Saint Andrew's Church of Kiev

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Saint Andrew's Church Андрiївська церква
The St. Andrew's Church is located at the top of the Andriyivskyi Descent, in Kiev, Ukraine.
Basic information
Location	Kiev, Ukraine
Geographic coordinates	50°27′32″N 30°31′5″E / 50.45889, 30.51806Coordinates: 50°27′32″N 30°31′5″E / 50.45889, 30.51806
Religious affiliation	Eastern Orthodox Church
District	Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church
Architectural description
Architect(s)	Bartolomeo Rastrelli and Ivan Michurin
Architectural type	Church
Architectural style	Baroque
Year completed	1767
Specifications
Length	31.7 meters
Width	20.4 m.
Height (max)	50 m.
Dome(s)	One
Spire(s)	Four

The Saint Andrew's Church or sometimes [incorrectly] the Cathedral of Saint Andrew (Ukrainian: Андрiївська церква; Russian: Андреевская церковь) is a major baroque church located in Kiev (Kyiv), the capital of Ukraine. The church was constructed in 1747–1754, to a design by the imperial Russian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli.

The Saint Andrew's Church overlooks the historic Podil neighborhood, situated on a steep hill to which the church gave its current name Andriyivska Hill.^[1] It is currently one of four architectural landmarks of Ukraine, which were put down on the List of Mankind Treasures of Five Continents by the world society.^[2]

Currently, there are fears that the Saint Andrew's Church might go down the slope to the Podil.^[3][4] Cracks have already appeared in the church's foundation, and some of the church's decor has also been reported in neighboring areas.^{[citation needed]}

[edit] History

[edit] Early history: 11-18 c.

St Andrew's prophecy of Kiev depicted in Radzivill Chronicle. A Church stands on the legendary location where St. Andrew erected his cross on Dnieper hills.

The location of the church is attributed to the place where the Apostle Saint Andrew arrived and erected a cross.^[2] According to the chronicle "The Tale of Bygone Years," Saint Andrew came to the Dnieper (Dnipro) River's slopes and erected a cross in the first century A.D., where he prophesied the foundation of a great Christian city in what was then a sparsely inhabited area.^[2] His prediction later became true: the city of Kiev arose and became the center of the Eastern Orthodox faith.

In 1086, the Grand Prince of Kiev Vsevolod I constructed a small church, dedicated to the erection of the cross by Saint Andrew. In 1215, Prince Mystyslav of Halych built the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross nearby. However, the church did not survive after the Mongol invasion of Kievan Rus' in 1240. From that point after, wooden churches were constructed in the place where the Church of the Exaltation of the Cross had been located, although, were too destroyed and again replaced with another one. In 1690, a wooden church consecrated to Saint Andrew was moved from the Brethren's cloister in the Podil to the Andriyivska Hill. It too did not last long, only until 1725, when it was pulled down.

[edit] Need for the church and construction plans

The beginning of the currently standing St. Andrew's Church began with the arrival of the Russian Empress Elizabeth.^[5] She decided to construct a summer residence for herself, consisting of a palace and a church. The palace was to be located in the Pechersk neighborhood^[6] while the church was to be on the Andriyivska Hill. On September 9, 1744, the official ceremony starting the construction of the St. Andrew's Church began with the Empress laying the first three founding stones herself.^[5]

The church's pulpit, rarely seen in Eastern Orthodox constructions.

The German architect Johann-Gottfried Schedel was hired to draft out the plans for the church along with the engineer De Bocket. In 1745, Schedel worked out a project, which was later rejected by the Petersburg Building Chancellery.^[5] The next person hired was the head architect of the imperial court, Bartolomeo Rastrelli, who worked out a plan which was closely based on a church of a Saint Petersburg institute.^[7]

[edit] Construction

The construction itself was conducted by a team of Ukrainian, Russian, and foreign masters^[8] under Ivan Michurin, the principal architect of Moscow, to replace the older Church of the Resurrection, on the Women's Market Square (Babiy Torzhok).^[9]

Michurin was responsible for carrying out all of the engineering and geological researches of the site and found out that a hard subsoil ground lies at a depth of 13-14 meters and above - made grounds penetrated by subterranean waters.^[10] With this information, Michurin developed the construction of a stone foundation and connected it with the two-storied building of the Priest's apartments, planned by Rastrelli.

I. Vlasiev and the Kiev governor-general M. Leontev were placed in charge of hiring masons, carpenters, and carvers from territories now located in Belarus, Lithuania, and Ukraine.^[11] White and red bricks for the church were made at the brick fields of the Sophia, Pechersk, and Cyril cloisters. The foundation stone was delivered by the Kiev garrison soldiers from the neighboring towns of Rzhyschiv and Bucha. The wood came from the nearby Puscha-Vodytsia forests. Also, infantry regiments from Kiev, Chernihiv, Starodub, and Poltava were involved in the church's construction. Apart from workers from the neighboring villages, the Kiev Pechersk Lavra sent 50 of its best masons to work on the church.^[11]

A planned ramp was to be installed to provide access to the church, however, was later changed to a wooden staircase due to the steepness of the hill. The wooden ramp was later (in 1844) changed to a cast iron one.

