in the St. Sophia Cathedral. The proportions of the width to the length of the temple (2:3) became canonical for other temples of ancient Rus'. The facades were decorated with flat pilasters with semicircular windows between them. The external decor includes brick ornaments (meander friezes). In ancient times, a square baptismal chapel adjoined the north of the temple.
The inner central part was decorated with mosaics (including Oranta), and on the remaining walls there was fresco painting. According to the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon, one of the authors of the mosaics could have been the monk Alypius of Pechersk. After numerous reconstructions, these works of art have not survived.
Official name: Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Address: Kyiv, st. Lavrskaya, 15
Date of construction: 1073
Basic information:
Assumption Cathedral The Kiev Pechersk Lavra is one of the oldest temples of Kievan Rus, a unique architectural monument, as well as the tomb of many prominent personalities. For many centuries it has been one of the most revered shrines of the Orthodox Church, and is also a must-see on any excursion to the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.
Story:
History of the Assumption Cathedral in Kyiv. The Assumption Cathedral in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra became the first temple on the territory of the Lavra monastery, which was built of stone. Before its construction, services were held in a wooden church named after the Dormition of the Mother of God, which was located directly above the caves.
If we refer to the Patericon of Pechersk, the laying of the Assumption Cathedral was accompanied by numerous signs and signs. The first stone of the cathedral was laid in 1073. in a solemn atmosphere. Even the Monk Theodosius was present with all the Pechersk monks. Prince Svyatoslav not only donated land for the construction of the church and 1000 hryvnia in gold, but also personally dug a ditch to create the foundation.
In July 1077, all work on the construction of the temple was completed. Internal work, work on its construction and the construction of the baptismal chapel, including the chapel, continued until 1089. Finally, the temple was consecrated in 1089, and its consecration was timed to coincide with the feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
At the end of the eleventh century, not far from the northern wall of the Assumption Cathedral, at a distance of about 1.5 m and at the expense of the boyar’s son Zacharias, the Church of John the Baptist was built. The main shrine of the temple and its decoration was the icon of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Over its rich and centuries-old history, the church was destroyed many times.
In 1722 - 1729 the cathedral was re-decorated and rebuilt. The walls of the church were plastered and wonderfully painted. The paintings were performed by masters and artists of the Lavra icon-painting workshop.
After the Assumption Cathedral was restored in 1729, its architecture remained without significant changes until 1941. With the arrival of the Nazis in Kyiv during the occupation, the Assumption Cathedral was plundered, and on November 3, 1941, the temple was blown up by the retreating troops of the Red Army. During the war, many material and artistic values were taken from the main temple of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra to Germany, including the silver Royal Doors, 120 silver robes, precious frames that decorated the altar and altar, 3 silver tombs and several Gospels in frames. Only a small portion of these unique and incredibly valuable works of art have been returned.
The destruction and almost complete destruction of the cathedral caused extremely tangible and irreparable damage not only to the architectural ensemble of the Reserve itself, but also to the entire historical appearance of the city as a whole. According to the Decree of the President of Ukraine dated November 9, 1995, the Assumption Cathedral was completely rebuilt and reconstructed in 1999-2000.
The restored Assumption Cathedral was consecrated by the Primate of the Orthodox Church, Metropolitan Vladimir of Kyiv and All Ukraine, on the Independence Day of Ukraine on August 24, 2000. Since the consecration of the church, solemn services and liturgies have been held there on major and significant church holidays.
The renewed Assumption Cathedral, shining with gold, complemented and completed the ensemble of Cathedral Square. With its powerful structure, it restored the lost balance of the structures of the architectural complex of the Upper Territory of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra.
Interesting Facts:
It is believed that it was after the construction of the Assumption Cathedral that the veneration of the Holy Mother of God began in Rus'
There is a version that the Assumption Cathedral was blown up by Red Army troops in order to hide the mass robberies in the cathedral
Assumption Cathedral on the map of Kyiv:
Attraction on the map:
Attractions:
The cathedral was founded in 1073: “In the same summer the Pechersk Church was founded” [PVL, 6581]. In the Pechersk Patericon, the choice of a place for the church and its foundation are described as an act of “divine providence” [Paterikon of the Kyiv Pechersk Monastery. St. Petersburg, 1911, p. 51]. Under 1075 the chronicle reports the continuation and completion of construction; “The Pechersk Church was built over its foundation by Abbess Stefan; Theodosius began from the foundation, and Stefan began from the foundation; and it ended quickly on the third summer, the 11th day of the month zero” [PVL, 6583]. This record makes it possible to determine the completion date of the temple in different ways. If we assume that the words “in the third summer” refer to the beginning of construction in 1073, then the completion date will be July 11, 1075. If we assume that after the foundation of the temple in 1073, construction was interrupted for some reason and resumed in 1075, then its completion will refer to 1077. The consecration of the temple took place much later, in 1089: “The Holy Mother of God of the Pechersk Church was consecrated” [PVL, 6597]. Around the same time, the Life of Anthony was written, in which the construction of the Assumption Cathedral was attributed to Greek architects: “Church craftsmen came from Constantinople, four men” [Paterik..., p. 5]. This Life indicates that the belt donated before this Varangian Shimon was taken as a “measure of latitude, longitude and height” of the future church.
Soon after the construction of the temple, the Church of Ivan the Baptist was added to it with funds donated by a certain Zachary: “With this silver and gold, the church of St. Joap the Baptist was built to rise on the floor” [Paterik..., p. 195]. Even later, in 1109, a chapel was built over the coffin of Eupraxia Vsevolodovna, buried in the cathedral, “...at the door, right to the corner. And made a god over her” [PVL, 6617; in the Ipatiev Chronicle - “goddess”]. The cathedral was severely damaged during the earthquake of 1230, when “... in the Pechersk monastery the stone church of the Holy Mother of God split into four parts” [LL, 6737]. In 1240 he suffered again during the capture of Kyiv by the Mongol-Tatars. The cathedral was restored around 1470 under Prince Simeon Olelkovich, then renovated at the beginning of the 17th century, and underwent a major restoration at the end of the 17th century. and was restored again after the fire of 1718. The appearance that the temple had in the 17th-18th centuries is depicted in numerous engravings.
