Gate Church of the Trinity, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
Gate Church of the Trinity | ||
---|---|---|
Троїцька надбрамна церква | ||
Style Ukrainian Baroque | | |
Groundbreaking | 1106 | |
Completed | 1108 | |
Specifications | ||
Number of domes | 1 |
The Gate Church of the Trinity (
History
The Gate Church of the Trinity was built in 1106-1108, as part of the
After destruction of the
The church was studied by P. Lashkarev, I. Morgilevsky, Y. Aseev, F. Umantsev and S. Kilesso. In 1957-1958, their restoration efforts included replacing lost decorations, gilding the dome, and retouching external oil paintings.[1]
Architecture
The church is located atop the Holy Gates (Ukrainian: Святі ворота), the main entrance to the monastery.[3] Near the entrance are rooms for the gate's guards.[1] The church is wedged between monastery walls, helping to protect the gates.[1] The monastery walls, covered in frescoes, were renewed in 1900-1901 by D. Sonin and others.[1]
The Gate Church of the Trinity is divided into three naves, each containing a spherical apse off the western side. An external stone stairway leads to the church.[4][5] Several narrow window openings and the overall visually uplifting effect create a heightened sense of spiritual power.
The church is a typical
In 1725, a large sixteen-candle chandelier was installed. During the 1730s-1740s, artists from the monastery's iconography workshop decorated the church's interiour.[5] The church's frescoes were based on Biblical scenes, and the exterior decor was based on Ukrainian folklore. Eighteenth-century compositions by F. Pavlovskyi, I. Maksimovych and A. Galik (with help from M. Yakubovych and I. Kadelskyi) have been preserved to this day, including "Faces of the Holy Martyr," "The Traders Cast Out of the Temple" and "The Council of Nicaea." The names of the painters were unknown for many years and only recently were revealed after archival research.[5]
Interiour frescoes are a unique collection of 18th-century traditional Ukrainian architecture.[1] Allegorical and historical Biblical topics are given in a noncanonical way; some include Ukrainian national ornaments.[1] Carved wooden chairs, painted in Ukrainian folk tradition, are installed along the western wall.[1]
Footnotes
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j Vlasenko, Petro. Троицкая Надвратная церковь. Monuments of architecture of Ukrainian SSR (in Russian). Retrieved March 10, 2007.
- ^ The book is a collection of tales about the monks of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.
- ^ ISBN 966-96041-3-3.
- ^ The apses can only be seen from the centre of the church, because the exteriour walls are flat.
- ^ a b c d Троїцька Надбрамна церква. Wiki-Encyclopedia Kyiv (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
References
- Троїцька Надбрамна церква (фрески). Wiki-Encyclopedia Kyiv (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
- Kilesso, S.K. (1966–1970). Kiev-Pecherskaya Lavra. Iskusstvo. p. 144. ISBN.
- Umantsev, F. (1970). Troitska nadbramna tserkva Kyievo-Pecherskoi Lavry. Mystetstvo. p. 144. ISBN.
Links
- Media related to Gate Church of the Trinity (Kyiv Pechersk Lavra) at Wikimedia Commons