The fascinating history of the St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery is explained in great detail (in Ukrainian and English placards) in a museum located in the monastery's bell tower. The museum also explains the sad history of the neighbouring Tryokhsvyatytelska Church, destroyed by the Soviets in 1934. They then added insult to injury by building the gargantuan Ministry of Foreign Affairs on the site.
Lonely Planet's must-see attractions
0.36 MILES
The interior is the most astounding aspect of Kyiv's oldest standing church. Many of the mosaics and frescoes are original, dating back to 1017–31, when…
2.06 MILES
Tourists and Orthodox pilgrims alike flock to the Lavra, set on 28 hectares of grassy hills above the Dnipro River in Pechersk. It's easy to see why…
0.35 MILES
Be it celebration or revolution, whenever Ukrainians want to get together – and they often do – 'Maidan' is the nation's meeting point. The square saw pro…
St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
0.03 MILES
Looking from St Sophia's past the Bohdan Khmelnytsky statue, it's impossible to ignore the gold-domed blue church at the other end of proyizd Volodymyrsky…
0.64 MILES
It's hard to characterise this beachfront hippie haven on Trukhaniv Island. It derives its name from the smattering of raised wooden chill-out huts that…
0.94 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…
11.02 MILES
Kyiv's newest tourist attraction is Mezhyhirya, the estate that once 'belonged' to ex-president and wannabe Ukrainian dictator, Viktor Yanukovych,…
1.57 MILES
Izolyatsia is a self-described platform for cultural initiatives and contemporary culture occupying an old shipyard in north Podil. Originally from…
Nearby Kyiv attractions
1. St Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
0.03 MILES
Looking from St Sophia's past the Bohdan Khmelnytsky statue, it's impossible to ignore the gold-domed blue church at the other end of proyizd Volodymyrsky…
2. Ministry of Foreign Affairs
0.08 MILES
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs was built by the Soviets on the site of the Tryokhsvyatytelska Church, one of Kyiv's holiest edifices, destroyed by Stalin…
0.23 MILES
Prince Volodymyr ordered the Desyatynna Church built in 989 and devoted 10% of his income to it, hence the name (desyatyn means 'one-tenth'). The church…
0.3 MILES
The gold-and-blue baroque masterpiece that dominates the view as you walk up Andriyivsky uzviz was built in 1754 by Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli…
5. National Museum of Ukrainian History
0.31 MILES
Located more or less at the spot where history began for Kyiv, this huge museum has been fully modernised in recent years and represents a fantastic…
6. Taras Shevchenko Memorial House Museum
0.32 MILES
A beautifully restored, 19th-century wooden house where the man who dominates the Ukrainian literary pantheon once lived. You can see drawings he made on…
0.35 MILES
Be it celebration or revolution, whenever Ukrainians want to get together – and they often do – 'Maidan' is the nation's meeting point. The square saw pro…
0.36 MILES
According to legend, a man walked up the hill here, erected a cross and prophesied, 'A great city will stand on this spot.' That man was the Apostle…