Kiev	Odessa	Crimea	Western Ukraine
	Golden Domes Kiev
Since the time of the Kyivan Rus, Kyiv has been a city of glorious churches. The golden domes, unique architecture, and the incredible spirit of these places have always attracted pilgrims and tourists; as such Kyiv has always been one of the main centres of Orthodox Christianity. We suggest you take a tour of the most interesting churches, and take in their splendour both from a historical and a cultural point of view.

St. Sophia's Cathedral , Volodymyrs'ka 24, (M)Zo-loti Vorota, tel. 278 20 83, fax 278 67 06, www.sophia. org.ua. Kyiv's oldest church was built in 1037 by Prince Yaro-slav the Wise - who was laid to rest inside - to commemorate the victory of the Kyivan Rus over the Pechenegs (an Asian nomadic tribe) and to glorify Christianity. It was named after St. Sophia's Cathedral in Constantinople. This majestic 13-cupola sanctuary adjoined the Yaroslav's Palace and became a holy place of worship for Kyivites as well as its political and cultural heart. With its interior of rich frescoes and mosaics, many of which are still intact almost a millennium later, St. Sophia's made a huge impression on the ordinary worshippers of Kyiv. A similar impression is felt by current visitors, so strong is the sense of history. Meetings with foreign diplomats and treaty negotiations were held here, and the church housed the first library and school in the Kyivan Rus. The azure and white bell tower is 76m high and was finished in 1752, while the upper Ukrainian Baroque part and gilded cupola were added in 1852. Today the entire cathedral complex is protected by Ukraine as a national reserve and also receives support from UNESCO. The 18th-century refectory is now a museum and contains archaeological artefacts and architectural displays, such as model panoramas depicting Kyiv as it looked before being razed by Mongol invaders in 1240. It may cost 1Hr just to enter the grounds next to the bell tower, but if it means this spiritual and cultural treasure is kept in good shape then we're all for it. The kiosk selling tickets for the cathedral itself is straight ahead. On your way out don't forget to take your picture postcard-perfect shot of Cossack leader Bohdan Khmelnyts'kiy on his horse...

St. Michael's Golden-Domed Cathedral, Mykhailivs'ka ploscha, (M)Maidan Nezalezhnosti, tel. 278 89 56. St. Michael's is at the top of the funicular, oppo¬site St. Sophia's Cathedral. Originally built by Prince Sviatopolk in 1108, this cathedral was destroyed by the Soviet regime in the mid-1930s in keeping with their anti-religion agenda. Its reconstruction was completed in May 2000. The sky blue exterior and glittering golden domes are certainly stunning, even though up close it all seems a bit too new and shiny for this ancient city. Another reminder, albeit a much smaller one, of the Communists' inhuman policies is to the right as you exit the church grounds, where there is a monument to the millions of Ukrainian victims of the Great Famine. It solemnly bears the simple inscription '1932-1933' (the years of the famine). Father out in the square, the statues of Princess Olha, Apostle Andrew, St. Cyrill and St. Mephodius were also reconstructed (after being destroyed by the Communists) in 1996.

St. Andrew's Church, Andriivs'kyi uzviz 23, (M) Poshtova Ploscha, tel. 278 58 61. A short walk from St. Michael's is another pearl of Kyiv - St. Andrew's Church. Famous Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli was the mastermind behind this attractive Baroque church that greets the throngs at the top of Andriivs'kyi uzviz. Built in 1754, it's one of the rare buildings in Kyiv of that age that has man¬aged to avoid serious damage or reconstruc¬tion. The el¬egant silhouette of its one large dome and five lesser cupolas are easily vis¬ible from Podil and beyond. Apostle Andrew, who was the first Christian to preach the gos¬pel in the Kyivan Rus, was said to have erected a cross on this very site. It was the wish of religiously-minded Russian Empress Elizabeth after her visit to Kyiv in 1744 that this church be built. It must be said that compared to the beautiful exterior, the interior is rather disappointing - too much loud red and gold colour and really not much to see. Console yourself with a stroll around the church's perimeter, a walk which the famous Ukrainian writer Gogol also enjoyed.

St. Volodymyr's Cathedral, T. Shevchenka bul'v., (M) Universytet, tel. 235 03 62. The Cathedral was built from 1862-1882 in the so-called Russian pseudo-Byzantine style. The brilliant talent of V. Vasnetsov and M. Nesterov, the genius of M. Vrubel, the flying brush of V. Kotarbinskiy and other widely-known artists made the cathe¬dral a place of pilgrim¬age for aesthetes and a symbol of the power of new religious art. The wall-paintings of the cathedral remain unforgettable to this day. The cathedral be¬longs to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church