St. Sophia Cathedral
Kyiv’s Sophia has been called by scientists a perfect example of the synthesis of art, its thirteen gorgeous golden domes nicely blending with the city skyline. The Cathedral was built in XI c. by Prince Yaroslav the Wise in the years of Kyiv Rus prosperity, culture, and innovative growth.
For centuries St. Sophia Cathedral was in the center of political, social and cultural life of the Old Rus. There Kyiv’s princes were crowned, foreign ambassadors received, important political agreements concluded. There the first in this part of the world library was founded by Prince Yaroslav, as well as a unique treasury. In ancient times St. Sophia Cathedral also served as a necropolis. Sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise, the outstanding person in the history of Old Rus, is still kept there. It was him who established dynastic relations with the leading European states of that time. His daughter Anna was Queen of France after marriage with King Henri I Capet in 1051. Among others the statue in honor of Queen Anna is still well preserved at the Aleksander Bridge in Paris.
