Kiev Pechersk Cathedral. Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The fight for reconstruction
How the temple was restored Correspondent said Honored Builder of Ukraine Anatoly Antonyuk, writes Olga Zamirchuk in edition No. 16-17 dated April 29, 2016.
Once the Kiev Pechersk Lavra was visited by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the then President of Ukraine Leonid Kuchma. When Kuchma showed Putin the Assumption Cathedral, he proudly said that during the reconstruction, hundreds of cubic meters of wood were spent on the interior decoration of the temple. “Why don’t you pay off your gas debts then?” - Putin asked his colleague, and they both laughed.
Honored Builder of Ukraine Anatoly Antonyuk likes to tell this story. Since the 1980s, he and a group of architects, historians and social activists have been knocking on the doors of the offices of all possible officials with a request for permission to restore the main cathedral church of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. The Assumption Cathedral was blown up during World War II, and the once majestic temple turned into ruins. Only 20 years after the start of major negotiations about its fate, the cathedral was able to be revived.
The fight for reconstruction
The Assumption Cathedral has been a legendary shrine for Orthodox Christians for several centuries. According to legend, it was built in the second half of the 11th century, after fire came down from heaven through the prayer of the founder of the Lavra, Monk Anthony. He burned all the trees and bushes on one of the slopes to create a flat area for the construction of the temple.
The architects of the Assumption Cathedral were 12 Greek masters. According to legend, the Mother of God herself came to them with a request to build a temple. She gave the architects gold for construction, the relics of seven saints, an icon not made by hands, and showed the outline of the temple in the sky. That is why they said about the church “like heaven” and considered it the earthly inheritance of the Mother of God.
The Assumption Cathedral served as the tomb of the Kyiv princes. On the territory of the temple there were up to 300 burial places of famous historical and church figures. For example, the founder of the Kiev-Mohyla Academy, Pyotr Mohyla, rested in Uspensky. The relics of Theodosius of Pechersk were also transferred here from distant caves, but after the destruction of the cathedral during the Mongol-Tatar raid in 1240, they were not preserved.
The debate about who exactly blew up the temple during World War II continues to this day.
“Every time they tell me that the Germans did this, I, as an engineer and former sapper, answer that this is complete nonsense,” says Antonyuk. - Because the Germans are not such idiots as to hide explosives underground, while they could detonate ten times less TNT by placing it under each wall - the pylons would fall and everything would fall inside. In fact, the explosives were hidden in the underground part. So draw your own conclusions.”
After the explosion, of all the chapels of the Assumption Cathedral, only one remained - the chapel of St. John the Evangelist. According to Antonyuk, the preserved part was also badly damaged, but cultural figures of the post-war times did not care much about this - the ruins of the cathedral were simply propped up with pins.
“There were very large cracks, the cathedral was literally dying. The structure could fall at any moment. Immediately after the war, priority anti-emergency work was carried out: the ruins were somehow propped up with metal racks, placed in cages, some kind of floor was made, and then everything stood like that,” explains the engineer.
In the 1980s, when they finally began to restore the main temple of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, there were many Kiev residents who opposed the reconstruction. People who found the cathedral already in ruins believed that it was a historical monument that would look better if left in the form of authentic ruins.
The second camp of opponents of reconstruction, as Antonyuk says, referred to the fact that the restoration of the temple could affect the entire complex of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. They say that if work starts, the rest of the shrine’s structures may be damaged.
“In the 80s, when the issue of reconstructing the cathedral was discussed, Ukraine was not yet able to make independent decisions, and a large delegation of colleagues and I went to Moscow to obtain permission from the USSR Ministry of Culture,” recalls the architect.
The restoration of the Assumption Cathedral became the life's work of the honored builder of Ukraine. However, the main part of the struggle for the temple did not even take place during the work itself, but even before that - while they were agreeing on the permit for reconstruction itself.
