Description of the attraction
The Church of the Intercession on Solomenka (it is often called the Holy Protection Church) is one of the most valuable shrines in Kiev and an architectural monument. The building of the temple was erected in 1897 by the famous architect of that time I. Nikolaev. The ordering party for the construction of the temple was the Kiev city council, wishing in this way to honor the memory of Metropolitan Platon (Gorodetsky) of Kiev and Galicia. The people of Kiev themselves used to call this church "Platonov's Church on the Stadium". Also, this temple went down in history because in 1905-1919 its abbot was Vasily Lipkovsky, who later created and headed the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. At the temple, from the very moment of its foundation, a parish school was established, famous for the level of education it provided. It was thanks to this parish school that many parishioners who did not have the opportunity to study in gymnasiums (in which tuition was paid), were able to get the elementary basics of literacy and arithmetic.
After its construction, the temple served as a place for prayer for a relatively short time. Already during the years of Soviet power, which mercilessly fought against the Church, everything possible was done to make the Intercession Church on Solomenka stop even remotely resembling a temple. For this purpose, all the domes were removed from the temple, the bell tower was dismantled, the bells were melted down. The very premises of the temple were used in the best traditions of that time - as a utility room. Only now the temple, which has passed to the community of the Kiev Patriarchate, is gradually being restored at the expense of the parishioners. In addition to carrying out restoration work, parishioners are trying to restore the once glorious parish school, inviting everyone to get acquainted with the basics of Christian culture and history.