The first serious studies of the cathedral date back to the 80s. XIX century However, unfortunately, the monument was not studied in detail, and during the Great Patriotic War the cathedral was blown up. Dismantling of the ruins and their research were carried out in 1945, 1951-1952, 1962-1963 and 1970-1972. (N.V. Kholostenko). Mostly only the lowest parts of the temple building have survived, although in some areas the walls have survived to the base of the vaults. It turned out that significant parts of the ancient monument (the southern wall, the drum, etc.) were built using the technique of the 12th-13th centuries, i.e., obviously, re-arranged.
The Assumption Cathedral is a six-pillar, three-apse temple (Table 4). Its length is 35.6 m, width 24.2 m, wall thickness is about 1.3 m, the side of the under-canole square is 8.62-8.64 m. The western pair of pillars is connected to the side walls, highlighting the narthex. The pillars are cross-shaped, the blades inside and outside the cathedral are flat, single-stepped. The apses have faceted outlines; on the central one there are 4 thin half-columns. Adjoining the western division of the cathedral from the south (judging by the excavations of N.V. Kholostenko) was a rectangular staircase tower, and from the north - a baptismal chapel, on the second floor of which was the Church of John the Baptist. However, there is another assumption (Yu. S. Aseev) - the staircase to the choir was located in the room between the cathedral and the baptismal chapel. The cathedral choirs were U-shaped. Their middle division was based on a cylindrical vault with an axis across the building, and the side divisions were based on domed vaults on sails. The divisions of the side naves were covered with cylindrical vaults, whose axis was turned across the temple. The cathedral ended with one chapter (Fig. 4). Outside, along the bottom of the facades there was a tier of decorative niches, and above there were 2 tiers of windows. The windows and niches were decorated with two ledges. The portals had no external ledges; they were covered with wooden beams, but on the outside they ended with arched lintels. The lintels of the portals are marble and cut limestone. The central zakomaras of the facades were significantly higher than the side ones; they housed built-in windows. The presence of brick stripes with a meander pattern was noted on the walls of the cathedral. The zakomaras were framed by jagged cornices. The drum and dome of the cathedral turned out to date back to the reconstruction of the 13th century. The drum had 12 windows, with edges above the windows, and ended with a horizontal cornice.
The baptismal church is a small two-tiered four-pillar church. In the first tier it had an entrance from the western side and was separated from the cathedral building by a narrow passage, and in the second - from the south and was connected to the choir of the cathedral through an intermediate room located above the passage. The pillars of the church are cross-shaped, the inner blades are single-ledged, and the outer ones are also flat, but double-ledged. The apses protruded very slightly outward. The head of the church was placed on the axis of the entire volume, including the intermediate room. The façade of the baptismal building is covered with zakomarny, the drum is eight-windowed; Half-columns were placed between the windows of the drum, and niches were placed above the windows.
In front of the western portal of the cathedral, traces of a small porch have been discovered. Along the northern façade are the remains of three small chapels.
The cathedral building was erected using a mixed technique: bricks (masonry with a hidden row) with wide strips of untreated stones. The interior of the walls is filled with boulders in mortar. The outer surfaces of the pillars are entirely brick (without layers of stone), and the inside is filled with stones and bricks. Bricks of different colors and finishes. Cemyanka solution. The size of the bricks is 3.5-5X27-29X34-36 cm, but there are narrow ones (17-18 cm wide) and large square ones (with sides 35-37 cm). In addition, patterned bricks were used, trapezoidal, with semicircular and triangular ends, as well as a unique type - with an expanded semicircular end. The bricks of the baptismal building are the same as in the cathedral building, but longer narrow specimens were also used here - 4X17-19X44 cm. There are marks on the bed side of the bricks (about one brick out of 20).
The basement of the walls outside the building was covered with mortar, lined with deep lines in imitation of stonework. At the same time, some imitation “quadras” were smooth, while others had a specially treated rough surface. The walls had wooden ties in several tiers, as well as cornices made of slate slabs connected to each other using iron anchors. There were also wooden ties in the masonry of the baptismal walls, and at the base of the drum of the baptismal dome there was a belt of slate slabs connected by iron anchors.
Some sections of the building, especially the southern wall and the south-eastern corner, are almost entirely built using the equal-layer masonry technique. Here the bricks of the original masonry were partially used, and partially new ones - bright red, 5X21-23X30-33 cm; there are marks on their bedly side. Smaller bricks are noted in the drum masonry - 5X20-22X26-29 cm; some of them have signs on the ends. In the southern apse and in a number of other areas of the building, repair masonry made from block bricks was identified.
The foundation of the cathedral is made of stones and mortar. At the top it widens; its depth is 1.8 m. The depth of the tower foundation is 1.1 m. The foundation of the baptismal chapel is dug for the entire building; it contains a cushion of rubble and bricks, and on top there is a pavement in one row of brickwork. The floor of the temple was covered with smooth slate slabs, and in the space under the dome - slate slabs with carvings and mosaic inlay. In the central apse the floor is made of glazed ceramic tiles. The remains of a high place, a marble altar barrier and a ciborium were discovered. Carved slabs of the choir parapet and, possibly, from the external sculptural decoration of the building were found. During one of the renovations carried out at the end of the 19th century, it was established that the floors of the choir were lined with glazed ceramic tiles, and the sinuses of the vaults under the choir were filled with voice boxes laid on mortar.
When dismantling the ruins, pieces of plaster with fresco painting were found. Some of them, judging by the composition of the plaster, belong to the external parts of the building. Mosaic smalt was found in significant quantities from both floor and wall sets. Fragments of voice boxes were found - amphoras and jugs of local production.
Not far from the Assumption Cathedral in 1951, excavations uncovered the remains of a workshop for the production of glass and smalt (V. A. Bogusevich). The workshop dates back to the end of the 11th century. The composition of the mosaic smalt from this workshop is identical to the mosaic found in the cathedral.
Karger M.K. Ancient Kyiv, vol. 2, p. 337-369; Kholostenko N.V. 1) Study of the ruins of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. - SA, 1955, vol. 23, p. 341-358; 2) Study of the ruins of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra in 1962-1963. - In the book: Culture and art of Ancient Rus'. JL, 1967, p. 58-68; 3) Assumption Cathedral of the Pechora Monastery. - In the book: Ancient Kiev. Kiev, 1975, p. 107-170; 4) New research on the Church of St. John the Baptist and reconstruction of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. - In the book: Archaeological investigations of ancient Kiev. Kiev, 1976, p. 131-165; 5) Monument of the 11th century - the Cathedral of the Pechersky Monastery. - Construction and architecture. Kyiv, 1972, No. 1, p. 32-34; Bogusevich V. A. Workshops of the 11th century. for the production of glass and smalt in Kyiv. - KSIAU, 1954, issue. 3, p. 14-20; Shchapova Yu. L. New materials on the history of mosaics of the Assumption Cathedral in Kyiv. - SA, 1975, No. 4, p. 209-222; Filatov V.V., Sheptyukov A.P. Fragment of the external painting of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. - Message VTsNILKR, M., 1971, No. 27, p. 202-206; Gese V. E. Notes on some Kyiv antiquities. - ZRAO. New ser., 1901, vol. 12, issue. 1-2, p. 191-194.