“We fought for a long time, but our attempts were in vain. There have always been people who believed that there was no need to restore anything. We were able to obtain permission only when Kuchma became president - he issued a decree on the restoration of the Assumption and St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedrals, and we began work,” continues Antonyuk.
An important criterion for the restoration of any temple is the safety of documentation, which could be used for reconstruction. And in this regard, the Assumption Cathedral had some problems.
“We had a plan for the foundations, but we did not have enough documents to determine the height of the temple and its proportions. Then he helped us Kyiv University named after Taras Shevchenko, whose Department of Geodesy, somewhere in 1985, carried out stereophotometry, that is, compared pre-war photographs in which buildings were still preserved, with modern look complex of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra,” says the architect.
According to the international canons of restoration, testimonies from people who found the temple before the destruction were also required. Now the veterans of that war in Kyiv can literally be counted on one hand. But in the 80s, when the issue of restoration was raised, there were enough people who remembered the Assumption Cathedral even before the bombing. Then the veterans supported the engineers and demanded that the temple be restored as quickly as possible.
“Another argument in our favor was that the Assumption Cathedral is the central dominant feature of the ensemble of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra. And the destruction of the temple actually destroys the entire complex of the shrine,” Antonyuk emphasizes.
Orthodox canon
According to the engineer, the final chord in any restoration is to determine the age of the architectural monument. And here we are not talking at all about when it was built - we need to determine the state for which period it should be restored.
“Each temple lives its own life, just like a person - small, young, adult,” explains the engineer. “And I must say, you want to see him as a young man, an adult, or already a grandfather.”
The architects thought about this for a long time and eventually decided to restore the cathedral for the period of the 18th century. “We knew a lot about what the Assumption Cathedral looked like at that time,” comments Antonyuk.
The current Assumption Cathedral, consecrated in the summer of 2000, is an example of the flourishing of Ukrainian Baroque. On the outside, the seven-domed temple sparkles with gilded domes, and inside it contains one of its authentic chapels - it seems as if there is another church inside the cathedral.
According to the head of the department of the chief architect of the National Kiev-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Reserve, Alexander Romanchenko, the Assumption Cathedral combines two stylistic trends. The first core of the temple, hidden behind the superstructure, is ancient Russian. And what is visible from the outside is already an example of Ukrainian baroque.
“The Assumption Cathedral is a functioning Orthodox monastery. One of the main differences of this temple is that it has always been Orthodox - in the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, with the exception of times Soviet Union, the Orthodox canon has never been interrupted. The Assumption Cathedral is also unique as an architectural work, because during the Baroque period, unlike classicism, it was not customary to build shrines as carbon copies - each church was a unique work of art,” says Romanchenko.
In front of the cathedral, under a canopy, there is a fragment of the wall of the shrine from the 11th century. It amazes with its thickness, as well as the unusual style of masonry: there are masonry of a recessed row (through the row the brick went deeper inside, and the gaps were filled with cement mortar) and a mixed row (alternating brick and stone).
In the temple there are incredibly beautiful iconostases - the same ones on which they spent a lot of cubes of wood. In its eastern part there is an iconostasis 25 meters long and 22.5 meters high - it was carved by Poltava craftsmen.
The Assumption contains about 70 icons that were painted by Lviv artists, among whom was Nina Matvienko’s son. 5.5 kilograms of gold leaf were used to decorate the cathedral icons.
Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra
Address: Kyiv, st. Lavrskaya, 9
GPS: 50°26′06.7″N 30°33′26.4″E
Web: lavra.ua, kplavra.kiev.ua
This material was published in No. 16-17 of the Korrespondent magazine dated April 29, 2016. Reproduction of Korrespondent magazine publications in full is prohibited. The rules for using materials from the Korrespondent magazine published on the Korrespondent.net website can be found.
