St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery: dynamited by Soviet authorities in 1937, rebuilt stone by stone from old photographs
A Kyiv, il Monastero di San Michele dalle Cupole d’Oro fu fondato dal principe Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich, con una data di fondazione dell’11 luglio 1108 riportata dalla Cronaca Laurenziana; la costruzione, generalmente datata tra il 1108 e il 1113 — anno in cui lo stesso Sviatopolk vi fu sepolto — produsse quella che le fonti descrivono come probabilmente la prima cupola dorata della Rus’ di Kyiv, all’origine del nome “dalle cupole d’oro”, dedicata all’arcangelo Michele. Nel 1934, un’ispezione sovietica dell’8 giugno-9 luglio riclassificò controversamente l’edificio come opera barocca ucraina più tarda anziché struttura originaria del XII secolo, per giustificarne la demolizione, prevista nell’ambito di un piano, annunciato nell’aprile 1934, per costruire sul sito un nuovo centro di governo sovietico, poi interrotto dalla Seconda guerra mondiale e mai completato come previsto. La rimozione dei mosaici iniziò il 26 giugno 1934 sotto la direzione di Vladimir Frolov dell’Accademia di Belle Arti di Leningrado; le cupole dorate furono abbattute nella primavera del 1935, il campanile fu distrutto tra il 1934 e il 1935, le mura esterne e la Porta Economica tra il 1936 e il 1937, e infine il corpo della cattedrale fu fatto saltare con la dinamite il 14 agosto 1937. Circa 45 metri quadrati di mosaici bizantini del XII secolo sopravvissero alla demolizione e furono ripartiti tra tre istituzioni russe — il Museo dell’Ermitage, la Galleria Tret’jakov e il Museo Russo di Stato — dove restano tuttora, un fatto storicamente documentato. Dopo l’indipendenza ucraina, la ricostruzione prese avvio su larga scala a partire dal 24 maggio 1997, con la fase principale dei lavori tra novembre 1998 e la fine del 1999, basandosi su disegni d’archivio, fotografie storiche — tra cui alcuni disegni architettonici del 1851 dell’artista svedese Carl Peter Mazér — e frammenti decorativi sopravvissuti; la cattedrale ricostruita riaprì ufficialmente il 30 maggio 1999, con mosaici e affreschi interni completati solo nel 2000. Dal dicembre 2018, il monastero funge da sede della Chiesa ortodossa d’Ucraina (OCU), la giurisdizione che ha ottenuto l’autocefalia canonica nel gennaio 2019 a seguito del concilio di unificazione del dicembre 2018.
About St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery
In Kyiv, St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery was founded by Prince Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich, with a foundation date of 11 July 1108 recorded in the Laurentian Codex; construction, generally dated between 1108 and 1113 — the year Sviatopolk himself was buried there — produced what sources describe as probably the first gilded dome in Kyivan Rus’, the origin of the “golden-domed” name, dedicated to the Archangel Michael. In 1934, a Soviet inspection carried out 8 June to 9 July controversially reclassified the building as later Ukrainian Baroque work rather than an original 12th-century structure, to justify its demolition, planned as part of a scheme, announced in April 1934, to build a new Soviet government centre on the site, later interrupted by the Second World War and never completed as envisioned. Removal of the mosaics began on 26 June 1934 under the direction of Vladimir Frolov of the Leningrad Academy of Arts; the golden domes were pulled down in spring 1935, the bell tower destroyed between 1934 and 1935, the outer walls and Economic Gate between 1936 and 1937, and finally the cathedral shell was dynamited on 14 August 1937. Roughly 45 square metres of 12th-century Byzantine mosaics survived the demolition and were divided among three Russian institutions — the State Hermitage Museum, the Tretyakov Gallery and the State Russian Museum — where they remain today, a documented historical fact. After Ukrainian independence, large-scale reconstruction began on 24 May 1997, with the main phase of work between November 1998 and the end of 1999, drawing on archival drawings, historic photographs — including 1851 architectural drawings by the Swedish artist Carl Peter Mazér — and surviving decorative fragments; the rebuilt cathedral officially reopened on 30 May 1999, with interior mosaics and frescoes completed only in 2000. Since December 2018, the monastery has served as the seat of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU), the jurisdiction that received canonical autocephaly in January 2019 following the December 2018 unification council.
Key facts
- 1108-1113: founded by Prince Sviatopolk II Iziaslavich, with probably the first gilded dome in Kyivan Rus’
- 1934-1937: demolished in stages by Soviet authorities, the cathedral shell dynamited on 14 August 1937
- Roughly 45 m² of 12th-century mosaics survived, now held in three Russian museums
- 1997-1999: rebuilt from historic photographs, drawings and surviving fragments
- 30 May 1999: the reconstructed cathedral officially reopens
- 2018: becomes the seat of the newly formed Orthodox Church of Ukraine (OCU)
History
The monastery’s demolition, justified by a Soviet-era reclassification of a genuinely 12th-century building as later and less significant, exemplifies the broader campaign against religious architecture across the USSR in the 1930s — a campaign that in this case aimed to clear ground for a government complex ultimately never built as planned. Its 1990s reconstruction, undertaken from photographs and surviving fragments rather than any original fabric, makes the standing building today an exact act of civic memory as much as an architectural monument, while its dispersed 12th-century mosaics remain, to this day, physically located in Russian museums.
What you see
Gold-domed towers rise above white walls in a faithful modern reconstruction of the 12th-century original, rebuilt using archival photographs, 19th-century architectural drawings and surviving decorative fragments after the Soviet-era demolition left nothing standing. Interior mosaics and frescoes, completed in 2000, recreate the Byzantine decorative scheme whose original 12th-century pieces remain today in Russian museum collections.
Practical information
- Opening hours: generally open daily outside services; check current hours before visiting
- Address: Mykhailivska Square, Kyiv, Ukraine
Getting there
The monastery stands on Mykhailivska Square in central Kyiv, easily reached on foot from the historic old town. GPS: 50°27′21″N, 30°31′22″E.
Nearby
- Saint Sophia Cathedral — the 11th-century UNESCO-listed cathedral a short walk away
- Mykhailivska Square — the historic square framing the monastery
- Kyiv Pechersk Lavra — the historic cave monastery elsewhere in the city
Sources
- Wikipedia — “St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery” (en.wikipedia.org)
- Wikipedia — “Demolition of St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery” (en.wikipedia.org)
- Encyclopedia of Ukraine — “Saint Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery” (encyclopediaofukraine.com)
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