Kyiv
Kyiv Intercession Monastery
However the Kyiv Intercession Monastery is not very famous, nevertheless it is one of the most beautiful and magnificent one in ancient Kyiv. Constructed in pseudo-Russian style, the splendid religious complex enchants with its fine decorations, and it is rightly reckoned to be one of the most vibrant architectural pearls of the capital.
The monastery owes its foundation to the great Princess Alexandra of Oldenburg, the wife of the Russian Emperor Nicholas I son. She was the main contributor and donor of the building construction in then-Kyiv outskirts in 1889. The convent was designed not only as a holy place, but also as a hospital for the poor. Within a few years, several churches, cells, monastery hospital where the nuns with doctors attended the sick were built. Within 20 years, the monastery became a small town. Then the monastery housed 30 buildings: parochial school with residence for apprentices, monastic refectory, nuns’ houses, workshops, orphanages for those who were in need, etc.
In 1920s, the Kyiv Intercession Monastery shared the others convents and churches’ destiny: by the order of Soviet authorities it was closed and its buildings then housed different organizations. The believers got their monastery back only in 1942, since then the temples has never been closed. After the II World War, the monastery welcomed hospital and thereafter the infirmary was established there.
In Soviet times, once vast territory of the Kyiv Intercession Monastery was considerably reduced. The biggest parts of it were urbanized with high-storey residence houses. As of today, the monastery boasts only seven buildings out of 30.
There is St. Nicholas Cathedral in the center of the monastery architectural ensemble. It was built in pseudo-Russian style as other monastery buildings, in 1911. It is the largest temple not only in the convent, but the largest church in Kyiv. It was named in honor of St. Nicholas, one of the most venerated saints in Ukraine. Crowned with 15 golden domes, the cathedral impresses with its size: it is 60 meters high and can welcome more than 2,500 patrons.
Another monastery’s highlight is the Intercession Church. It is the first temple built in the territory of the monastery. Firstly built of wood, the church was later reconstructed in stone. This church is considered the second most beautiful one in the monastery chiefly because of interesting contrast between its pink facades, dark roof and dark green domes. The third most important convent building is the Holy Gate known for its unusual architecture.
How to get there. Take the trolleybus №16 or №18 at the metro station “Lukyanivska”. The same trolleybuses set off from the Independence Square.