The main temple of the complex is the Assumption Cathedral - one of the most ancient buildings of the Lavra. The Great Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of the Pechersk Monastery was founded in 1073 by Abbot Theodosius, but he died suddenly, so construction began again only in 1075. Construction took only 2 years, which was incredibly fast for such a large-scale building. According to legend, the width and length of the temple were designated 20 and 30 “belts” - this product, made of pure gold, was presented to the monks by the Varangian Shimon in honor of the start of construction. A few years after the completion of the architects’ work, visiting artists from Constantinople decorated the church with mosaics and frescoes on the floor and walls. The temple was crowned with a single dome, the diameter of which was almost 9 meters; the main naves were made of marble.
Throughout the history of the cathedral, repair and restoration work was carried out several times. For the first time - after the devastating attack of the Polovtsians, and then - after the earthquake at the beginning of the 13th century. According to legend, as a result of this natural disaster, the temple split into four parts. Three centuries later, a majestic iconostasis and several chapels were erected in the cathedral.
The Assumption Cathedral was almost completely destroyed by an explosion in 1941; it was restored only in 2000. Today, every guest of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra can see a large fragment of the ancient wall of the temple in a special rotunda. Until the destruction of the building in the 20th century, there were more than 300 burials of princes, saints and significant people different eras. Many of the tombstones were of great value because they were works of art by famous artists. In the modern Assumption Cathedral, they tried to restore the very first frescoes and patterns; the fine painting is as close as possible to the original.
The main temple of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra - the Great Pechersk Church (Assumption Cathedral) is located opposite the Holy Gates, in the middle of the central square of the Upper Lavra. This “heaven-like” temple, one of the oldest in Kievan Rus, occupies a special place in life Orthodox Church and in domestic culture. With its creation it opened new page history of ancient Russian architecture and icon painting.
According to the testimony of Rev. Nestor the Chronicler, stone church The Dormition in the Pechersk Monastery was laid with the blessing of St. Anthony St. Abbot Theodosius and Bishop Michael in 1073. Time destroyed this temple, transformed it and recreated it again as an unshakable shrine of Orthodoxy.
This is how the Pechersk Patericon tells about the creation of the Great Church. The Mother of God sent Greek architects from Constantinople to Kiev, appearing to them in the Blachernae Church with the words: “I want to build a church for myself in Rus' in Kiev: I command you - take gold for yourself for three years and go build it... I will come myself.” to see the church, and I want to live in it... I want to call it by my name,” and, handing over the icon of the Assumption Mother of God, added: “Let her be the local one.” Coming out of the temple, the architects saw an image of a magnificent church on a cloud, and when they built it, they called it that for a long time - “like heaven.” In this appearance and blessing Holy Mother of God reflects the deep connection of Orthodox Rus' with Byzantium as the successor and source of grace of the Apostolic Church.
The founding and construction of the temple was accompanied by many miraculous events, demonstrating God's mercy and intercession of the Mother of God, the 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.
During the period of Stephen's abbess, new cells were built around the Assumption Church. A large “new” monastery was formed here, since the brethren were transferred here from the caves. 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.
No church in ancient Rus' was as revered as the cathedral Great Church of the Pechersk Monastery. All the main shrines of the Lavra have always been kept in the Great Church. 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.
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 “cornerstone” 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. It was also found a large number of fragments of the original floor made of slate slabs inlaid with pieces of smalt. During the restoration of the cathedral in 2000, individual fragments of the floor were left for inspection.
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.
Greek masters - architects, mosaists and icon painters - with the blessing of abbots Stefan and Nikon, created a monastic construction artel and an icon-painting workshop, which were engaged in the beautification of not only the Assumption Caves Cathedral, but also the churches of the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, the Klov Blachernae Monastery of St. Stephen and other churches. In 1951, archaeologists discovered an ancient mosaic workshop on the territory of the Lavra.
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 Ioanno-Predgechensky 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. all 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.
About the original interior decoration 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 painting of 1772 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 throne, the Great Church had five more chapels: 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. 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.
Above the Royal Doors of the iconostasis of the main altar, in a precious frame, was placed the greatest Lavra shrine - the icon of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, according to legend. brought to Kyiv in 1073 by Greek craftsmen, to whom the Most Holy Theotokos presented it in the Blachernae Church. 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.
