St Volodymyr's Cathedral

Kyiv


Although not one of Kyiv's most important churches, St Volodymyr's Cathedral arguably has the prettiest interior. Built in the late 19th century to mark 900 years of Orthodox Christianity in the city, its yellow exterior and seven blue domes conform to standard Byzantine style. However, inside it breaks new ground with art nouveau influences.

Huge murals, flecked with golden accents, include a painting of Volodymyr the Great's baptism into Orthodox Christianity in Chersonesus (now Khersones) and of Kyiv's citizens being herded into the Dnipro River for a mass baptism soon afterwards.


Lonely Planet's must-see attractions

Nearby Kyiv attractions

1. Fomin Botanical Gardens

0.17 MILES

Lying behind the Universytet metro station building, the landscaped gardens are best visited in spring when just about everything there is blooming.

2. Kyiv National Museum of Russian Art

0.33 MILES

With 2000 paintings, only a fraction of which are on display at any one time, this museum, set in an impressive tsar-era mansion, has the largest…

3. Zoloti Vorota

0.34 MILES

Part of Kyiv's fortifications during the rule of Yaroslav the Wise, the famous Zoloti Vorota was erected in 1037. Modelled on Constantinople's Golden Gate…

4. Khanenko Museum of Arts

0.35 MILES

This museum's 'Western Art' wing houses Kyiv's most impressive collection of European paintings, with Bosch, Velázquez and Rubens among the many masters…

6. Former Lenin Statue

0.52 MILES

At the terminus of vul Tarasa Shevchenka once stood Kyiv's last Lenin statue, famously pulled down and smashed to bits by Euromaidan protesters in late…

7. Khreshchatyk

0.58 MILES

Kyiv's main drag is named after a river, which these days runs underneath, enclosed in an underground pipe. Getting gussied up and strolling Khreshchatyk…

8. PinchukArtCentre

0.6 MILES

The rotating exhibits at this world-class gallery feature elite names in the world of European contemporary art and design, all financed by billionaire…