Sofija Kijevska: tisuću godina povijesti

Sofija Kijevska, ili Katedrala svete Sofije, Katedrala Svete Mudrosti Božje, duhovno je srce i moje osobno “mjesto moći” u glavnom gradu Ukrajine. To je UNESCO-ova svjetska baština.

Povijest

Katedralu je u studenom 1017. godine osnovao Vladimir Veliki, vladar Rusije. Ovo srednjovjekovno kraljevstvo često se naziva Kijevska Rus’. Nalazila se na području današnje Ukrajine. Katedrala je dobila ime po Aja Sofiji iz 6. stoljeća u Carigradu, današnjem Istanbulu.

Veliki knez, ili kako mi zovemo vladare tog vremena – knez Vladimir krstio je Rus’, tj. uveo kršćanstvo u svoje kraljevstvo i oženio Anu, kćer rimskog cara Bazilija II.

Izgradnja Katedrale svete Sofije u Kijevu trajala je dvadeset godina, a Vladimirov sin, Jaroslav Mudri, dovršio je ono što je njegov otac započeo. Kasnije je postala grobno mjesto kijevskih vladara.

Kulturna vrijednost

Sofija Kijevska najstarija je kršćanska, u potpunosti sačuvana crkva u istočnoslavenskom području. Sačuvala je svoju prekrasnu arhitekturu, uvelike obnovljenu u 16. stoljeću, i najveći svjetski ansambl mozaika i fresaka iz 11. stoljeća: 260 četvornih metara mozaika i 3000 četvornih metara fresaka. Kombinira bizantski interijer s elementima prepoznatljivog ukrajinskog baroknog stila.

Ono što je posebno zanimljivo kod zidova Katedrale svete Sofije jest da se na njima nalazi mnogo grafita. Ljudi iz davnih vremena, grafiti datiraju iz XI-XVIII stoljeća, šarali su po zidovima, pričajući o svojim životima i nekim povijesnim događajima. Jezik ovih grafita ima mnogo sličnih obilježja sa suvremenim ukrajinskim jezikom.

Suvremene prijetnje

Katedrala svete Sofije preživjela je tisuću godina, oba svjetska rata. Ponovno je u opasnosti od ruskih napada na Kijev. Kako bi se sačuvala od tih barbarskih napada, laserski je skenirana i digitalizirana u obliku 3D modela.

Voljela bih da ljudi više ne moraju štititi nešto što grade, razvijaju i njeguju od onih koji žele uništiti naš svijet u potrazi za moći.

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Sophia of Kyiv, or St. Sophia Cathedral, Holy Wisdom of God Cathedral, is a spiritual heart and my personal “place of force” in the capital of Ukraine. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

Some history

The cathedral was founded on a November day of the year 1017 by Volodymyr the Great, the ruler of Rus. This medieval kingdom is often called Kievan Rus. It was situated in the territories of modern Ukraine. The Cathedral was called after the VIth century Hagia Sophia in Constantinopol, modern Istanbul. 

The Grand Prince, or as we call the rulers of that time — Knyaz Volodymyr baptized Rus, i.e. brought Christianity into his kingdom and married Anna, the daughter of Roman II, the Emperor of Bizanthine. 

It took twenty years to build St. Sophia Cathedral of Kyiv, and it was Volodymyr’s son, Yaroslav the Wise, who finished what his father had started. It later became a burial place of the Kyivan rulers.

Cultural value

Sophia of Kyiv is the most ancient Christian fully preserved church in the East Slavic area. It preserves its beautiful architecture, being greatly rebuilt in the XVIth century, and the world’s biggest ensemble of mosaics and frescoes of the XIth century: 260 square meters of mosaics and 3000 square meters of frescoes. It combines its Byzanthine interior with elements of a definite Ukrainian baroque style. 

What is especially interesting about the walls of St. Sophia Cathedral is that there are a lot of graffiti on them. People of ancient times, graffiti dating back to the XI-XVIIIth centuries, were scribbling on the walls, telling about their lives and some historical events. The language of this graffiti has many similar features to the modern Ukrainian language.

Modern threats

St. Sophia Cathedral survived a thousand years, both World Wars. It is once again in danger of Russian attacks on Kyiv. For the purpose of preserving it from those barbaric attacks, it was laser scanned and digitalized in the form of a 3D model.

I wish people no longer needed to protect something they build, develop and cherish from those eager to destroy our world in pursuit of power.