St Volodymyr's Cathedral

Today I was an hour or so early for my lecture at Taras Shevchenko University, and so wandered across the street to Патріарший кафедральний собор св. Володимира, or St. Volodymyr's Cathedral. This is the mother cathedral of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church--Kyiv Patriarchy (distinguished from the Russian Orthodox Church, as I have discussed elsewhere in this blog). I spent more than an hour inside, studying the neo-Byzantine architecture and the amazing interior mosaics, executed by a team of Venetian masters. This is the church that I visited briefly last week with my teaching assistant, Tetiana Rogozianska. After our lectures today, Tetiana and I returned for another visit, and she provided me with some amazing additional insights and I bought a little history of the cathedral in Ukrainian from the ikon shop, which I am trying to work out little by little.

The cathedral appears most ancient, but it actually was built in 1852 to commemorate the 900th anniversary of the baptism of the Kievan Rus by St. Volodymyr the Great. It is Volodymyr's statue overlooking the Dnipro at the site of the baptisms which has caught my special devotion and attention over the years. (Incidentally, I have recently been exploring my ancestry and find that I am a direct descendant of Volodymyr--but that is another story altogether). The cathedral is laid out as a traditional six piered Храм or temple, much like others I have seen at Pecherska Lavra and elsewhere in Kyiv.

Outside the appearance of the cathedral is most striking. The thing which has most caught my eye and captured my imagination over the years has been the amazing paint- and gold-work on the seven domes--a deep blue base filled with golden stars.

The interior of the cathedral is literally filled with colorful mosaics and gold accents which draw the eye up and up to the amazing light-filled cupolas more than 150 feet above the floor! The vast mosaics were created by a team of Venetian masters, and individual pieces by the artist Viktor Vasnetsov. I noted in the gold lettering high in the domes both Russian and Greek inscriptions. There are many, many panels depicting scriptural themes, including the Decalogue, the feeding of Elijah by the birds, the Creation (including a stunning portrait of the Father--not often seen in Orthodox Churches), and many scenes from the life of Christ and the Apostles from the New Testament.

During the Soviet era the cathedral survived essentially intact, with all of its interior artwork undamaged. The building served as a museum of religion and atheism. The cathedral was one of the only places in the entire U.S.S.R. where one could openly visit a working and largely intact Orthodox Church. In fact, some relics from other less fortunate churches were moved to St. Volodymyr's by the Soviets--thus the cathedral houses the relics of St. Barbara, a 3rd century martyr which were brought here from the desecrated Mykhailivsky Zlatoverkhy Cathedral (St. Michael's of the Golden Domes).

Tetiana told me that every Christmas and Easter a flame is brought from the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem to relight the altars and in St. Volodymyr's, and from thence to relight all of the Ukrainian Orthodox churches throughout the country. She said that the transport of this flame is usually televised and publicized widely. So the individual candles of the surge of worshippers who come here--and in other churches--daily are lit and relit from the flame brought from Jerusalem. Since I will be in Jerusalem in a little more than three days, this detail appeals to me greatly.

Included here are several of Vasnetsov's most beautiful panels: a portrait of Russian Bishops, the arched representation of the Temptation of Eve in the Garden of Eden, the baptism of the Kievans in the Dnipro in 987 A.D., and the baptism of Prince (and later Saint) Volodymyr by a convocation of Byzantine Orthodox Priests.

Breathtaking Run Through 1,500 Years of History

This morning I ran ten complete circuits of a stunningly scenic route that led from my apartment on

Triokhsviatytelska Street, through the Volodymrska Hill Park, outside the monastery walls of St. Michaels of the Golden Domes, and then back down Triokhsviatytelska to the beginning. Total distance is about six to seven miles and took me just over an hour to complete. This run covers nearly 1,500 years of history, from the earliest founding of Kyiv to the present.

The run begins down a long double tree-lined path in the hill park which ends at the Victorian Gazebo and its breathtaking overlook. Along this long sylvan alleyway there are always many walkers, parents or grandparents with baby carriages or young couples. I often see older people feeding the birds out of their hands.

From the gazebo and its lofty prospect, you can see up and down the Dnipro for miles. See also the view of the Pishokhidnyi Footbridge in the background which leads to Trukhaniv Island. To the southeast there is an awesome view of the statute of St. Volodymr, the Baptizer. It was here that Christianity was first brought to eastern Europe and the first baptisms performed in the river below. And it was here in 1991, on the southeast corner of the statue, that a special event occurred which has sacred significance for my faith.

This is the view up the Dnipro from the gazebo, showing the bridges upstream and all of the docks and ships of the river.

The path then heads north from the gazebo past the gates and walls of St. Michaels. Here the golden domes are visible through the winter birch trees in the brilliant sunlight of a snowy morning.