Komech A.I. Old Russian architecture of the late X - early XII centuries. Byzantine heritage and the formation of an independent tradition
Assumption Cathedral of the Pechersk Lavra(1073 - 1077) was the most grandiose architectural monument of the second half of the 11th century. The diameter of its dome was almost a meter larger than the size of the head of the Kyiv Sophia. Hence the general character of the forms - powerful, structural, deeply and strongly dissected. Although the cathedral was destroyed in 1941, thanks to the painstaking research of N.V. Kholostenko, we now know that on its facades there was a canonical decoration system of rows of niches and windows, consistent with the main structural system of the building ( Rappoport P. A. Decree. cit., p. 23 - 25, No. 33; Aseev Yu. S. Decree. cit., p. 78 - 92; Movchan I.I. Decree. cit., p. 193-202 .).
The first tier of connections (above the foundation) determines the height of the portals and niches along the bottom of the walls. The second tier of connections is laid in the heels of small arches under the choirs; it is crossed by windows that rise to the heels of the vaults carried by these arches. If in St. Michael's Cathedral the vaults were box vaults, their shells ran perpendicular to the side walls and therefore the windows on the latter rose almost to the floor level of the choir, then here the use of blind domes under the choirs made a lower position of the windows inevitable (as on the western facade St. Michael's Cathedral). The level of the choir on the walls of the temple probably corresponded to the meander belt, as suggested by Yu. S. Aseev ( Rappoport P. A. Decree. cit., p. 24, fig. 4. ). The meander belt also ran along the top of the apses. The third tier of connections ran at the floor level of the choir, the fourth - at the heels of small arches under the arches of the temple. The fourth tier, like the second, is crossed by windows.
In N.V. Kholostenko’s reconstruction, from the level of the fourth bonds, double breaks of the zakomars begin, coinciding in the small spindles with the heels of their semicircles. This is unlikely to be correct. This was not the case in St. Michael's Cathedral, where the breakers dropped below the heels, and in the middle sections of the Assumption Cathedral the breakages dropped lower. It should be emphasized that in both cathedrals the level of the beginning of the double divisions of the zakomar is the same.
From the point of view of N.V. Kholostenko, the reason for the new relationships of forms is the lowering of all the corner parts of the building, in which small zakomaras rise only to the level of the central heels. This did not happen at St. Michael’s Cathedral and, it seems to us, it did not happen at the western part of the Assumption Cathedral. A similar relationship is conclusively recorded by N.V. Kholostenko’s observations only for the eastern part of the building ( Kholostenko M.V. Assumption Cathedral of the Pechersk Monastery. - Ancient Kiev. Kyiv, 1975, p. 152, fig. 40. ). Let us recall that the lowering of the eastern corners is characteristic of the monuments of Constantinople and previous Russian monuments. But in the same buildings, the western part is elevated, has zakomaras on the same level as the central one (Eski Imaret Jami, churches of the Pantocrator Monastery, Church of Our Lady in Thessaloniki, Sophia of Kiev and Novgorod, St. Michael's Cathedral). This alone could indicate the elevation of the western part of the Assumption Cathedral and the location of the zakomari in it on the same level.
There is also direct evidence for such an assumption. N.V. Kholostenko, while dismantling the ruins of the Assumption Cathedral, discovered fragments of a triple composition from a window and two adjacent niches with a semi-arched finish; he placed this group in the field of the central zakomara, because in his reconstruction there is no longer room for it. A similar triple composition is known in the monuments of Constantinople (Fethiye Jami, narthex of the monastery of Pantocrator, Gul Jami). When placed in the central zakomar, the location of the individual elements of the groups would have to correspond to the three windows located below. During reconstruction, all elements are compressed into a narrow group.
If we take into account that the exact width of the window is not documented (it is equated by N.V. Kholostenko with large windows) and, judging by the width of the niches, should be reduced, then the entire composition could perfectly fit in the field of one of the western zakomaras, whose semicircle would follow its outlines.
There is evidence that this group was in the small zakomara. P. A. Lashkarev described a triple window “in the upper part of that wall of the Great Lavra Church, which faces the Church of the Baptist and where the staircase leading from the choir to the roof is currently located” ( Lashkarev P. A. Kiev architecture of the 10th-11th centuries. Kyiv, 1975, p. 33.:272. ). From these words we can conclude that the window was located at the end of the small spindles, for they were located near the Predjechenskaya Church. Further, this window is compared with the triple window of St. Michael's Cathedral of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, from where we can restore the entire form.
And finally, the main thing. Back in the 19th century. the fields of the central sections of the side facades above the choir level were dismantled, huge open arches connected the cathedral with the space of the second floor of the later circumferential galleries. Therefore, the discovered tripartite group can only originate from small mosquitoes. There is no place for it in N.V. Kholostenko’s reconstruction. The only acceptable solution is to raise the western small spindles and place their zakomars flush with the central one. The cathedral turns out to be asymmetrical, but lowering the eastern part was not only traditional at this time, but also an established local practice. Although until 1941 the cathedral existed in buildings of different periods, the indicated asymmetry was visible in its overall composition, especially when viewed from the north.
As noted in the first chapter, in Byzantine churches on four columns the supports - the columns themselves - do not reach the level of the main vaults; between them there is a zone of small arches from the columns to the walls of the building, which serve as support for the vaults. Therefore, although the support is emphasized and palpable, its true scale is reduced, and the vaults and arches merge into a common enlarged system of completions. In Kyiv buildings, cross-shaped pillars are formed by powerful blades, always turning into the movement of multidirectional arches, which can have different widths and be located at different levels. There are no horizontal divisions in the heels of the central arches and vaults of the Assumption Cathedral. As usual, slate slabs mark either the level of the choir, or they are placed at the heels of the small arches. But it is from the slate slabs that the viewer’s eye begins to measure the height of the zone of arches and vaults; this enlargement of the top is noticeable in all Russian cathedrals of the 11th century.
