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RUSSIAN ART AND ARCHITECTURE
THROUGH THE CENTURIES

 
 

Cathedral of St Sophia

 
 

The most important monument, (or better, a part of a monument) that dates from the reign of Yaroslav, is the Cathedral of Saint Sophia in Kiev, built in 1037 to commemorate the Russian victory over the Patzinaks (Pechenegs) in the previous year. Originally the cathedral was conceived on the Greek cross plan and built in line with Yaroslav's fondness for monumental forms, solemn dispositions and very richly decorated frescoes and mosaics. At that time the Cathedral had five aisles terminated in semicircular apses and six smaller cupolas, dominated by the seventh central large cupola over the central square. Four piers each of about 23 feet in diameter mark the square and support four arched vaults that carry the central cupola. The drum of this cupola has several (12) tall, large windows that bring light in from all sides and lavishly enlighten the frescoes and mosaics that are under the main cupola or the nearby apse, in contrast with other parts of the cathedral which are rather dark. When the Tatars invaded Kiev they spared the cathedral but when Lithuanians and Poles moved in after them, Saint Sophia was seriously damaged and an entire wall collapsed. Since then the cathedral was restored and renovated several times. Its exterior received an entirely different appearance when in the seventeenth century Metropolitan Moghila and Hetman Mazepa decided to enlarge and restore the cathedral. Two more aisles were added, making the cathedral 176 feet wide, and six more cupolas were put on. At this time the ancient hemispheric Byzantine cupolas were replaced by pear-shaped cupolas that became popular in Ukraine in the seventeenth and the eighteenth centuries. Later several more cupolas were added and the entire outline of the edifice, regretfully, turned into a sort of Ukrainian baroque. To make the exterior of the cathedral even more exotic, in 1953-1954 Soviet authorities gilded the cupolas. On a few occasions excavations were made inside and around the cathedral by the Soviet archaeologists. According to some, the ancient walls and foundations show that the original building had many details in common with old churches built in Armenia during or before the eleventh century. These findings prompted some Soviet historians to conclude that first Russian monuments were more influenced by Armenian and Georgian masters than by the Greeks from Constantinople. While it must be hard to prove who influenced whom, this latest assumption is, nevertheless, more reliable than the one offered by other Soviet historians who found that architectural concepts of Yaroslav's cathedrals followed closely the primitive Russian wooden construction methods.

Please go to these photos to see St. Sophia now - 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 8.

The interior of Saint Sophia also suffered from several restorations that either damaged or eliminated the mosaics and disfigured the frescoes. Only a small part of the original mosaics and frescoes on the old walls remain. They clearly indicate that they were executed by Byzantine masters. The mosaic in the central cupola show Christ as Pantocrator. His face is of an older man and he looks quite serious. Beneath him we see for archangels placed exactly at the for corners of the world. Only part of one archangel is in original mosaics, and all others were executed in paint at the end of last century. Above the concha of the altar apse is the mosaic - a composition known under the name of :Deisus" (meaning prayer), with Jesus in the center and seated on the throne, his mother on his right and Saint John the Baptist on his left. The portrait of the Virgin is of an exceptional beauty and perfectly executed. A dark line encircles each person. This detail with the gold background are very typical of the School of Constantinople. In the concha is another beautiful and imposing mosaic of the Virgin with raised arms as in prayer, known as the Virgin-Orantis, "Nerushimaya Stena," meaning "Indestructible wall. "Her majestic pose is rendered even more invincible not only by its size, (just over fifteen feet), but also by the combination of colors. A dark blue of her garment is combined with a purple large shawl which covers her head and shoulders then crosses over her breast and descends over her elbows. Greeks call the shawl "Maphorion," worn originally by Palestinian women and consequently by the Virgin and later by the early Christian deaconesses as an obligatory part of their garment. Below the Oranta is a mosaic of The Eucharistic rite, with the Apostles preparing to receive bread and wine from Christ. This scene is separated from the Oranta with a delicate ornamental frieze also in mosaics. Further below the Eucharist is a mosaic representing the order of eight saints and two archdeacons, a very monumental and impressive portrait display of the first saints of Christianity. This is one of the most successfully executed mosaics in the Cathedral and is particularly rich in colors and shades.

On the two piers that support the arch of the altar apse is a mosaic of the Annunciation with Archangel Gabriel on the left and the Virgin on the right pier. Kiev's Saint Sophia and Mikhailovsky Cathedrals of the Mikhailovo-Zlatoverkh Monastery (also in Kiev) founded in 1108, the middle of the XI century, are the only two known churches in Russia that in ancient times were partially decorated in mosaics. Russian iconographers rapidly mastered the fresco technique from the Greeks and almost completely neglected mosaics. The frescoes of the Saint Sophia Cathedral were several times renovated and occasionally disfigured.

Originally, Yaroslav and his family figured prominently in the central nave of the cathedral, but now only few remnants of the ancient images remain. Those frescoes painted on the walls of the staircases leading to the galleries are better preserved. They deal primarily with non-religious themes and represent theater and carnival scenes. We see princes, people, actors and musicians, and also scenes from hunting bears and wild horses.

In ancient times part of the galleries of the cathedral was reserved for the first known Russian library and school, where Greek religious books were translated and rewritten by hand.

In its long history the Cathedral played an important role in the religious life of the Russian people and their cultural development. After Yaroslav Russian art underwent considerable changes and ascetic moods gradually prevailed over liberal approaches that he had encouraged. In 1934 religion was ousted from Saint Sophia and the edifice allowed to decay for several years, later restored by the Soviet authorities and turned into museum, with part of it serving to display atheistic propaganda.

 
 

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