St. Michael Golden-domed monastery was founded in the 12th century. It was one of the oldest monasteries in Kievan Rus, and St. Michael Cathedral was for a long time the only one in Russia with a gilded dome, so it was called "Golden-domed".
The buildings of those years have not been preserved. In 1713-16, all the churches of the monastery were completely reconstructed in the Ukrainian Baroque style. The Cathedral of St. Michael, the Refectory with the Church of St. John the Evangelist and the Bell Tower were built. In 1935, the monastery was destroyed, and a Park appeared on this site. Only the Church of John the Evangelist has been preserved. In the 1990s, all the churches of the monastery were completely recreated in the form that it existed in the 18th century.
According to the chronicle, the monastery was founded by the first Kiev Metropolitan Michael. The first Church of the monastery was built at the expense of Svyatopolk Izyaslavich and dedicated to the patron Saint of Kiev Archangel Michael. In 1108, the relics of Saint Barbara were transferred from Constantinople to the St. Michael Golden-domed monastery, which became the main Shrine of the monastery. Now the relics of Saint Barbara are placed in the Vladimir Cathedral in Kiev.
You should go inside the monastery. Despite the destruction, the mosaic panels were previously dismantled and were located in various museums of the USSR. After the restoration of the Cathedral, many of the original mosaics and frescoes of the 12th century, made by Byzantine masters, were returned to their places.
In the Bell Tower of the St. Michael Golden-domed monastery is a very rare instrument - a Carillon. It allows to play complex melodies using bells. The height of the Carillon is 40 meters, and it consists of 51 bells. The smallest bell weighs 4 kilograms, and the largest – 8 tons. The bell tower houses a Museum dedicated to the history of the monastery.
On the square in front of St. Michael Cathedral, there is a monument to the Holy Princess Olga, and further on the Sofia square there is a monument to Hetman Mazepa. Administrative buildings, including the monumental building of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Ukraine, are located nearby. Behind the monastery on the high Bank of the Dnieper is the Park Vladimir Hill.