N.V. Kholostenko managed to publish only schematic reconstructive sections of the Assumption Cathedral ( Kholostenko M.V. Hovi dolizhennya Church of St. John the Baptist and reconstruction of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. — Archaeological heritage from ancient Kyiv. Kiev, 1976, p. 141, fig. eleven .). On one of them there is a hint of a form that, from our point of view, should have existed in the cathedral of the 11th century. In the second tier of the western arm, we must assume the existence of an arcade, judging by the size of the temple - a triple one (the section by N.V. Kholostenko shows a lunette with an opening, but there are no images of the supports of the arcade). The tradition of constructing arcades continues until the mid-12th century. - Boris and Gleb and Assumption Cathedrals in Chernigov, St. Cyril Church in Kyiv.
Due to the size of the Assumption Cathedral, the division of the inter-altar walls in it has changed. Since the time of St. Sophia of Kyiv, two openings were built in them one above the other: one at the level of the lower arches and portals, the other at the level of the arches above the choirs. This shows an echo of the ancient structure of the choir and in the side apses (St. Irina, Dere-Agzy). In the Assumption Cathedral, two openings are placed up to the choir level and a third one appears at the choir level. Because of this multi-composition, the scale of the building becomes even more noticeable.
In general, the interior of the temple was distinguished by its special spatiality. The lack of complexity characteristic of five-nave cathedrals led to the integrity and clarity of the grandiose structure. The concept of an overshadowing and enveloping cross-dome completion was revealed here with a clarity that had not yet existed in Rus'. This, as well as the development of construction technology, is reflected in the continuing and strengthening ties between Kyiv and Constantinople, as Yu. S. Aseev rightly writes about ( Aseev Yu. S. Decree. cit., p. 76, see also: Rappoport P.A. On the role of Byzantine influence in the development of ancient Russian architecture. - VV, 1984, 45, p. 186 - 188. ). The surviving fragments of the cathedral even now, with their grandeur, evoke associations with monumental buildings of that tradition, which originates in the architecture of ancient Rome. Let us emphasize once again that among the monuments of the Byzantine artistic circle of the 11th century. Russian cathedrals do not occupy a peripheral, imitative place, but represent a phenomenon amazing in scale, in the speed of formation of creative independence of the main compositional solutions and in the artistic quality of their creations.
Komech A.I. Old Russian architecture of the late X - early XII centuries. Byzantine heritage and the formation of an independent tradition
New Assumption Cathedral of the Pechersk Lavra. Kyiv 1996 - 2000.
On the high hills of the right bank of the Dnieper, the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, crowned with golden domes, rises majestically - the inheritance of the Most Holy Theotokos, the cradle of monasticism in Rus' and the stronghold of the Orthodox faith.
August 28 is the feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary - one of the twelve major, most ancient holidays of the church year. It has been celebrated for a long time, which can easily be confirmed by the history of churches built in honor of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary.
In particular, the Assumption Cathedral in Kyiv. For example, the main temple of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra - the Assumption - was the main Orthodox shrine of Kievan Rus. For many centuries, the cathedral was one of the most revered shrines of the Orthodox Church.
The Assumption Cathedral was the first stone church on the territory of the monastery. Before its construction, the monks performed services in a wooden church in the name of the Dormition of the Mother of God, which was located above the caves.
The construction of the Assumption Cathedral was preceded by several signs, as stated in the Patericon of Pechersk.
Traditions say that the Mother of God herself, having called four church masters in Constantinople to the Blachernae Cathedral (in which the robes of the Queen of Heaven were kept), told them: “I want to build a church for myself in Rus', in Kyiv.” From her the builders received her image, the relics of seven martyrs and money for 3 years of construction.
The relics were to form the foundation of the church, and the icon was to become a temple icon. The masters were shown in heaven the image of the church that they were to build, and it was said: “The measure I have sent is the belt of My Son.” It is known that the Varangian governor Shimon (Simon) donated funds for the construction of the temple.
It was he who brought the Monk Anthony a golden belt and a golden crown from the ancestral image of the Crucifixion, which the Mother of God spoke about to the builders. Shimon twice, in the most difficult moments of his life, was shown the church in heaven. The ratio of the proportions of the heavenly temple was also announced to him: 20-30-50.
When the architects came from Constantinople to Kyiv and asked the Monks Anthony and Theodosius: “Where do you want to build a church?” In response they heard: “Where the Lord will indicate.” After the prayers of the saints, the site of the future temple was miraculously indicated three times - by falling dew and heavenly fire.
The interior of the temple was painted with frescoes and decorated with mosaics. In addition to the Greek masters, the cathedral was decorated by the Kiev painter Alypius, who studied mosaic art from the Greeks. An outstanding work of wood carving was the main five-tiered iconostasis, 22 meters high. After the fire of 1718, the cathedral was significantly enlarged and re-painted and decorated. At one time, the interior of the temple was decorated with paintings by V.P. Vereshchagin and other famous artists.
All the main shrines of the Lavra have always been kept in the Great Church. The Assumption Cathedral is a real pantheon, where more than 300 famous people are buried, mostly prominent government, public and cultural figures of that time. Rare valuables, the library of Peter Mogila, and archaeological finds were also kept here.
According to the testimony of Rev. Nestor the Chronicler, the stone Church of the Assumption in the Pechersk Monastery was founded with the blessing of St. Anthony St. Abbot Theodosius and Bishop Michael in 1073. The foundation (in 1073 with the participation of the Kyiv prince Svyatoslav, son of Yaroslav the Wise), construction, painting and consecration (1089) of the temple were accompanied, according to the patericon, by numerous miracles demonstrating God’s mercy and the intercession of the Mother of God, heavenly patroness of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. The place for the construction of the temple was indicated by divine signs through the prayers of St. Antonia.
The land and one hundred hryvnias of gold were donated by the Kiev prince Svyatoslav for the construction of the church. The Varangian governor Shimon (baptized Simon) made a great contribution to the construction. Persecuted by his fellow tribesmen, one day he prayed in the house church at the family image of the Crucifixion and heard a voice commanding him to go to Rus', taking with him the belt and crown from the Crucifixion. Shimon equipped the ship and sailed to an unknown land. At sea, the ship was overtaken by a storm, and, losing hope of salvation, the Varangian prayed to God. He saw a church of unearthly beauty in the heavens and again heard a voice from above, predicting that now he would remain unharmed, and in the future he would be honored to participate in the construction of this church, where he would be buried. In the revelation, he was told the dimensions of the temple that was to be built, and the measure was indicated - the belt of the Savior.