There is a popular playground near the northeast corner of the monastery.

The upper terminus of the Funicular tramway is located next to the rear wall of the monastery near the playground. The lower terminus is adjacent to the Poshtova Ploshcha Metro station.

Next to the monastery on the north are several ministry buildings of the Ukrainian national government, including this flag draped edifice. It was behind this building that I took a picture of the sickle-and-hammer-emblazoned gates a few days ago.

This is the view along the route in front of St. Michaels, with the statue of St. Olga in the foreground and the grand tower of St. Sophia's in the near distance.

The front of St. Michael's is alive with brilliant murals on the outside of the monastery walls. This is me with a "cloud of witnesses" in the background "running the race that is set before me."

Finally, within a hundred steps of my apartment, this is the refectory gate of the monastery with the domes overlooking the walls. These gates front on Triokhsviatytelska Street and are literally across the street from my apartment!

I'll not find a more beautiful run anytime soon.

Trukhaniv Island

This morning I ran about six miles to and from Труханів острів (Trukhaniv Island). I first ran a couple of "Baptizer Laps" up in the area of St. Michaels and the Volydymrska Hill Park, then ran down the hill past the Catholic Church and the Museum of Art, through the underground tunnel at the end of Kreshchatik, and down the hill towards the Poshtova Ploshcha. (Are you with me so far?). From there I ran along the path adjacent to the railroad tracks towards the foot bridge leading across the Dnipro River to Trukhaniv Island. I found this, and ran for a mile or two on the island, then returned.

The views from the footbridge are glorious--the attached pictures really don't capture the vividness and excitement of the river with church domes, boats and the sky reflected in the still icy waters. I enclose one picture looking back toward Volodymyr's Hill, showing St. Michael's on one side and the grim statue of the Baptizer in the center.

It was snowing lightly when I began, but amazingly the clouds completely vanished and the blue sky appeared in all its glory as I reascended the hill towards my apartment. I enclose a shot of St. Michaels in all the effulgence of a snowy morning!

I Reconnoiter

Last night I returned to the Kyiv apartment near 11:00 p.m. It was odd to return here in the dark--I had not yet seen the apartment or the city in the light. After doing some wash, I went to sleep.

This morning is a new day. It is bright and fairly warm outside, and I scouted out the neighborhood. First item of business was to find some groceries and water. A call to my faithful friend and handler, Olga, led me to a nice little market located in the basement of my apartment building. I got eggs, bread, milk and a huge container of spring water--at least two gallons in size. I had breakfast while listening to a Mozart string quartet and then went out again to reconnoiter the neighborhood. I walked across the street to the Baptizer statue, down the ravine to the National Philharmonic house, then along the crest of the bluff overlooking the river to the great arch monument on a high hill above the river. This arch is called the "Friendship Arch," and supposedly symbolizes the friendship between Russians and Ukrainians. I understand from one source that in Kyiv it is sometimes called "the Yoke," as the relationship historically has been less friendship and more servitude on the part of the Ukrainians. Underneath the arch are two great statues--one a Soviet bronze of two workers--Ukrainian and Russian--holding the seal of the U.S.S.R.--the other one a statue of priests and other participants in the Pereyaslavska Rada of 1654.

Most impressive is the grand viewpoint next to the Yoke Arch overlooking the river, which was blazing with light and vitality in the sunlight of this wonderful day.

The New Apartment

Well, its after midnight on my third day awake, and I can't sleep because my body is still on Mountain Standard Time (i.e., 3:00 in the afternoon), so I might as well post a few more comments.

Attached are pictures of the new apartment, which is directly across the street from St. Michael of the Golden Domes and the statue of the Baptizer. This should make a nice location from which to engage in my daily running (although, because I will be gone each week from Monday at 6:00 a.m. until Tuesday at 10:00 or 11:00 p.m. because of the teaching commitments in Kharkiv, my running in Kyiv may have to be on Wednesday through Saturday).

The only downside of the apartment so far is that it is a little cold--notwithstanding three radiators in the rooms. I suppose this is my just desserts for feeling too hot in the last apartment.

Running on Труханів острів (Trukhaniv Island)

My faithful Ukrainian correspondent, Olga Kupriyevych, writes:

"Dan. You can not only run in the park but also cross the Dnipro using the pedestrian bridge and run on Trukhaniv Island in the middle of the Dnipro River. My husband and I used to ski there in winter with our children."

Studying my map, I now see the pedestrian bridge, which is only about 500 feet or so down the hill and across the Vladimyrskyi Descent from the statute of the Baptizer. (In fact, here's a nice picture of the foot bridge behind the Baptizer, which I took in 2007). I read that the bridge was built in 1957 and connects the historic Podil neighborhood of Kyiv with Trukhaniv Island. The Island contains about 4 square miles of forest, meadows and footpaths.

