Last updated on December 20, 2023.

St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery is located above Volodymyr’s Hill overlooking the Podil district in Kyiv.

 

History

The monastery was founded in 1108 but demolished by the Soviets in 1934 due to “lack of historical value”. The site where the cathedral was located was used as a sports complex. After Ukrainian independence, people began calling for the rebuilding of the monastery. The new cathedral opened in 1999 and was constructed based on photos and old foundations found during the excavation in 1997. That in itself is amazing.

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery

 

Bell Tower

The entrance to the complex is under the tall bell tower on Mykhailivs’ka Square. On either side of the tower are frescoes with religious scenes.

Bell tower at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
Bell tower
Bell tower
Entrance at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
Entrance
Entrance

 

Museum

For ₴14 (as of September 2020), it’s possible to enter the bell tower and climb to the top. There’s a small museum inside with a model of the historic monastery and ecclesiastical art. The museum is open daily except Mondays from 10am to 7pm.

Model of the historic monastery
Museum

Once at the top, there are fantastic views of the cathedral below.

Bell tower at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
Bell tower
View of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral from the bell tower at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
View of St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral

You can also look down onto Mykhailivs’ka Square and get nice views of Kyiv. It’s possible to see St. Sophia Cathedral in the distance.

Mykhailivs'ka Square from the bell tower at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
Mykhailivs’ka Square
View of Kyiv from the bell tower at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
View of Kyiv
Looking towards St. Sophia Cathedral from the bell tower at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
Looking towards St. Sophia Cathedral

 

Cathedral

St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral is an impressive building. It’s very beautiful on the inside and out. Many mosaics and other pieces from the original cathedral have been reinstalled in the current one.

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral

My favorite part of the building is the façade. It was built in the Ukrainian Baroque style, just as the original cathedral was rebuilt in the 18th century.

St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral in Kyiv, Ukraine
St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral

When I visited, I decided to stay a few minutes for evening vespers. The priest had an amazing voice, and the young men’s choir added a nice touch to the experience. Since it was the day after Easter, I even got to hear them sing Christos Anesti (Χριστὸς ἀνέστη) in Greek.

 

Refectory of St. John the Divine

Next to the cathedral is the Refectory of St. John the Divine. It’s original to the complex and was built in 1713. When the site was being used as a sports complex, the refectory was used as a changing room. The eastern part of the building is the Church of John the Theologian.

Refectory of St. John the Divine at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
Refectory of St. John the Divine
Refectory of St. John the Divine at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
Refectory of St. John the Divine

 

Fountain

The other interesting structure I found on the grounds is a beautiful fountain.

Fountain at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
Fountain
Fountain at St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine
Fountain

 

Mykhailivs’ka Square

St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery opens onto Mykhailivs’ka Square. In the center of the square is a monument to St. Olga (890-969), a ruler of Kyivan Rus’ as regent on behalf of her son, Svyatoslav I. The building behind the monument is the Diplomatic Academy of Ukraine. To the northeast is the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine.

St. Olga monument in Kyiv, Ukraine
St. Olga monument
St. Olga monument in Kyiv, Ukraine
St. Olga monument
Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Kyiv, Ukraine
Ministry of Foreign Affairs

 

Kyiv Funicular

To reach the monastery and the square, I took a ride up the historic Kyiv Funicular from the Podil district. The funicular was built between 1902 and 1905 and opened on May 20, 1905. It takes about three minutes to go from one station to the next. The top station is at Mykhailivs’ka Square and the bottom station is at Poshtova Square.

Kyiv Funicular in Kyiv, Ukraine
Kyiv Funicular
Kyiv Funicular in Kyiv, Ukraine
Kyiv Funicular
Kyiv Funicular in Kyiv. Ukraine
Kyiv Funicular

Author

Owner of Paisadventure. World traveler. Chicago sports lover. Living in Colombia.

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