St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
The St. Michael Monastery (Ukrainian Михайлівський золотоверхий монастир / Mychajliwskyj solotowerchyj monastyr; Russian Михайловский златоверхий монастырь / Mihajlovsky slatowerchi monastyr ) is a monastery in Kiev, Ukraine. The monastery is located on the western side of the Dnieper River on the edge of a cliff northeast of Kiev Saint Sophia Cathedral. It occupies an area of approximately 38,000 square meters and consists of the golden Torkirche, the cathedral on its premises, some former residential buildings, the keystone church of John the Baptist ( John Boguslaw ), a Wirtschaftstor, the refectory and other buildings, the Kiev of the Theological school to be used. Before the entrance of the Torkirche there is a memorial to the millions of victims of the Holodomor, the great famine of 1932-1933, the Ukraine was especially difficult due to wrong policies of Stalin.
Architectural History
The monastery, built in the Middle Ages by Sviatopolk II Isjaslawytsch, including the Cathedral ( Mychajliwskyj solotowerchyj Sobor ), the dining room of the evangelist St. John ( built 1713), the Economic Gate ( Ekonomitschna brama ) (1760 constructed ) and the bell tower, to was added from 1716 to 1719. The exterior of the building was rebuilt in the 18th century in the Ukrainian Baroque style, while the interior remained in its original Byzantine style.
In the 12th century St. Michael's Church grave place of the Kievan prince was.
During the conquest of Kiev in the 15th century, the church was first severely damaged, especially the golden domes were destroyed. However, it was rebuilt. In the course of further centuries the Michaelskloster attained great economic importance, it was one of the wealthiest religious institutions.
With the transition of Kiev in the Russian Empire, the monastery lost many goods and had essentially only regional importance.
At the time of the Soviet regime a symbol of the new regime should be built on the site of the monastery complex. The historical value of Michael's Cathedral was therefore considered to be low, and it was finally destroyed the mid 1930s. In the summer of 1934, the relics were transported to the St. Volodymyr's Cathedral, removed the mosaics of the 12th century by conservators and exhibited in the Cathedral of St. Sophia, murals came to the Hermitage in Leningrad. Numerous valuable works of art were sold or destroyed abroad. In the summer of 1936, the demolition of the Cathedral and its belfry was. Instead of the planned monumental architectural ensembles only a part was in the era of Stalinism but built, today's Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine. The rest of the land was used for sports facilities.
After the end of the Soviet Union and the independence of Ukraine the decision was taken to rebuild and carried out. The Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate was restored to the monastery and church complex. The cathedral was built with donations and using some existing pieces back together and officially opened again on 30 May 1999. The interior, however, was only completed in May 2000.
Architecture
The religious architecture of the gold tip leagues St. Michael monastery contains elements from Byzantine and Baroque architectural styles. The so- built cathedral served as a model for the Assumption Cathedral in Kiev Pechersk Lavra. Your plan uses the Greek cross on which six columns and three apses support the superstructure. At the Cathedral a small church, probably as a baptistery, south was grown. In the northern porch there was in the first embodiment, a tower with a staircase to the choir. It is believed that the main church at first had only a single dome. The interior with mosaics, murals, an iconostasis and a decorated floor was regarded as probably the most beautiful in the kingdom of Kievan Rus.
In the 18th century, almost all the existing in Kiev ancient churches were renovated. The façade of the church was rebuilt in 1746 in the Ukrainian Baroque style, the interior, however, was largely maintained. The six smaller domes were added to the outside, whereby the pressure on the walls was so strong that he had to be intercepted with additional buttresses. The now enlarged cathedral received new windows and additional stucco decorations.
During the eighteenth and nineteenth century, almost all of the original Byzantine mosaics and frescoes were painted on the inside walls or covered with Gipsstukkaturen, only a few have been preserved in the original.
The refectory of the monastery ( Trapezna ) is a rectangular brick building, which includes a dining hall for the monks, pantries and kitchens. It was built in 1713 in place of an earlier wooden building.
The Church of St. John the Baptist is located east of the Cathedral. The facade with pilasters and segmented windows reminiscent of traditional Moscow architecture. The interior has been revised from 1827 to 1837 and again from 1976 to 1981.
The bell tower was built in 1716-1720 triply graded and is surmounted by a gilded dome.