National Sanctuary "Sophia of Kiev"
The National Sanctuary Complex "Sophia of Kiev" (Ukrainian: Національний заповідник «Софія Київська») is a historic preserve that contains a complex of museums in Kiev and Sudak and responsible for maintenance and preservation of some of its most precious historic sites.
List of landmarks in the complex
Kiev
- Complex of Saint Sophia Cathedral, prime landmark
- Golden Gates, part of Sofia of Kiev since 1983
- St. Cyril's Monastery, created in 1929, it was transferred to Sofia of Kiev in 1965
- St Andrew's Church, part of All-Ukrainian Historic Site 1935, it was transferred to Sofia of Kiev in 1939 and 1968
Crimea
- Sudak fortress, created in 1371-1460, became a part of Sofia of Kiev in 1958
History
In 1934, by the order of the authorities of the Soviet Ukraine, the creation of the cultural preserve (sanctuary) at the site of the Saint Sophia Cathedral has likely saved one of the holiest sites in Eastern Europe from destruction during the Soviet-wide anti-religious campaign of the early 1930s. The preserve was established in place of the cathedral of the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church that was dissolved in 1930. The museum's responsibilities were gradually expanded to other historic locations of Kiev.
In 1994, the sanctuary was accorded its current status of the National.
Both St. Andrew and St. Cyril churches are acting. The first church belong to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church, while the other belongs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate) and is part of the revived St. Cyril's Monastery.
See also
References
- Sophiakievska.org: official Sophia of Kyiv website—(in English)
- Kateryna Shchotkina, "An ordinary date of Sophia", Zerkalo Nedeli (The Mirror Weekly), October 16–22, 2006, in Russian, in Ukrainian.