The cast iron steps leading to the church.

Both the external and internal decoration on the church was carried out at the same time. Cast iron floor slabs were delivered from Moscow. Also, forms were made for the church's windows, doors, walls, and for space under the cupola. The planned iconostasis, designed by Rastrelli, was also added. The wood for the iconostasis, altar canopy, pulpit, and tsar's place were carved out in Saint Petersburg in order to consume time.^[12] The iconostasis' icons were carried out by Petersburg artists. For gilding, 1,028 slabs of gold were used in the interior.^[12]

Although the exterior work was finished in 1754, interior work and decorations were not finished up until 1767. The painters Oleksiy Antropov and I. Vyshniakov painted the church's paintings, and the frescoes were done by Ukrainian masters I. Romenskyi and I. Chaikovskyi.^[7]

[edit] Funding, ownership, and later use

As the Empress planned to take personal care of the church, the church has no parish, and there is no bell tower to call the congregation to divine service. But she died before the construction ended, so the church was never cared for by Elizabeth. After her death, the imperial court took no interest in the church, and the church was left without any funding. For some time, the church existed off of private and voluntary funds, from people such as Andrey Muraviov.^[13]

The baroque three-tier iconostasis designed by Rastrelli. The woodwork was done by carvers Joseph Domash, Audrey Karlovsky and Matvey Manturov.

Later on, the church was handed down to the Kiev Council in 1768.^[12] The Kiev City Duma took control over the church, and later reorganized into the Kiev Council in 1785.^[12]

In 1815, a strong storm tore off the church's cupolas.^[14][15] After the storm, the church was in need of a full restoration. In the next year, architect A. Melensky made a plan of the building's facade and sent them for consideration to Saint Petersburg.^[14] In 1825-1828, the St. Andrew's Church was restored, based on Melensky's plans. The red mission tiles was replaced by metal, resulting in the fact that the cupola's lost some decor and changed their form.

[edit] Restorations, closing, and after

Frin 1917 to 1953, many restorations were conducted on the foundations of the St. Andrew's Church.^[16] In addition, the restoration of the church's facade, interior, and decor was also conducted.

From the time of the church's opening till 1932, when the Soviet Council ordered that the church be closed down, regular services were held. In 1935, the St. Andrew's Church was included into the Historical and Cultural Conservation "All-Ukraine Museum Area." For some time after 1939, the Kiev St. Sophia Anti-religious Museum was located within the premises of the church. During World War II, regular church services were restored, only to be closed down again in 1961.

From time to time, the church's stylobate was rented to different organizations up until 1992, when the stylobate was taken up by the Kiev Ecclesiastical Seminary of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church - Kiev Patriarchate.

On January 10, 1968, the church was included into the State Architectural and Historical Conservation area "St. Sophia Museum." On September 10 of the same year, the church was opened as a historical and architectural museum.

During the early 1960's, original plans of Rastrelli's baroque cupolas were uncovered in Vienna, Austria.^[13] In 1978, restorers headed by architect V. Korneyeva restored the church's domes based on drawings by Bartolomeo Rastrelli. Since 1987, the church is included into the National Conservation area "St. Sophia of Kyiv." It is sometimes used for church services by the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church.^[17]

[edit] Architecture

Paintings on the inside of the church.

The St. Andrew's Church was constructed on a 15 meter foundation-stylobate, which from the eastern side faces downhill and from the western—has a two story construction.^[15] The church consists of a single dome and five small decorative spires. From the outside facade, Corinthian columns decorate the church, accompanied by additional decorations. The windows and doors of the church are decorated with ornamental details.

[edit] Foundation problems

Currently, there are fears that the St. Andrew's Church might slide down the slope to the Podil.^[3][4] Cracks have already appeared in the church's foundation,^[18] resulting with the fact that a special committee was set up by the Minister of Emergency Situations Nestor Shufrich.^[3]

According to the Ministry of Emergency Situations, they will conduct research on the building's foundation and its construction with the help of Ministry of Construction, Kiev City Administration, and the division of the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Kiev City.

[edit] References and footnotes

[edit] External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

St. Andrew's Church

• St. Andrew's Church (Ukrainian). St. Sophia of Kyiv. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.
• Series "St. Andrew's Church and Andriyivskyi Descent" (Ukrainian/Russian/English). serg-klymenko.narod.ru. Retrieved on 2007-08-19.

v • d • e Religious monuments of Kiev, Ukraine Cathedrals Saint Sophia Cathedral · St. Volodymyr's Cathedral · St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral · Dormition Cathedral · Resurrection of Christ1 Churches St. Andrew's Church · Church of the Saviour at Berestove · Church of the Tithes2  · Gate Church of the Trinity · Refectory Church · Church of the Godmother Pyrogoroscha Cloisters St. Cyril's Monastery · St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery · Pechersk Lavra · Vydubychi Monastery · Bohoiavlensky Brotherhood Monastery · St. Cathrine's Greek Monastery · Feofaniya Convent · Intrecession Convent · Saint John's Trinity Monastery · Acsesion (Florovo) Convent Statues St. Vladimir · SS. Olga, Cyril and Methodius · Archangel Michael 1 Currently under construction   2 Denotes destroyed construction