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The church was built in the middle of 12th century in a distant suburb of Kiev called Drogozhichi. The church founder prince of Tchernigov Vsevolod Olgovitch has taken Kiev by storm during intestine struggle for a great Kiev throne. For the representatives of Olgovitchi dynasty the church served as the country residence and family tomb. Prince Svyatoslav, one of the characters of great Russian medieval poem "A word about prince Igor and his troops", was buried there in the year of 1194. As the time passed the church has come through the periods of desolation, repair and renovation. In 1748-1760 the stone monastery buildings were constructed by famous Ukrainian architect I.Grigorovitch-Barskiy. Now there is only a part of the wall with a tower left from these buildings. After rebuilding in 12-13 centuries the old Kirillovskaya Church has received its modern external shape with characteristic features of Ukrainian baroque architecture. In 60s of 19th century church attracts public attention because there were some older (12th century) paintings found under later layer of plaster. In 1881-1884 there was a huge restoration work conducted under the guidance of professor A. Prakhov. The students and teachers of Kiev Painting School (N. Murashko, I.Seleznyow, N. Pimonenko, H. Plationov, I. Izhakevitch, S. Gayduk, F. Zozulin) took part in this work. In 1884 famous Russian artist Mikhail Vrubel worked there. On demand of church old paintings were repainted with oil paints. That time marble parapets, choir and iconostasis were also constructed.
In May of 1929 Kirillovskaya church was announced as State Historical and cultural museum. The investigative work was later interrupted by the Second World War. Big works on strengthening walls and the bases were carried out in a temple after the war, because of the deformation of the walls after destruction of ancient tunnels. Only after this the architectural archeological investigation, cleaning and restoration of wall paintings continued. Museum has opened its doors again.
Architecture of the church was in a good condition from 12 century. The rebuilding in 17-18 centuries was expressed basically in the renovation of some vaults. Also four lateral domes were finally built, a magnificent pediment above the entrance was constructed and the windows were decorated with relief. Ancient architectural forms can be clearly seen under the later constructions. The walls of Kirillovskaya church are covered with paintings dating from 12 century. There are about 800 square meters left. They are valuable works of art of the period of Ancient Russia.
Under the dome there are some images of apostles, evangelists and martyrs left. In altar part there is "Eucharistia" and paintings of saints. There are "Annunciation", "Feast of the Purification" and monumental figures of apostles Peter and Paul near the Altar. There are holy warriors at the center. Their images are probably connected with feudal nobility inquiries in epoch of severe civil strife. Among the paintings there are a lot of figures of prophets, martyrs, colorful ornaments. There is also a part of Judgement Day composition (a popular motive in Russian icon painting from 12th century) composition left on the walls and the ceiling.
The combination of bright color spots (white, pink, blue and olive) is typical for the graphical paintings of Kirillovskaya church. The painters emphasized on person's faces, creating images of exclusive expressiveness. The scenes from "St. Kirill from Alexandria lifetime" painting are marked by rich colors and abundance of vital details. Many images for example " The angel braiding the sky " are marked by boldness of composition. Frescoes from Kirillovskaya church are one of the most interesting examples of Russian medieval painting.
Among the oil paintings made during the restoration work in 19th century works of famous Russian artist Mikhail Vrubel take special place. He has shown his talent of monumental artist and courageous colorist in them. One of his greatest works in temple is "Ñîøåñòâèå ñâÿòîãî äóõà" which is situated on the arch of choir. In images of apostles the artist has shown the depth of human emotions and has created the gallery of portraits with deep psychological characteristics. Also on the choirs there are figures of angels, Christ, heads of prophet Moses and prophet Solomon. In a niche the artist has painted "The Gravestone crying". This scene with its contrast of smooth moves of angels and stillness of Christ's body and its combination of cold green-gray and intense warm colors this scene amazingly transfers the depth of human suffering.
For the marble iconostasis made by drawings of A. Prakhov Vrubel has painted the icons "Afanasiy", "Mother Mary", "Christ", "Kirill" while being in Venice. This works are marked by figurativeness deep realism and high artistic mastership. The most outstanding is the portrait of Mother Mary. There is so much suffering and anxiety for the sons destiny in the eyes of this young woman, that she is perceived as the embodiment of the parent's grief. It stands among the best female images created by Vrubel.
The ancient architecture of Kirillovskaya church and its remarkable wall paintings make this historical place one of the most valuable and interesting museums of Ukraine.
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