Choosing a guided tour from https https://olk.kiev.ua/en/vse-ekskursii/kyiv-tours/, you or your guide should plan it in a way to be sure to visit this place and allocate some time to explore it .
Kyiv as the capital of independent Ukraine is best presented by magnificent ensemble of unique structures on Starokievsky hill overlooking Dnieper. This longest-standing, preserved since the days of Kievan Rus temple is the architectural pearl of “Sophia of Kyiv ” National Sanctuary, and the only Ukrainian religious complex that belongs to the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The address: Vladimirskaya, 24 st.
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev or as foreigners like using “Santa Sofia Church” is a landmark, which Kiev tour guide just have to show you. The ensemble of “Sophia of Kyiv ” National Sanctuary had been being formed over the millennia and now consists of the buildings of Slavic architectonics from different eras. According to the annals of “The Tale of Bygone Years” in 1036 just on this place, from the floor side, that is from the plateau of the Starokyivsky hill Prince Yaroslav defeated Pechenegs.
Saint Sofia Church – Kiev
A year later on the spot of glorious victory he founded the church of Saint Sophia, which was destined to become a religious center of Kievan Rus as well as venue of the most important princely ceremonies. The main and the oldest building of the National Sanctuary, which is usually dated from 1037, was erected by the examples of Byzantine churches of the beginning of the second millennium. In 1240 Metropolia buildings were almost completely destroyed by the hordes of Batu Khan, and only in the XVIII century they were rebuilt in stone. That was the time the reconstructed Sofia cathedral was revived beyond recognition.
If you have enough time for exploring this superb temple, learn about the specifics of its creation. There are elements from the decor of Kievan Rus in the sanctuary remained uncorrupted. These are the fragments of multicolored mosaic floor, ornamentally-carved parapet slabs, marble details and princely sarcophagi, among which in the first place is the large-tonnage final abode of the temple’s founder Prince Yaroslav the Wise.
If we talk about the architectural highlights of this building, thanks to a half-century reconstruction, which began at the turn of XVII-XVIII centuries., the cathedral acquired the characteristic features of the Ukrainian Baroque. The temple has acquired six new domes, its facades are decorated with gables and stucco decorative elements, while the interior impresses with spectacular iconostasis and a cast iron floor plates.
Founded in 1638 by metropolitan of Kyiv Petro Mohyla, the monastery was surrounded by walls, older parts of which (up to 5 m in height) survived along the bell tower, which was built in 1706, renovated after the earthquake (1748, architect Johann Gottfried Schedel), completed after the earthquake (1748, architect Paul Sparro) and the western gate of Zaborovsky (1746, architect Johann Gottfried Schedel). Behind the gate, in the yard of the monastery, in the XVIII century there appeared a stone Refectory Church (1722), Metropolitan Chambers (1730), brethren’s buildings (1760) and seminaries (1767, architect Michael Yurasov).
In 1934 the territory of St Sophia cathedral became an architectural conservation area. In the post-war years extensive research and restoration work were carried out here. And in 1990, the architecture masterpiece St. Sophia Cathedral was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Now the building is a museum, and sometimes (by the example of great ancestors) used by modern leaders of Ukraine as a venue for state ceremonies and associated cultural and recreational activities.
The construction of St. Sopfia Cathedral in Kiev, has an amazing history. And if you have a bad sense of direction in the city, but want to see and learn as much as possible about this place, a personal tour guide around Kiev will help you out. He will tell you in detail about each fragment of this or that sight. For example, Sophia’s bell tower, built 1706, was three-tiered in the beginning. After the earthquake it was rebuilt and the fourth tier was added, which is crowned by a gilded pear-shaped bath. In this way the bell tower became of 76 meters in height. And a wide arched passage turned to the front gate of monastery lands of that time.
Saint Sophia Church is a building that consists of five naves, ten domes in the shape of a cross and five altar apses. The architectural feature of the cathedral is its pyramidal composition with two open two-story galleries around. On the front facade there are two symmetrical towers with a staircase to the choirs. The walls were built by the traditional ancient way of mixed masonry (plinthiform brick rows alternated with rows of barely processed natural stone). The highlight of the interior design of Sofia are the mosaics and frescoes of the Byzantine masters of the XI century. The most notable of them are the image of Pantocrator in the central dome and Oranta in the central apse, as well as the frescoes of secular life. Primary mosaics (in which experts counted 177 shades of colors) covered an area of about 640 m2, but only 40% of mosaic panels remained until now.