Divine Providence brings the Varangian to the Monk Anthony. Before the battle with the Polovtsians, the elder told Shimon that the Russians would be defeated, but he himself would survive, and in addition, he confirmed the predictions that a church would be built in the Pechersk monastery, in which Shimon would rest upon his death. Returning from an unsuccessful campaign, Shimon gave the monk a crown and a belt and told him everything that had become known to him from revelations about the construction of a “heaven-like” church.
Through the prayers of St. Anthony, the Lord, with miraculous signs, indicated the location of the future temple. In 1075 the main construction work began. Byzantine architects called by the Mother of God took part in laying out the plan of the church and laying the foundation. As the Patericon narrates, the money given by the Queen of Heaven for construction was “for three years.” The rough construction of the temple building was completed by 1077.
The construction of the Assumption Church was completed under the abbess of St. Nikon, who became the abbot of the monastery in 1078. In 1083, icon painters came from Constantinople, miraculously hired by St. Anthony and Theodosius, and the Greek merchants, who witnessed this miracle, donated the mosaic to decorate the temple. Working for five years on painting the church, the icon painters witnessed wondrous miracles: the Lord helped the brethren decorate the church, as He had previously helped build it. According to the prediction of the Mother of God, they took monastic vows here and remained in the monastery.
In 1088, fifteen years after its founding, the church was ready for consecration. It was distinguished by its extraordinary grandeur and beauty of its exterior and interior decoration. Its walls and iconostasis shone with gold and multi-colored mosaics and were decorated with many icons, the floor was paved with patterns of stone of different types, the head of the temple was gilded, and the cross on the dome was forged from gold. No wonder her contemporaries called her “gorgeous” and “like heaven.” The consecration of the Great Lavra Church, also accompanied by many signs of the Lord's favor, took place in 1089 and was timed to coincide with the feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Kyiv. Assumption Cathedral of the Pechersk Lavra. View of the altar from the southern arm
The names of Saints Anthony and Theodosius, the founders of the Pechersk Monastery, are associated with the cathedral. The famous icon painter Alipius took part in decorating the cathedral. At the end of the 11th century, a small stone church of John the Baptist was built near the northern wall of the temple.
Throughout its history, the Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God has experienced several devastating destructions. Already in 1230, after a fairly strong earthquake, it was necessary to restore the southern wall of the church; in 1240, the temple was robbed and severely damaged by hordes of Mongol-Tatars; in 1470, the cathedral was repaired through the efforts of Semyon Olelkovich.
At the end of the 17th century, the cathedral preserved such church relics as the skull of St. Vladimir, the relics of St. Theodosius of Pechersk, and the icon of Our Lady of Igor.
Kyiv. Assumption Cathedral of the Pechersk Lavra, 1073-1077. General view from the north (before destruction)
And the main shrine of the cathedral was the icon of the Assumption of the Mother of God, which was considered a gift from the Mother of God herself. On April 21, 1718, a fire destroyed almost everything except the icon. In 1718, after a terrible fire, only the stone foundation remained of the Assumption Church. On August 5, 1729, the grand opening of the restored cathedral took place. When the news of the miraculous salvation of the icon reached Peter the Great, with great joy he presented the cathedral with a golden lamp, densely studded with diamonds.
On the icon of the Dormition, the Mother of God is depicted resting on a bed, in front of which stands the Gospel (it covered the hole in the middle of the board, where particles of the relics of the seven holy martyrs were kept, placed with the blessing of the Most Holy Theotokos by the temple builders in the foundation of the church). At the head of the Mother of God there are six apostles and among them Peter with a censer in his hand; at Her feet are five apostles, and the holy Apostle Paul falls on the left side at the feet of the Mother of God. In the middle is the Savior holding the soul of the Virgin Mary in swaddling clothes, and at the top, near His head, are two angels with white trims. The icon was inserted into a frame mounted in a large metal circle. On strong silk cords, the miraculous icon was lowered daily at the end of Matins and Liturgy for reverent kissing by the pilgrims.
If danger was approaching the city, or on a temple holiday (August 15), the icon was carried around the cathedral in a procession of the cross. Unfortunately, the fire destroyed the unique library, which was located in the choir of the church. Other shrines of the cathedral include a diamond cross donated by Tsar Nicholas the First, an icon of St. Vladimir. On the altar of the main altar there was a golden cross, which included parts of the life-giving cross of the Lord.
The remains of many Russian princes, hetmans, Kyiv governors, metropolitans, bishops and archimandrites were buried under the floor of the Great Church. The necropolis of the cathedral consisted of more than 300 burials. Here were the graves of Abbot Theodosius, the first Metropolitan of Kyiv, Michael. Starting from the 12th century, the cathedral also served as a burial place for princes from the Rurik and Gedemin dynasties, the highest secular and ecclesiastical nobility, and many outstanding historical and cultural figures.
The ancient vestibule, in which the tomb of Constantine of Ostrog was located, also served as a burial place. Here after St. In ancient times, Theodosius was buried by princes, then by representatives of Lithuanian families and many men who became famous for spiritual and state exploits, such as St. Peter Mogila, Archimandrites Innocent Gizel, Elisha Pletenetsky, Pavel Berynda and others. In the old days, their tombs, which had tombstones with epitaphs on top, were covered with covers with portraits embroidered on them.
The Assumption Cathedral was a model for the construction of a number of ancient Russian churches - St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv, cathedrals in Suzdal, built during the time of Vladimir Monomakh.
The ancient throne of the Great Church was made of brick. Initially it was covered with a marble board, and in 1744 it was overlaid with silver. On the altar there was a golden cross with particles of the blood of Christ, the pillar of flagellation and the rope from the pillar of flagellation. The iconostasis of this part of the temple was also “passionate,” that is, it had icons depicting the suffering of the Savior.
