Built in 1754, St. Andrew's Church (Andreevskaya Church) was designed by Famous Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Apostle Andrew, who was the first Christian to preach the gospel in Kyivan Rus, was said to have erected a cross on this very site. There is a legend that says that on the site where the Dnepr River flows nowadays, a sea used to be. When Saint Andrew came to Kiev and placed a cross on the site where Andreevskaya Church now stands, the sea receded, and only some water remained under the Andreevskaya Mountain. When the church was built, a spring appeared under the altar. That's why Andreevskaya Church doesn't have bells. The legend says that the sound of bells would awake sleeping water, and Kiev would be overflowed. It was the wish of Peter the Great’s religiously-minded daughter Elizabeth after her visit to Kyiv in 1744 that this church be built.
The weekend I was there they celebrated the anniversary of the great famine of the 1930s in the Ukraine which killed as many as 10 million people. They had a vigil ceremony in the square outside St. Sophia's.
St. Sophia's Cathedral, Kyiv’s oldest church, was built in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. It was named after the famous St. Sophia’s Cathedral in Constantinople. The azure and white bell tower is 76m high and was finished in 1752, while the upper Ukrainian Baroque part and gilded cupola were added in 1852. Today the entire cathedral complex is protected by Ukraine as a national reserve and also receives support from UNESCO. The first Russian library was also here.
The Independence Square, or Maidan Nezalezhnosti, is the central square in Kiev. It contains six fountains, Independence Column and artificial waterfall. One of the best notable decorations of the central square is the Independency Column topped with a statue of Archangel Mikhail, who is considered to be the patron saint of Kiev. In front of the column, at the end of the square there is an arch decorated with the statue of Archangel with sword and shield.
Vladimirskaya Gorka - Mikhailovsky Zlatoverhy (gold-domed) Monastery. It was founded in 1108-1113 and served as a burial place of Kiev princes.
Golden Gate is a unique fortification architecture monument that survived until now. It was constructed in 1017-1024 and served as a main gala entrance to Kiev. Kiev prince Yaroslav Mudry wanted to underline that his country was as powerful as the Byzantine Empire. On the site where Yaroslav's troops won the final victory over the nomads the prince ordered to found the fortification tower that was named Golden Gate. The legend says that before the final battle with powerful Pechenegs Yaroslav Mudry prayed and begged the Virgin to help him to defeat the enemy. He promised to build the church dedicated to the Mother of God in case of success. He did not forget his promise and ordered to top Golden Gate with gilded-domed Annunciation Church. Until 1699 Golden Gate was decorated with the image of Our Lady of Kazan. In the 16th-17th centuries Golden Gate was in poor condition, but it was still used as a gala entrance to Kiev until the middle of the 18th century. In the middle of the 18th century the ruins of Golden Gate were covered up with earth. The second birth of Golden Gate occurred in 1832, when archaeologists discovered the ruins of old fortification construction. The reconstructed pavilion of Golden Gate was opened in May 1982, when the country celebrated the 1,500th anniversary of Kiev.
Kyiv Opera House - The Ukrainian National Opera was built in 1856, burnt down 40 years later and there was a competition for new design. Viktor Shreter from Petersburg won and built the Renaissance style theater in 1901.