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. of the first martyr Archdeacon Stephen, part of his relics was kept near the iconostasis in a silver shrine - forefinger. 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.
The remains of many Russian princes, hetmans, Kyiv governors, metropolitans, bishops and archimandrites were buried under the floor of the Great Church. 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.
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. 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.
The revolution of 1917, which brought with it the destruction and desecration of the Lavra, destroyed most of its unique shrines. On January 1, 1930, the monastery was closed. Back in 1922, the so-called “Museum Town” was established on its territory. Most of Lavra shrines were stolen, the rest was confiscated and transferred as exhibits to an atheistic museum, cynically called the “Historical and Cultural Reserve”. Many of them disappeared without a trace. During the years of fascist occupation, the miraculous icon of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which was in the Assumption Cathedral before its barbaric destruction during the war, was lost. After the explosion of 1941, until recently, ruins stood on the site of the majestic temple - as a symbol of the destructiveness of the godless regime. In 1988, when the monastery had just begun to revive after decades of fighting against God, the first liturgy on the feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God took place in front of a large crowd of believers on the ruins of the once “heaven-like” church.
According to the decree of the Council of Ministers of the Ukrainian SSR in 1991 “On the transfer of cult buildings - significant monuments of architecture, which do not allow the transfer of permanent corruption to religious organizations”, many Lavra buildings were classified as such monuments. The customer for the restoration of the Assumption Cathedral was the Kiev City State Administration, the general contractor was the Ukrrestavratsiya corporation, the general designers were AT Kievgenplan, Kievproekt under the general leadership of O.A. Grauzhis. “Ukrzakhidproektrestavratsiya” developed a concept for restoring the interior of the cathedral under the leadership of R.I. Mogitich. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church, in particular the Kiev Pechersk Lavra itself, made a great contribution to the restoration of the Great Church.
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. 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. The height of the temple reaches 51.7 m, the height of the central cross is 4.2 m.
Over the reconstruction of the Baroque pediments, which in the second half of the 18th century. The facades of the temple were decorated, and Kyiv restoration artists S. Bayandin and Y. Guzenko worked. The images of the prophets, Archangels and Saints of the Pechersk are written in a free artistic manner, characteristic of the Ukrainian Baroque. The same authors painted the facades of the cathedral. 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.
It is planned to restore the 18th century paintings in the interior of the temple. based on watercolor drawings by Academician F. Solntsev, preserved in historical archive St. Petersburg. They will serve as samples for a selection of plot compositions that will complement the missing fragments. It is planned to decorate the interior walls with stucco elements: cornices, belts, 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.
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 is not only architectural structure, but also as a functioning temple of the canonical Church, it undoubtedly has the greatest significance for the entire Orthodox world.
From the book “Temples of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra”. - Kyiv, printing house of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, 2012. pp. 20-41
It is noteworthy that over the eight hundred years of operation of the Assumption Cathedral, a unique necropolis has developed here, because there are more than three hundred burials here. Moreover, some tombstones can be compared with significant artistic value. For example, this is the 1805 Empire tombstone of Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, which was created by the sculptor Martosov and the architect Thomas de Thomon. In 1926, the monastery was closed, and the temple became a museum where people came to see interesting collections. Unfortunately, the Assumption Cathedral was mined before the Soviet troops left Kyiv. This ancient monument was almost completely destroyed by a powerful explosion in 1941. Responsibility for such a crime lies with the German occupiers and Soviet underground fighters. Compare the story with .