To the right of the iconostasis, at the southern wall of the main chapel of the Great Church, a silver ark with the head of the holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Vladimir was kept, and to the left, in a small niche, were the relics of the first Metropolitan of Kyiv Michael, who baptized the people of Kiev and the sons of the prince. Vladimir. St. Mikhail was an associate of the prince and together with him worked hard in the matter of baptism and Christian enlightenment of the Russian people. He died in 991 and was buried in the Church of the Tithes, built by St. book Vladimir. From here his relics were transferred: around 1107 - to the Near Caves, and in 1730 - to the Great Lavra Church, where the relics of two great enlighteners of Rus' were nearby.
At the southern wall of the main chapel of the Great Church the coffin of St. Theodosius, abbot of Pechersk (his relics were hidden in 1240 due to the invasion of Batu), and opposite him, in the north-western corner, in the icon case - particles of the relics of all the Pechersk saints. Not far from this place, on a ledge of the wall, there was an icon of St. Anthony, before whom, according to legend, he stood in prayer during the services of St. Dimitry Rostovsky. In memory of this, an icon of St. was later installed here. Demetrius of Rostov.
In the chapel of St. The first martyr Archdeacon Stephen, near the iconostasis, in a silver shrine, part of his relics was kept - the index finger. This shrine was brought from the Moldavian Neametsky monastery by the Romanesque Archbishop Pachomius, who lived in retirement in the Lavra at the beginning of the 18th century. Currently, this shrine is located in the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross in a carved wooden shrine.
In the same Stefanovsky chapel, at the altar of the Church of the Baptist, there was a descent into the dungeon, where prominent figures of the Church and state were buried. Here rested the incorruptible relics of St. Pavel (Konyuskevich), Metropolitan of Tobolsk and Siberia. Saint Paul studied at the Kyiv Theological Academy and was a monk of the Lavra. Having retired, he wished to return to the Lavra, where he died on November 4, 1770. During the explosion of the Assumption Cathedral in 1941, the cancer and incorrupt relics of the saint were damaged.
In the memoirs of Pavel of Aleppo there are descriptions of the marble columns of the ancient altar barrier. According to legend, parts of the original iconostasis were used in the reconstruction of the churches of the Near Caves.
In the St. John the Theologian chapel, near the northern wall near the iconostasis, there was a miraculous icon of the Mother of God, called Igorevskaya. The icon received this name because St. prayed before it in the last minutes of his life. Blessed Prince Igor. He accepted the schema at the Kyiv monastery in the name of St. Martyr Theodore and was killed by the indignant Kyivians in 1147. This icon is of ancient Greek writing. Pilgrims who had suffered any misfortunes prayed especially earnestly in front of her. In the 20s of the 20th century, shortly before the monastery was closed and plundered by godless authorities, the icon was restored and covered with a new robe.
In the same chapel, on the southern doors of the iconostasis, there was a revered icon of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker with a particle of his relics. At the southern wall of the Theological chapel, in a niche near the iconostasis, in a special reliquary, particles of the relics of St. John the Baptist, St. prophets, apostles, saints, martyrs and other saints - Greek, Serbian, Moldavian and Russian, as well as about 80 other shrines.
In ancient times, the Lavra sacristy was located in the choir. Scrolls with plans for the construction of the Great Church were also kept here, miraculously delivered from Blachernae and “dishes in memory of such miracles.” According to these plans, the Assumption churches were built in Rostov and Suzdal.
The sacristy of the Lavra was unusually rich. The main place in it was occupied by sacred utensils and vestments - made of brocade, forged with gold, decorated with diamonds and precious stones. Expensive miters were also kept in the sacristy, for example, the gold-forged miter of St., with diamonds, emeralds, rubies, sapphires and pearls. Petra Mogila; altar crosses, for example, a golden cross with part of the Life-Giving Tree and earth from the Holy Sepulcher, donated by Hetman Mazepa; cup of Empress Anna Ioannovna; Hetman Mazepa's cup with chrysolites, amethysts and topazes; pectoral crosses of St. Peter's Mogila (with engraving); tabernacles of carved Kyiv work; Gospel frames: one donated by Peter and John Alekseevich in 1639; the second - by Tsarina Martha Matveevna and others. In addition to the above, the sacristy contained a treasure found in the cache of the Great Church during the renovation of 1898, as well as a medal with a portrait of Prince. Konstantin Konstantinovich Ostrozhsky, which was distinguished by its special beauty and subtlety of work and was considered one of the best works of European jewelry art.
Craftsmen from other cities came to study with Kyiv jewelers. The Lavra workshop was also famous, supplying gold and silver products to all parts of the Russian land.
Before the destruction of the Assumption Cathedral in 1941, only the altar apses protruded from the ancient parts of the temple and were preserved in their entirety (except for the southern one, which was redone in the Lithuanian period, probably by Prince Simeon Olelkovich). The main apse in ancient times had relief images of the Mother of God and the Archangels standing on its sides: parts of these reliefs were kept in the Lavra sacristy. On the altar wall, a cross with the letters ІС has survived from antiquity. HS. NI. CA. The middle chapter and the dome above the St. John the Baptist chapel remained ancient.
Initially, the Great Lavra Church had one hemispherical dome. The Church of the Baptist, which once stood separately, also had a dome of a flattened hemispherical shape.
On the site of the current side chapels and porch there were several chapels built in the 13th–16th centuries. In front of the Church of John the Baptist there was the chapel of Yeltsov, behind the Church of the Baptist there was the chapel of the Three Saints, behind it, closer to the altar, there was the chapel of John the Evangelist, and in the south-eastern corner there was the chapel of the princes Koretsky (in the name of the Holy First Martyr Archdeacon Stephen). Saint Peter Mohyla, for symmetry with the northern side, added two more chapels to the southern side and erected four new domes. At the end of the 17th century. the side chapels were combined and formed the current chapels with two altars (they are already indicated on the plan of 1695); the northern aisle, dedicated to the holy first martyr Stephen, also included the ancient Church of the Baptist; the western chapels were replaced by a porch with four entrance doors. By the beginning of the 18th century. the entire ancient church was built up, its façade acquired baroque forms. The windows and doors were decorated like fabric draperies. In 1470 and 1722–1729. the church was restored.
The original interior decoration of the temple can be judged from the descriptions given in the chronicles, “Pechersk Patericon”, “Synopsis” and in the memoirs of eyewitnesses. They describe, first of all, the mosaics made of “gilded stones”, frescoes and marble cladding of walls and floors, which were striking in their beauty. In ancient times, the church was “mousia (mosaic) built not only along the walls, but also along the ground.”
