St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery is situated on the west bank of the Dnipro River in Kyiv, northeast of Saint Sophia Cathedral. It is a significant monastery in Kyiv, overlooking the city’s historic commercial and merchant district of Podil. Originally constructed in the Middle Ages under the order of Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich, the monastery complex includes the Cathedral, the Refectory of St. John, the Economic Gate, and the Bell Tower. Although its exterior was redesigned in the Ukrainian Baroque style during the 18th-century reconstruction, its interior retained the original Byzantine architectural style. Unfortunately, the monastery was demolished by the Soviet government in the 1930s but was later rebuilt after Ukraine gained independence.

The monastery incorporates elements from various architectural styles popular during the Byzantine and Baroque periods. Its interior features an intricate five-tiered iconostasis, installed in 1718. During the 18th and 19th centuries, nearly all of the original Byzantine mosaics and frescoes on the inner walls were plastered over. In the late 19th century, restoration work was carried out on some of the mosaics and frescoes that had not been covered. The monastery’s refectory is a rectangular brick building that once housed the monks’ dining hall and kitchen, as well as storage rooms. Its exterior is divided into sections by pilasters, with windows framed in a way that recalls traditional Moscow architecture.

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery

Must-visit reason: One of Ukraine’s most beloved monasteries

Continent where the attraction is located: Europe【Europe】

Country/Region where the attraction is located: Ukraine[Ukraine]

Province/State where the attraction is located: Kyiv Oblast [Kiev Oblast]

City where the attraction is located: Kyiv [Kiev]