Today, the Assumption Cathedral is a unique architectural monument, as well as an Orthodox Church that is revered more than others. Since the temple was illuminated, ceremonial services have been held here during major religious holidays. The renovated Assumption Cathedral complements the ensemble of Cathedral Square. Therefore, tourists arriving in Kyiv are attracted to this magnificent building. Posted here
The Cathedral in honor of the Dormition of the Mother of God was erected by Byzantine architects on the territory of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra in 1073-1078. According to its plan, it is a cross-domed, three-nave, six-pillar church. Structurally and technically, the construction was simplified compared to the earlier cathedral churches of Kyiv and Chernigov. In this monument, the desire to create simple volumes and laconicism in the interior prevailed. True, the narthex still remains, but the choir is no longer led to by a spiral staircase in a specially built tower, but by a straight staircase in the thickness of the western wall. The temple ended with zakomars, the bases of which were located at the same height and crowned with one massive dome.
The construction technique also changed: instead of masonry with a hidden row, they began to use equal-layer plinth with all rows of plinth exposed to the outer surface of the wall. It was this building that became a model for pre-Mongol temple architecture, having a huge influence on the principles and techniques of stone construction Ancient Rus'.
The temple is associated with many monastic legends about the miracles that consecrated its creation. The story of the construction of the church was compiled in the 1220s by the monk of the monastery, later the bishop of Vladimir and Suzdal Simon. His composition served as the basis for the famous “Kiev-Pechersk Patericon”. According to Simon's information, the monastery cathedral in honor of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary was founded in 6581 (1073), during the reign of Svyatoslav, the son of Yaroslav the Wise, who gave a thousand gold hryvnia for the construction and himself began to dig a ditch for the foundation of the church. The foundation was laid with holy relics brought by Greek masters.
The “Kievo-Pechersk Patericon” tells how the Mother of God appeared to four Constantinople “church masters” in Constantinople, in the Blachernae Cathedral, and ordered them to go to distant Kyiv to Anthony and Theodosius to build a temple in honor of her. “I’ll come and see the church myself and I want to live in it.” And the Queen of Heaven gave them many relics of the holy martyrs to put them in the foundation of the new church, as well as the holy icon, which was to become the “local icon.” Upon leaving the cathedral of stone workers, a church was revealed to the craftsmen in heaven, which they were to build. And the Varangian Shimon, at the behest of the Mother of God, brought to the Pechersk Monastery the crown and golden belt of Jesus Christ, which became the measure of “the breadth and length and height of that most pure church.”
Miraculous signs accompanied the foundation of the temple. When the architects of Constantinople arrived at the monastery, they asked Anthony to indicate the place where the cathedral should be built. He replied: “We will pray for three days, and the Lord will indicate to us.” On the very first night He appeared to Anthony, who asked Him: “Lord, if I have found grace before you, let there be dew all over the earth, and let the place that you want to illuminate be dry.” In the morning, following this instruction from above, we found a place to lay it. The next night, Anthony prayerfully asked the Lord that the whole earth would be dry and that dew would fall on the holy place. And this miracle happened. On the third day, the foundation of the future monastery cathedral was marked with the golden belt of Christ. “And Anthony raised his hand to the sky, speaking in a great voice: “Listen to me, Lord, this day, listen to me with fire, so that everyone may understand that this is what you want.” And when fire fell from heaven and burned all the trees and thorns, and licked the dew, you created the valley as if it were a ditch. Those who were with the saints fell from fear as if they were dead. And from there the firstfruits of that divine church" (Kievo-Pechersk Patericon / Preparatory text, translation and translation by L.D. Dmitriev // PLDR. XII century - M., 1980. P. 422.). According to the “Tale of Bygone Years” we know that the church was indeed founded in 1073, but not under the Monk Anthony, who died on May 7, 1073, but under Theodosius: “In the same summer, the foundation of the Pechersk Church was founded by Abbot Theodosius of Svyatoslav sitting in Kiev.” (The Tale of Bygone Years / Preparation of the text, translation, articles and comments by D.S. Likhachev. Edited by V.P. Adrianova-Peretz. Second edition. - St. Petersburg: Nauka, 1996. P. 422.) Construction continued 16 long years: the Church of the Pechersk Holy Mother of God of the Feodosievo Monastery was consecrated in the summer of 6597 (1089).
