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St. Sophia's Cathedral, Kyiv

4.7
Must see · World heritage site · Religious Site · Architectural Building
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Boasting an array of cupolas and a richly decorated interior, St. Sophia's Cathedral stands as Kiev's premier and oldest church, as well as a famous symbol of the city. Visit the cathedral, begun in the year 1037 as a tribute to a military victory, and marvel at its 13 Orthodox-style cupolas, the highest of which stands at 29 m (94 ft). Take time to enter the building and admire its complement of intricate frescoes, paintings, and decorations, many dating back to its earliest days and of great importance in Kiev's religious life. You'll find, among others, ornate portraits of founding fathers of the church, angels, and St. Sophia herself within, accented with shimmering gold paint and tiles. Don't miss seeing the tomb of Yaroslavl the Wise, the man who first commissioned the building's construction. Plan to visit St. Sophia's Cathedral and other customer-reviewed, writer-recommended Kyiv attractions using our Kyiv online holiday planner.
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St. Sophia's Cathedral reviews

TripAdvisor traveler rating
TripAdvisor traveler rating 4.5
2,293 reviews
Google
4.8
TripAdvisor
  • The ⛪️ history and outstanding paintings 🖼 talking to the priests ! Learning about the Ukrainian culture 
    The ⛪️ history and outstanding paintings 🖼 talking to the priests ! Learning about the Ukrainian culture  more »
  • This might be one of the more underwhelming world heritages. First, its worth mentioning that this cathedral is only one part of the world heritage listing. I seriously recommend you to also visit... 
    This might be one of the more underwhelming world heritages. First, its worth mentioning that this cathedral is only one part of the world heritage listing. I seriously recommend you to also visit...  more »
  • Love the Bell Tower, and the great views of the city. Self guided tour, relaxing and interesting. If you like history and architecture it is a rewarding place to visit. 
    Love the Bell Tower, and the great views of the city. Self guided tour, relaxing and interesting. If you like history and architecture it is a rewarding place to visit.  more »
Google
  • Big complex of churches and museums with a panoramic view on a square. Highly recommend to visit the Bell tower (75m high), which is right on the main enter. It’ll cost 60 UAH and it’ll definitely worth it
  • The visit of the cathedral was a nice experience. We were a but disappointed by the side buildings / museum which didn't add too much value to the day (but are very cheap to access) but entering the main cathedrale Sainte-Sophia and going on top of the entrance tower was a wonderful experience. The inside of cathedrale is very rich in decoration and the view from the bell is astonishing.
  • Most valuable part is the bell tower, when u on top could really enjoy the view. Also the main church is worth to visit. And others just so so.
  • Come here to experience Byzantine Architecture and some history. Note that you are looking at a mishmash of time periods and styles in one “frame”. The faded and stylish drawings are the originals, the simpler style ones are much more recent renovation efforts. The QR codes directing to an online guide are helpful. Go upstairs to see an original, vivid old-style mosaic taken from another church before it was demolished. Visit the balcony and gaze down on the first floor, as the royals did at this very spot some 1000 years ago.
  • All Kiev itself speaks for the people of this country - you can see their devotion and love for their God and religion. Architecture is their primary language, a beautiful one indeed! To see this thousand year old church and to learn about their millennial city organizing skills makes us, 21st century mortals wonder, how we will be present in the life of those people in a short 100 year from now? The Cathedral and the surroundings are beautiful, worth to immerse yourself to the atmosphere even for a short time!

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