St. Vladimir's Cathedral (Kiev): photos, icons and reviews of tourists

The Vladimir Cathedral (Kiev) is officially called the Kiev Vladimir Patriarchal Cathedral. It is one of the most beautiful temples of the city. Its decoration strikes with beauty and a sense of high spirituality. St. Vladimir's Cathedral in Kiev (photo below) is an active Orthodox church. All travel companies necessarily include it in the list of attractions of their routes.

History of the Cathedral

One of the most famous and famous Orthodox buildings is the Vladimir Cathedral. Kiev was chosen for construction not by accident. The erection of the church was timed to the anniversary of the baptism of the city.

Its history began in 1853, after the appeal to Nicholas I of Metropolitan Filaret of Kiev and Galicia with a request for permission to build a cathedral in honor of Prince Vladimir - the baptizer of Rus.

All works were conducted for charitable donations. On the day of the commemoration of the memory of Prince Vladimir of Kiev, July 15, 1862, the first building stone was laid. The erection of the building ended in 1882, and the interior decoration of the cathedral began. Finally, in the spring of 1896 the work was completed. The official opening of the Vladimir Cathedral was on September 1.

In 1929, by order of the Soviet authorities, the cathedral was closed and turned into a museum of anti-religious propaganda. Then there was an archive, then a book depository. During the Second World War, the temple resumed its work and was no longer closed.

Painting

It is difficult to find a temple, which by the beauty of the painting can surpass Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev. Icons of famous artists amaze with their beauty and spirituality. The walls of the cathedral are painted with huge compositions on biblical themes. There are also historical stories about the baptism of Rus Prince Vladimir. In addition to icons, on the walls you can see portraits of famous historical figures.

Many artists were invited to paint the walls in the Vladimir Cathedral. Kiev cordially accepted such celebrities as Viktor Vasnetsov, Mikhail Nesterov, Wilhelm (Vasily) Kotarbinsky, Pavel Svedomsky, Mikhail Vrubel.

All the decoration of the temple is built on the idea to perpetuate the memory of Prince Vladimir. The history of Russia itself is presented as an integral part of the universal history. The temple itself is a great gratitude to the Creator, the affirmation of his glory through the greatness of the holy Kyivan Rus.

Worship services

Among the numerous churches and cathedrals, many visiting parishioners try to get to the service in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev. The schedule of the services is as follows:

• Morning service - 9:00;
• Evening liturgy -17: 00;
• The sacrament of confession - every day before the Liturgy;
• Holy Communion - every day, immediately after the end of the Liturgy;
• Baptism - daily from 11:00 to 15:00, without prior appointment;
• Wedding - by prior (mandatory) agreement;
• Moleben for health - every day after the end of the liturgy;
• Requiem - every day after the end of the Liturgy;
• Divine Liturgy - on Sundays and on holidays:
• Early liturgy - 7:00;
• Late Liturgy - 10:00;
• Near the relics of St. Barbara Akathist - every Tuesday at 8.00;
• Near the relics of St. Macarius Akathist - every Thursday at 17.00;
• The covering of the Holy Virgin, the akathist - every Sunday at 17.00;
• As a rule, on Friday exclusively in the days of Lent - the Sacrament of Sobor;
• Excursions - daily from 11:00 to 16:00.

To visit the cathedral is open daily from 7:30 to 19:30, on Sundays and public holidays - from 6:30 to 20:00.

Shrine of the Cathedral

Very conventionally, all the shrines are divided into three groups:

• Icons;
• Miraculous relics of saints;
• Icons with parts of relics.

Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev has at its disposal all kinds of such shrines:

• The relics of St. Macarius, Metropolitan of Kiev and St. Barbara.
• Icons with parts of the relics of St. Nicholas and St. Agapit of Caves; A cross with a piece of the Lord's Tree.
• Icons: the icon of the Mother of God Gerbovetskaya, "Unexpected Joy", "Skoroposlushnitsa".

Every year thousands of believers come to ask for help from the holy places in the Vladimir Cathedral. Kiev has repeatedly seen cases of miraculous healing, some of them have documentary evidence.

Architectural monument

St. Vladimir's Cathedral in Kiev is also an architectural monument. A fine example of the classical, for Russian architecture, Old Byzantine style. At the same time, the architecture of the temple clearly shows the features of the Nicholas style, typical of many buildings of that time.

The total length of the cathedral is 55 meters, the width reaches 30 meters. The highest point is 49 meters. The cathedral carries seven domes (originally planned thirteen). The facade of the building is decorated with a mosaic made by the artist Vladimir Frolov.

The central doors are cast in bronze. They are represented by two figures: Princess Olga and Prince Vladimir the Great. The author of all projects of bronze and marble works was academician Adrian Prahov.

The mosaic floor and many interior elements are made of multi-colored marble. The stone was delivered not only from Italy, in the decoration of the temple used Russian, French, Spanish and Belgian material. The central iconostasis is made of smoky-gray Carrara marble.

Masters from Venice performed mosaic works, and silverware and other utensils for the rituals were made by the jewelry firm Khlebnikov, at that time one of the most famous.

Curious facts

There are several interesting facts concerning the cathedral:

• The temple itself was built for 34 years. In some periods the construction has died down for a long ten years.
• The budget of construction has changed many times and has been constantly increasing. The final amount spent on building the building, according to today's rate is estimated at more than fifty million dollars.
• The first project envisaged the presence of thirteen domes. Such a cathedral was seen by architect Ivan Storm.
• To paint the frescoes of the cathedral, it took eleven years instead of the planned two. The work was performed by 96 artists.

• Mikhail Vrubel was supposed to become the main artist in painting the church, but due to current circumstances this did not happen. The famous artist Nikolai Ge, despite prior consent to work in the cathedral, unexpectedly refused to participate in this project. The reason was never announced.
• During the work on the image of the Virgin, Viktor Vasnetsov has repeatedly fallen from the forests. Above the way he worked for two years. His hands belong to thirty separate figures and fifteen compositions. For all the time, his hand was painted more than two thousand square meters.

Several grandmothers constantly in the temple will tell you about the history of the cathedral, tell them where to put the candles, and make sure that your candle burns out.

Reviews of tourists who visited the cathedral, enthusiastic. Visitors note the extraordinary beauty of the structure, its majesty and solemnity. The most important thing that everyone without exception draws attention to is the high spirituality of the temple.