Based on written sources, one can draw a conclusion about one exceptional feature of the Assumption Cathedral: the general dimensions of the temple were set in advance and the builders were forced to perform the difficult work of calculating the size of the dome. Its diameter had to be increased to maintain the proportions of the entire structure. During the construction of the cathedral, much attention was paid to the fact that the temple had to serve the needs of the monastery. The interior space of the church is specially adapted for the monastic liturgy. From 1082 to 1089, Greek craftsmen painted the temple with frescoes and decorated it with mosaics. Together with them, according to church legend, the ancient Russian icon painters worked - the famous Alypius and Gregory, about whom stories were preserved in the “Kievo-Pechersk Patericon”, but the Patericon does not contain any mention of their participation in the design of the Assumption Cathedral.
The main temple of the Pechersk Monastery is the first stone cathedral in Kievan Rus in the name of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary. Over time, the monastery and its church gain enormous authority and become a favorite place of pilgrimage. It is no coincidence that even among the contemporaries of its construction, the temple received the name “Great Assumption Church.”
Perhaps it was in the Pechersk monastery that the idea of the Assumption Church as a holy place protected by heavenly forces, primarily by the Mother of God herself, was formed. Over time, the idea of Divine intercession and patronage of the monastery or city where the Assumption Cathedral stands becomes extremely widespread. In the Old Russian period, the cathedral churches of almost all newly formed dioceses were dedicated to the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin. An example of this is the Assumption Cathedrals in Vladimir Volynsky, Vladimir-on-Klyazma, Rostov, Moscow, Smolensk and others.
The Pechersk Cathedral served as a tomb for the Kyiv princes, Lithuanian and Ukrainian gentry, as well as church leaders. There was a widespread belief that this place frees the dead from worldly sins and provides peace for souls. The sister of Vladimir Monomakh Evpraxia Vsevolodovna, Metropolitan Peter Mogila and many others are buried here.
In 1240, the temple was damaged by the Mongol-Tatar hordes, in 1482 by the Crimean Tatars, and in 1718 the building was badly damaged during a huge monastery fire. After restoration, the cathedral increased significantly in size and lost its original shape. Its internal and external decoration was made in the Ukrainian Baroque style. The work was carried out by famous Ukrainian builders and painters: Stepan Kovnir, Joseph Belinsky, Alimpy Galik.
In 1941, the Assumption Cathedral was blown up by those who occupied Kyiv by German troops. By 2000, the building was rebuilt in Baroque forms of the 18th century.
ASSUMPTION CATHEDRAL OF KIEV-PECHERSK LAVRA. The Assumption Cathedral is the main temple of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, one of the famous shrines of the Orthodox Church. An outstanding monument of ancient Russian and Ukrainian architecture of the 11th-18th centuries, almost completely destroyed by the explosion on November 3, 1941. The building was recreated in 1998-2000.
The Great Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary of the Pechersk Monastery was founded in 1073 by Abbot Theodosius and Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavovich, who “began to dig a ditch with his own hands” and donated 100 hryvnia of gold for the construction. Bishop Mikhail of Yuryev officiated the ceremony of founding the church, since Metropolitan George was then “in the Greeks.” According to the legends of the Kiev-Pechersk Patericon, the measuring unit for the construction of the temple was a golden belt donated by the Varangian Shimon. The width of the church was determined to be 20 belts (24.2 m), and the length - 30 (35.6 m). The place for the temple, according to the prayer of St. Anthony, was first designated by dew, and then by the “fall of thorns.” The Virgin Mary herself was considered the direct commissioner of the cathedral. According to legend, it was She who sent four master architects from Constantinople, giving them gold for construction costs, the relics of martyrs, which were placed in the foundations of the temple, and a miraculous icon, which became the local icon. St. Theodosius only managed to lay the foundations of the structure. On May 3, 1074 he died. The church was built under Abbot Stephen in 1075-77, construction work was completed on July 11. Assumption Cathedral. Photo from the beginning of the 20th century:
