Description of the attraction
For the first time, Mikhailovsky Golden-Domed is mentioned documentarily in the chronicle, which tells that Prince Svyatopolk Izyaslavich, the grandson of Yaroslav the Wise, on July 11, 1108, not far from the Dmitrievsky Monastery and the Church of St. Peter, laid a new church in honor of St. Michael the Archangel. St. Michael's Cathedral was named Golden Domed because at that time in Kiev it was the only church with a gilded dome. Inside the Mikhailovsky Golden Domed was decorated with mosaics, marble, there were precious images. In 1103, the relics of St. Great Martyr Barbara were given from Constantinople to the Mikhailovsky Monastery, which later became the main shrine of the Mikhailovsky Cathedral. After his death, Svyatopolk was buried in a church built by him. In 1240, during the Tatar-Mongol invasion, the Mikhailovsky Cathedral was plundered and partly destroyed.
Over the centuries, the territory of the monastery has expanded. The Ukrainian hetmans made a great contribution to the development and improvement of the Mikhailovsky Monastery in different periods. In 1718 B. Khmelnitsky renovated the gilding on the central dome of the church with his personal funds, Hetman Skoropadsky arranged a new iconostasis, and I. Mazepa brought a donation to the monastery in the form of a chandelier and a silver chest for the relics of St. Barbara.
Throughout the 19th century, active work was carried out to adjust the monastery buildings and bring the cathedral into a "magnificent view". Since 1919, the property of the monastery was nationalized, and in the mid-30s its destruction began. The end of the 20th century was marked by a grandiose and painstaking restoration work for the cathedral. The central part of the St. Michael's Cathedral for worship and visitors was opened in the spring of 2000, and in early 2001 its side chapels were opened.