Thanks, Olga! I've got my running shoes all packed.

My Daily Running in Kyiv

As I prepare to return to Ukraine in ten days or so, one subject of my meditations has been how to approach my daily running. Over the past eighteen months I have rarely missed a day of running, in all weather, and typically put in between forty and sixty miles per week. During my 2007 visit I frequently commented on the dangerous traffic conditions in Kyiv and the lack of safe above ground pedestrian walkways. (See, for example, my posts entitled "Where Will the Children Play," "Travails of a Pedestrian," "Passing By Gridlock on a Snowy Evening," and "Travels with Yuri.") So, the news that the new Kyiv apartment is located in Triokhsviatytelska Street directly across the street from the Volodymyrska Hirka Park is some of the best news I have heard. I cannot think of a better (and safer) place to run than on the network of walkways and paths in the Park, stretching from the statue of the Baptizer and up behind St. Michael's of the Golden Domes overlooking the Dnipro. The weather (even in snow) need not bother me, as I am accustomed to running in rain and snow, and the plowing crews appeared to be especially diligent in clearing the park during my many visits in 2007, including during and after two large snowstorms. I plan to take changeable and easily washable running clothes and one pair of running shoes with me. My plan is to run in the early mornings Wednesdays through Sunday. Mondays and Tuesdays will be problematic, as I will be commuting to and from Kharkiv on those days.

The New Kyiv Apartment

Corresponding with Chelom Leavitt and Olga Kupriyevych over the last 24 hours, I have received some more detail about the apartment in downtown Kyiv, which will be my home base for much of November. It is located at Triokhsviatytelska St. N

o. 9. It appears from the map and from Olga's excellent description that this apartment is directly across the street from the Volodymyrska Hirka park where the statue of the Baptizer is located overlooking the Dnipro, and only a few minute walk from St. Michael of the Golden Domes. It is also very close to St. Sophia's as well as the Maidan. I also note from the maps and a German language guidebook of Kyiv that I own, that the apartment is almost next door to the Catholic St. Alexander's Church. Olga tells me that it is only a twenty minute walk from the apartment to Taras Shevchenko University, which is one of two Kyiv universities where I will be lecturing. The second university--the National Aviation University, is reached by Marshrutka bus connections.

As I wrote in 2007, this neighborhood is very special to me, and I spent several days exploring this hill and all of its pathways, churches, monuments, gazebos and groves. I spent part of Thanksgiving 2007 writing in the Victorian gazebo overlooking the Dnipro. I also rode the Funicular almost every day from the Metro station at the bottom of the hill up to the rear of St. Michaels. This is also where I attended the very memorable Liturgy in the refectory church of St. John the Theologian, chronicled elsewhere on this site. Below is a view of St. Michaels on the right, and the little refectory church on the left.

A Hilltop View of the Rolling Waters of the Dnipro

This Thanksgiving morning I spent about an hour seated in an old Victorian style gazebo which sits on the promontory of Volodymyrska Hill Park. From here there is a sweeping view of the Dnipro River, far below, of the monument to Prince Volodymyr, the "Baptizer," of the beautiful tree-lined avenues of the park, and even of the sunlight glinting off of the spires in St. Michael's of the Golden Domes. I sat for a long time in solitude, gazing at the river and writing.

The view of the Dnipro from this point is incomparable. With the Nile, the Mississippi, the Amazon, the Yangtse, the Ganges, the Rhine and the Danube, this is one of the great rivers of the world. It has been the broad avenue of cultural change. The ancient Rus settled on these banks, ultimately carrying their great culture north into present-day Russia. There were great Viking trading outposts here and elsewhere along this river in the tenth and eleventh centuries. In more recent times, this river has been the chief commercial road between the Mediterranean and Black Sea ports and the great interior of the Soviet Union and of Russia. It has witnessed both great prosperity and great tyranny. And the Dnipro flows ever on, oblivious or indifferent to the rise and fall of Tsars and tyrants.

A great man once wrote, "How long can rolling waters remain impure?" As long as the rains and snows of heaven continue to fall upon the land of any people, how long can their rivers run polluted and choked with mud and debris. How long can oppression and hatred and tyranny bind a people when the waters of liberty, goodness and Wisdom are flowing freely. Even in the face of the darkest oppression, the rolling waters will ultimately run as clear as the mountain stream. The waters seem now to be running clear for the Ukrainian people. May the rolling waters sweep away all that clouds and pollutes this great people. May it ever be so.

These, and other thoughts crowded around me as I sat overlooking the beautiful Dnipro. This may be my most memorable Thanksgiving Day, spent in a little gazebo overlooking this special and sacred spot of Kyiv.