Mosaics and frescoes were created by a team of Constantinople artists under Abbot Nikon in 1084-88. Unfortunately, they have not survived. Alypius, a future famous icon painter, was a student of the Greek masters during this work. Under Abbot John in 1088-89. near the northwestern corner of the cathedral, the side church of St. John the Baptist was built with a baptismal room (a room for the blessing of water on Epiphany) on the lower floor. The temple was solemnly consecrated on August 14, 1089, on the eve of the Feast of the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, by Metropolitan John and Bishops Luke of Belgorod, Isaiah of Rostov, John of Chernigov and Anthony of Yuryev. The “God-created” Great Pechersk Church was an innovative architectural work for its time. It has no direct analogies either in Rus' or in Byzantium. The enormous spiritual authority of the Pechersk Monastery determined that its main temple served as a model for many subsequent buildings. The Assumption Cathedral was a large cross-domed church with a narthex, three apses and U-shaped choirs. It was crowned by a single dome with a diameter of 8.6 m (1 m more than the central dome of St. Sophia of Kyiv) on a 12-window drum. The floor was inlaid with mosaics, the pre-altar fence (templon), ciborium (canopy over the throne) and the jambs of the portals were made of marble. In the side walls there are open arcosolia for sarcophagi. On August 14, 1091, the relics of the founder, St. Theodosius, were solemnly transferred to the cathedral. During the attack of the Polovtsians by Khan Bonyak in 1096, the cathedral received the first damage, after which the building was repaired. In 1109, near the southern doors of the temple, a “god” was built for the burial of Eupraxia Vsevolodovna. Archaeologists also discovered the remains of the western porch and several chapels built in the 12th century. The next renovation dates back to the time of Archimandrite Vasily (1182-94). As a result of the earthquake of 1230, the church “spread into four parts.” During the restoration, the walls and vaults of the southern nave, the drum and the vault of the dome were completely rebuilt. During the Mongol invasion of 1240, the cathedral suffered again - the dome and the altar conch were destroyed. However, the authors of the 17th century. the extent of the destruction was exaggerated. It is clear that the temple was quickly restored, since in the second half of the 13th century. he acted. A significant restoration was carried out in 1470 by Prince Simeon Olelkovich. At this time, the walls of the cathedral were strengthened with buttresses, a stone-carved western portal, a Gothic window above the southern doors, new murals, a stone bas-relief triptych with images of the Virgin Mary, the Monks Anthony and Theodosius and an inscription announcing the completion of the restoration appeared. After the attack of Mengli-Girey in 1482, the domes of the apses, buttresses, and part of the vaults were repaired, the chapel of the Koretsky princes was erected on the site of the modern chapel of St. Stephen and a chapel with a burial dated 1492 on the site of the Three Saints chapel. Probably, the famous Moscow builder Vasily Dmitrievich Ermolin, whose family was included in the Cathedral's Memorial Book, took part in these works. Between 1522-33. The temple was restored at the expense of Prince Konstantin Ivanovich Ostrozhsky. At this time, the iconostasis of the cathedral and the chapel of St. John the Evangelist were built, where the prince’s original burial was. A complete renovation of the Assumption Cathedral was carried out in 1555-56. under Archimandrite Hilarion. At the same time, the chapel of the Yeltsov gentlemen appeared. In 1579, the Kiev governor, Prince Vasily-Konstantin Ostrozhsky, erected a sculptural monument on the grave of his father. The next restoration was carried out by Archimandrite Elisey Pletenetsky before 1618. Then the chapel of the Three Saints was built, in which Pletenetsky was buried in 1624.