Greek icon painters painted the Assumption Church. Unfortunately, neither the ancient painting nor the later one has survived. The life of St. Rev. given in the Patericon. Alipia gives us the opportunity to learn both about the content of the paintings and about the miraculous phenomena that he witnessed. When the icon painters were decorating the altar with mosaics, suddenly the face of the Mother of God was miraculously depicted on a high place and a dove flew out of it and flew “to the image of Spasov” and to the images of the holy martyrs Artemia, Polyeuctus, Leontius, Acacius, Arethas, Jacob and Theodore, particles of whose relics were presented builders by the Mother of God in Blachernae and laid in the foundation of the temple. The white dove flew from one image to another, landing on the saints’ hands, then on the head, and finally flying up to the local icon of the Mother of God, hiding behind this icon.
Pavel of Aleppo, who saw the mosaics of the Great Church in the 17th century, describes the image of the Mother of God in the altar, similar to the one in Kiev-Sophia. Below it is an image of Christ surrounded by the apostles (Eucharist), and on the western wall of the church is an image of the Assumption, a mosaic floor in the altar and a marble mosaic plinth around the pulpit.
In the 18th century mosaics were replaced by paintings, which were subsequently updated several times. Despite the ban on allegories in church painting issued in 1722, they abounded in the Assumption Church. Behind the throne, along with other subjects, Jesus Christ was depicted, crucified on the branches of an oak tree, near the altar - a Lamb, a Pelican - all in the spirit of baroque Ukrainian icon painting. Among the authors of this time, S. Kamensky is famous. The restoration of the 1772 painting was carried out by Zacharias (Golubovsky). This work was continued in 1843 by Academician F. Solntsev. In 1893, the cathedral was re-painted by a group of artists led by V. Vereshchagin. Currently, attempts have been made to paint the choirs of the restored Assumption Cathedral.
In pre-Mongol times, iconostases in Rus' were marble or wooden barriers, consisting of columns with low parapets between them and an architrave resting on the columns. In the tradition of that time, icons were not yet placed between columns on parapets. In the center of the barrier were the Royal Doors. The icons placed on the architrave made up the second tier and formed the deisis tier. The local icon, blessed by the Mother of God and brought from Constantinople, was in the center, above the altar pillars, which supported a frieze with a cornice and performed the function of the Royal Doors. In this barrier was also that wonderful image with which the miracle happened before the eyes of the saint. Alipia. Here, apparently, from the side of the altar, a golden crown and a golden belt of the Varangian Shimon were suspended, which were later taken by Vladimir Monomakh to Suzdal. The ancient iconostasis probably survived until 1482, and perhaps until the 16th century, when Prince Konstantin of Ostrog built a new six-tiered iconostasis, known from a copy cast with the blessing of Moscow Patriarch Nikon. In 1896, its upper tiers were removed in imitation of the original low altar screen.
Until 1941, in the Assumption Cathedral there was an iconostasis from the time of Hetman Skoropadsky (1708–1722), which had great artistic value. The icon of the Assumption, Pechersk saints and others were covered with luxurious vestments. Frames of stars were made around the icons. The royal doors were forged from silver with gilding. All of this is the work of Lavra jewelers, who were famous along with painters and carvers.
In addition to the main Assumption altar, there were five more chapels in the Great Church: three below - St. ap. John the Evangelist (on the right, the only one surviving after the 1941 explosion), St. First Martyr Archdeacon Stephen (left) and St. John the Baptist (in the northwestern corner), and two in the choir - St. ap. Andrew the First-Called (right) and the Transfiguration of the Lord (left).
In the chapel of John the Theologian there was a cut-out iconostasis with pictures of the life of the Apostle John, Christ’s beloved disciple.
Before the explosion in 1941, parts of the Church of St. John the Baptist, united in the 17th century, remained ancient on the northern outer wall. with the main temple. The dome over this part of the temple, as well as the vaults of the church itself, were ancient. In the 17th century The Church of the Baptist was divided into two floors, and its upper part was attached to the choir of the Great Church.
In the former Church of John the Baptist, the iconostasis was of the same work as in the Trinity Church on the Holy Gates and in the lower side aisles of the Great Church. In front of the iconostasis, Saint Peter Mogila placed the relics of the holy virgin Juliana, Princess of Olshanskaya. The princess was resting in an open shrine, so that one could see her beautiful white face, clothes, gold necklace and earphones. Relics of St. The Virgins of Juliana suffered in a fire in 1718 and are currently in a closed shrine in the Near Caves.
Few ancient valuables have survived in the sacristy of the Lavra - bas-reliefs of the Virgin Mary, which probably once adorned the outer wall of the main apse; fragments of mosaics, parts of the altar with traces of inlay, several icons of the 17th-18th centuries, samples of bricks of the 11th century. and some others.
Kyiv. Assumption Cathedral of the Pechersk Lavra. General view of the ruins from the bell tower of the Lavra
Having stood for centuries, the Assumption Cathedral did not survive the Second World War. The Church of the Assumption received the most terrible and seemingly fatal blow on November 3, 1941, when the mined shrine of Ukrainian Orthodoxy was blown up. For a long time there were ruins at the holy place, and the guides talked about the barbarity of the German occupiers. In 1982, an attempt was made to restore the cathedral, but this was done without taking into account the historical and architectural features of the entire Lavra ensemble, which threatened the churches nearby.
Separately, we need to talk about one of the most controversial moments in our history. Who is to blame for the fact that the pinnacle of Kyiv architecture lay in ruins for a long time? There is no exact data regarding this issue. The cathedral, in my opinion, could have been destroyed both by the Soviet underground (they already had extensive experience in previous years) and by the Germans. Let's look at the facts. October-November 1941 - Kyiv in anticipation of terrible and difficult times. The Nazis are taking away from the Lavra the greatest valuables of the Museum Town, which was located on the territory of the Lavra in pre-war times. This process is personally led by the notorious Erich Koch.
As is known, the German doctrine put in the foreground not only the physical, but also the spiritual destruction of the enslaved peoples, therefore, by destroying the main temple of Ukraine, the Germans, in all likelihood, tried to trample the last remnants of spirituality that still remained in the souls of our people, burned by “Stalinism”. On the other hand, everyone is well aware of the soulless and economical attitude of the Soviet leadership towards outstanding historical monuments. The burned Khreshchatyk, the blown up Nikolaevsky chain bridge... All this was the work of the Soviet underground. Isn’t the Assumption Cathedral on this same bloody list? And in addition, it was in early November that the Lavra was visited by the President of Slovakia Tiso and several high-ranking officials of Nazi Germany, and, according to some researchers, it was for the sake of their murder that the territory of the Lavra was mined. But I'm not saying anything. History will answer all questions.
