St. Andrew's church in Kyiv. My impressions (EN)

Hi friends!
I really like the capital of Ukraine, Kyiv. I don't go there very often, but I always admire this metropolis, where the architecture of antiquity and modernity is combined. I am amazed by the wide squares and streets, high hills and ancient churches with golden domes...
St. Andrew's Church attracts attention from afar, because it stands on a steep hill, and from it the street Andrew's Descent begins. In recent years, the church has been under restoration for a long time, so visitors were not allowed inside or even in the courtyard.

This summer I was in Kyiv with my church choir. We visited St. Sophia Cathedral, where the Ecumenical Orthodox Patriarch Bartholomew came, and later we had free time to walk. It is described in detail in my earlier article.

My friend from Kyiv is a guide and thanks to her we saw a lot of known and unknown things. We approached the Church of St. Andrew from the ruins of the Tithe Church. It was one of the oldest buildings in Kyiv, which was demolished during the Soviet era after numerous reconstructions.
And here we see from afar the unique turquoise dome of St. Andrew's Church. We are getting closer and our attention is drawn to the light turquoise walls with white columns and gold decor. Agree, this church is a bit fabulous. Firstly because of its location on the hill, and secondly because of these colors of the facade...

Some historical facts

This is an example of the Kiev Baroque. The customer of the temple was Empress Elizabeth Petrovna. (Let me remind you that in the 17th-19th centuries Kyiv and most of Ukraine belonged to the Russian Empire). So, the authorities conceived the Mariinsky Palace and the Church of St. Andrew as a single complex (although the two buildings are far from each other).
The place was chosen specially. After all, according to legend, the Apostle Andrew stopped here, who preached to the locals and predicted the appearance of the city on these hills. It is here that churches have always stood, sometimes rebuilt.
The author of the project was a famous Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who also designed the details of the interior. Interestingly, he did not come to Kyiv, but was in the capital of the empire, St. Petersburg.

The executor of the project was the Moscow architect Ivan Michurin. And he faced a difficult task, because inside this hill there were many streams and groundwater. A large building could eventually collapse. Therefore, part of the soil was removed from the hill, and groundwater was diverted. And there they built a 14-meter stylobate in the form of a two-story building. The church and stylobate are made of brick on stone foundations.
To go to the churchyard you have to go up the high stairs. And it's so beautiful when you gradually go up and see the magnificent scenery...
The first stone for construction was laid in 1744. In 1753 the building was almost ready, the interior in part too.Elizabeth was supposed to come to Kyiv, but due to political problems her arrival was postponed. Completion of the building was also very slow. The temple was consecrated in 1767, after the death of the customer. Later, the royal family lost interest in the building and it was handed over to the townspeople.

Architecture

Let's take a closer look at the building. In plan, it looks like a cross. On the east side there is traditionally a rounded apse. The dominant feature of the building's silhouette is a spherical dome on a ten-meter high drum. At the four corners of the building are small deaf decorative domes.
The facades are decorated with columns of the Corinthian order, pilasters and cornices, cartouches with the monogram of Empress Elizabeth. There are a few round windows in the drum, which I really like. Gold-plated elements are made of copper and cast iron (at that time the use of cast iron was an innovation). By the way, the stairs are also cast iron.

Around the church there is a platform for viewing the landscapes of Kiev. I could stand here for a very long time !!! Mighty Dnieper, bridges, skyscrapers in remote areas ... (Unfortunately, there was not much time, because not all the children went with me on a tour and according to the plan we had some more points).

Interior

And now let's go inside. Here I was a little surprised. The church turned out to be much smaller than I imagined !!! That's what good location means :) Since the temple was designed only for the royal family, it is logical that it is a chamber and cozy. The interior is made in the Baroque style. But I liked the fact that everything here is in moderation.

Stucco, sculptures of small cherubs, a moderate number of paintings on the walls, a beautiful iconostasis on a red wooden background. Interesting color for a church building... Maybe too bright, but what do you think? The iconostasis was painted by Russian artists under the direction of Ivan Vyshnyakov, as well as Ukrainian artists Ivan Romensky and Ivan Tchaikovsky.

The picture of Plato Boryspolets "Sermon of the Apostle Andrew" impresses with its historical grandeur.

Photo source

The church was in operation until the 1930s. Later, in 1968, it became part of the Sophia of Kyiv Museum (since 1994 it has been the National Museum).
From 2018, the church is subordinated to Stauropegia, ie the Ecumenical Patriarch, and not to the local church authorities. Worship services are held here only on major holidays.

Andrew's Descent - a place where many paintings and handicrafts are sold!

To be honest, Kyiv is a city where I am constantly in a hurry:) It's time to fix this situation. In fact, I would like to see, photograph and tell you a lot more. If you will be in Ukraine - be sure to visit our temples.
Thanks for your visit! See you:)

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