The "Golden Gate" in an "Iron Curtain"

Right outside the exit doors of the Zoloti Voroda Metro station is the monument which gives the place its name, the "zoloti Vorota" or Golden Gate of the city of Kiev. The history of this gate is emblematic of the long and often troubling relationship between Russia and Ukraine. This is, indeed the site of a very ancient gate to the City of Kyiv, constructed by Yaroslav the Wise in the eleventh century. Historical records show that the gate was used for many centuries, although by 1750 the gates were in ruins and partially covered with earth. In the nineteenth century the earth was scraped away from the ancient foundations of the gate so they could be seen, and this was the state of affairs until the 1982 construction of the monument depicted here. In 1982 there was a celebration of the 1,500th anniversary of the founding of Kyiv, and at that time the Soviet Union commissioned architects and archaeologists to construct a new gate upon the original site. The problem is that the new "reconstruction" is built upon the ancient one, thus essentially destroying the archaeological site. There are also many questions about the accuracy of the Soviet reconstruction. Upon inspecting the new "Golden Gate," I found it telling that there are placards commemorating the event in both Russian and Ukrainian. On the south side of the monument are huge doors, and on the north side a sliding spiked grate with timber latticework.

In contemplating the presence of this monstrosity, it occurs to me that the intent behind the Soviet reconstruction was to coopt Ukrainian history and place it within the ambit of the Russian-dominated Soviet Union. In other words, the Soviet gate it is not a gate which "opens" but a gate which only "closes." It closes freedom, inquiry and even history for the Ukrainians. This was literally the "Golden Gate" in the "Iron Curtain." Thus, I find it poignant that the "Golden Gate" was locked when I inspected it.

Now that the "Iron Curtain" has been breached, the doors of the "Golden Gate" are swinging open for Ukraine and all of the other oppressed nations of eastern Europe. May the doors of the "Golden Gate" never again be locked!

Pechersk--The Trinity-Over-The-Gate Church

Here is another very appealing Church in Pechersk (there are dozens). I just like the name--Trinity-over-the-Gate. There are some spectacular murals on the outside of the Church, as well as on the flanking walls. The "Gates" I have seen in Kyiv will bear much future rumination. "The Great Gate at Kiev" is the concluding number in Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition." Of course, there is also the pseudo-historical "Golden Gate" at Zoloti Voroda, which I will see in the morning. I like the idea of "gates" which lead us to new places and connections. May the "Gates" of Kyiv be wide open in the future, and may the inhabitants of this beautiful find "The Great Gate." This is my hope.

Lunch with a Saint

After teaching at the Academy in the morning and having "tea" with the faculty at the law school, I was invited to share lunch with Olga in her book-crammed apartment in the very ecclectic and fascinating neighborhood in the vicinity of Zoloti Vorota and Volodymrska. She cooked me food which she had planted and harvested on her own land on the opposite side of the Dnipro River. We had a marvelous hot borscht, seasoned cauliflower stalks and parsley salad with braised veal. It tasted so good on a snowy day, especially knowing that the hands that cooked it had also planted and nurtured it on the land. The antique clock from her old family home ticked away above us as we ate and visited. Over lunch Olga told me much of her family and her fascinating life, dating back to the horrendous days of the German occupation of World War II, and through her family's deep Orthodox piety during the repressive times of the Soviet Union. Much of what she shared with with me is too sacred and personal to express in this setting, but she has had experiences of deep import, which I have recorded in my personal diary. As I took leave of her I had the impression that here is a true Saint if there ever was one.