Peter Mogila between 1638-42. carried out the reconstruction of roofs and domes, the addition of pediments in the Baroque style, and the addition of two more chapels. Between 1651-55 The walls of the Trekhsvyatitelsky chapel were raised, a southern pediment and a dome were built on it. Repairs continued in the 1660s and 70s, as evidenced by an engraving from 1677. In 1687, one of the side domes was damaged by lightning. Restorations of the 1690s are known from engravings of 1697 and 1702. At this time, the Three Saints Chapel was rebuilt, all the chapels were raised under a common cornice, the pediments, domes, main portal and more were rebuilt. The greatest damage to the cathedral was caused by a fire on April 22, 1718. The architect Fyodor Vasiliev, sent from St. Petersburg in 1720, did not get along with the monastery authorities and was forced to leave. Instead, in 1722, the talented Moscow architect Ivan Kalandin was sent, who is the author of the restoration project, which began in 1723. The iconostasis of the main altar was built at the expense of Hetman Ivan Skoropadsky and with the care of the hetman in 1729. It was carved by the Chernigov master Grigory Petrov, and The icons were painted by Yakim Glinsky. The floor in 1727 was laid with cast iron slabs. The wall paintings were completed in 1730 by artists of the Lavra Icon Painting Workshop under the direction of John Maksimovich. The cathedral was consecrated on August 14, 1729, although the “alabaster master” Jozef Belinsky completed the façade modeling only in May 1731. The rebuilt cathedral had nine altars and was crowned with seven domes. But already in 1767-79. there was a need to reconstruct the facades. At this time, the shape of the pediments was changed, Stepan Kovnir, together with apprentice Yakov Tkachenko, re-executed the façade modeling in the Baroque style. In 1772-77. under the leadership of Zachary Golubovsky, the wall paintings were updated.
The last significant renovation of the cathedral was carried out in 1893-99. Then all the modeling on the facades was replaced with reproductions, and the upper tiers of the iconostasis were removed. An absurd glass vestibule appeared in front of the western portal. At the same time, the temple was re-painted by a group of artists led by Vasily Petrovich Vereshchagin. The paintings were completed in 1901. At the same time, the 18th-century murals, which contained a number of unique portraits of Lavra archmandrites and ktitors - princes, kings and hetmans, were barbarously destroyed. Over the course of more than eight centuries of the existence of the Assumption Cathedral, a unique necropolis was formed in it, numbering over 300 burials. Some tombstones were of considerable artistic value - such as the Empire tombstone of Field Marshal Rumyantsev-Zadunaisky, created by the architect Thomas de Thomon and sculptor Ivan Martos in 1805. After the closure of the monastery in 1926, the temple was used as a museum display. Before the retreat of Soviet troops from Kyiv, the Assumption Cathedral, among other outstanding buildings, was mined. The explosion on November 3, 1941 almost completely destroyed the ancient monument. Assumption Cathedral after the explosion in November 1941. Winter 1941-1942:
By decree of the President of Ukraine, the Assumption Cathedral was restored in 1998-2000. designed by architect Oleg Grauzhis and consecrated by the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine Vladimir on Independence Day of Ukraine on August 24, 2000. In accordance with the agreed and duly approved Concept for reproducing the murals of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra, finishing work on the main altar of the cathedral was completed in December 2012. The works were carried out through the efforts of the Holy Dormition Kiev-Pechersk Lavra and the National Kiev-Pechersk Historical and Cultural Reserve in the manner of execution of the Kiev-Lavra painting school of the first half of the 18th century. The reproduced painting is as close as possible to the authentic painting technique using oil paints. Also, the reproduction of the decoration of the central part of the cathedral - mural painting and decoration with marble panels - is almost completely completed. The painting of the central volume of the temple depicts seven multi-figure compositions Ecumenical Councils, accompanied by large inscriptions with a list of rules adopted on them. On January 3, 2013, His Beatitude Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine Vladimir, then still the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, performed the Rite of consecration of the restored main altar of the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra, after which the Divine Liturgy was celebrated. On July 23, 2013, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church consecrated the Royal Doors of the cathedral iconostasis. On April 4, 2015, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, consecrated the throne of the southern aisle of the Assumption Cathedral in honor of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian. Currently, painting of the side walls is being carried out inside the temple. holidays The Divine Liturgy, as well as the sacraments of Baptism and Wedding, are celebrated in the Assumption Cathedral. "Orthodox Life" #story
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