The ruins of the temple were carefully examined by scientists in the post-war years. Based on numerous drawings and engravings of the 17th-18th centuries, the main stages of its reconstruction were studied. For example, in 1718 there was a terrible fire in the Lavra, which damaged all the buildings on the upper territory of the monastery, including the Assumption Cathedral.
The temple was restored in 1722-1729. Thus, after the reconstruction of the late 17th - early 18th centuries, the Assumption Cathedral externally took on the appearance of a compact two-story massif with a recess in the center of the western facade. All baths had two-tiered pear-shaped endings characteristic of the Ukrainian Baroque. It was the Assumption Cathedral that, after perestroika, became the perfect embodiment of the Baroque architectural type.
The destruction of the cathedral during the war caused irreparable damage not only to the architectural ensemble of the Reserve, but also to the historical appearance of Kyiv.
Kiev. Assumption Cathedral of the Pechersk Lavra. Northern façade, reconstruction by N.V. Kholstenko
For a long time it was believed that the ancient parts of the Great Pechersk Church, due to many reconstructions and rebuildings, were not preserved. However, as a result of research in the 19th and 20th centuries. Fragments dating back to the 11th century were discovered. Thus, not only individual Cyrillic letters were found on the plinths of the cathedral, but also entire words and phrases. On the walls there are preserved images of crosses, inscriptions and drawings made by master builders using raw mortar.
By decree of the President of Ukraine of November 9, 1995, the Assumption Cathedral was renewed in 1999 - 2000. Therefore, the restoration of this shrine on the territory of the Lavra belongs to the significant events of the 20th century. On November 21, 1998, on the day of remembrance of the Archangel Michael, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Vladimir, laid the first brick in the foundation of the newly reviving Great Church. Two years later, on August 24, 2000, His Beatitude Vladimir consecrated the majestic temple that grew up on the site of the ruins. During the restoration, the Assumption Cathedral was restored to its 18th-century forms and decor.
Today, the Assumption Cathedral adorns the slopes of the Dnieper, and the latest work on decorating its interior is underway. The thickness of the walls reaches 1.70 m, as it was originally.
During archaeological excavations of the throne in 1963, fragments of a pot were discovered containing particles of relics wrapped in cloth. Tiles and pieces of smalt from the 11th century were also found there. This is all that remains of the 11th century throne. after reconstructions in 1729, 1755 and 1893. In the brickwork of the base of the throne of 1729, a slate pillar was discovered, driven into the ground. Perhaps this is part of the “corner stone” laid when the temple was founded. Excavations at the base of this stone showed that it was dug into the ground in the 11th century. The remains of an altar were also found. A large number of fragments of the original floor made of slate slabs inlaid with pieces of smalt were also found. During the restoration of the cathedral in 2000, individual fragments of the floor were left for inspection.
The total area of the Assumption Cathedral is about 2 thousand sq.m. Height 52 m.
The surviving fragments of the cathedral even now, with their grandeur, evoke associations with monumental buildings of that tradition, which originates in the architecture of ancient Rome. Let us emphasize once again that among the monuments of the Byzantine artistic circle of the 11th century. Russian cathedrals do not occupy a peripheral, imitative place, but represent a phenomenon amazing in scale, in the speed of formation of creative independence of the main compositional solutions and in the artistic quality of their creations.
In their wall painting project, the artists sought to embody the Ukrainian Baroque tradition. In total, 186 compositions are placed on the walls of the cathedral.
The renewed Assumption Cathedral, as in the 18th century, is decorated with 48 ripids. 8.514 kg of gold leaf was used for gilding the ripids, crosses and domes.
Tiles began to be used as temple decoration at the end of the 10th century. The restored Assumption Church has 362 plaster rosettes.
In the northern limit, a small stone church of John the Baptist, a “temple within a temple,” has been restored. During the last restoration of the Assumption Cathedral, the Baptist chapel acquired the appearance of a separate temple inside the Great Church. It contained all the remains found during the reconstruction, previously buried in the cathedral under cover.
Now only weddings take place here.
The iconostasis is more than 20 m high, 5 tiers, covered with 5 kg of gold leaf. And it took more than 8 kg for the domes. In the center, the temple is majestically illuminated by a gilded chandelier, the mass of which is more than half a ton.
When recreating the iconostasis, drawings by Academician Solntsev were used, and as an analogue, the iconostasis of the Trinity Gate Church, the carvings of which are similar to those that decorated the previous iconostasis of the main altar of the Great Church. The current pine-linden iconostasis, 25 m long and 21 m high, consists of five tiers. The restoration of the Assumption Cathedral not only as an architectural structure, but also as a functioning temple of the canonical Church undoubtedly has the greatest significance for the entire Orthodox world.
In May 2011, the grand opening of the paintings of the central chapel of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra took place. “No Orthodox church has such unique multi-figure compositions!” - Ruslan Kukharenko.
The 18th century paintings in the interior of the temple have been restored. based on watercolor drawings by academician F. Solntsev, preserved in the historical archives of St. Petersburg. They served as samples for a selection of plot compositions that supplemented the missing fragments. The interior walls were decorated with stucco elements: cornices, belts, and floral ornaments in the Ukrainian Baroque style.
In the choir in the northwestern part, the library premises have been restored, the interiors of which - cabinets, a large table, armchairs, etc. - are also expected to be restored.
The restoration of the Assumption Cathedral not only as an architectural structure, but also as a functioning temple of the canonical Church undoubtedly has the greatest significance for the entire Orthodox world.
"Sixth Ecumenical Council"
Oil, plaster, gilding 470 x 850 cm.
"Apocalypse"
Painting of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra) Kyiv. 2011
Oil, plaster, gilding 670 x 13000 cm.
"Fourth Ecumenical Council"
Painting of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra) Kyiv. 2011
Oil, plaster, gilding 420 x 550 cm.
"Fourth Ecumenical Council" fragment
Painting of the Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary (Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra) Kyiv. 2011
Oil, plaster, gilding 430 x 550 cm.
http://n-dl.narod.ru
http://photo.ukrinform.ua/
http://www.kievtown.net/
http://rusk.ru/st.php?idar=113481
http://architecture.artyx.ru
http://www.lavra.ua
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