Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev

Saint Sophia Cathedral In Kiev

Coordinates: 50°27′10″N 30°30′52″E / 50.45278°N 30.51444°E / 50.45278; 30.51444

Coordinates: 50°27′10″N 30°30′52″E / 50.45278°N 30.51444°E / 50.45278; 30.51444

Saint Sophia Cathedral (Собор святої Софії)
Eastern Orthodox Cathedral
Saint Sophia Cathedral seen from the belltower.
Name origin: Hagia Sophia
Country	Ukraine
Capital city	Kiev
Districts	Shevchenko Raion, National Sanctuary "Sophia of Kiev", Saint Sophia Cathedral Complex
Municipality	Kiev City
Landmarks of complex	Saint Sophia Cathedral, Belltower, Refectory Church, Consistory, House of Metropolitan, Southern entrance tower
Coordinates	50°27′10″N 30°30′52″E / 50.45278°N 30.51444°E / 50.45278; 30.51444
Length of cathedral	29.5 m (97 ft)
- Length w/galleries	41.7 m (137 ft)
Width of cathedral	29.3 m (96 ft)
- Width w/galleries	54.6 m (179 ft)
Height of main dome	28.6 m (94 ft)
Styles	Byzantine architecture, Ukrainian Baroque
Founded	Eastern Orthodox Cathedral
- established 1	Greek-Catholic Cathedral
- established 2	Returned to Orthodox Church
Date	11th century
- date 1	1596
- date 2	1630s
Government	Ministry of Culture of Ukraine
Leader	Nelya Kukovalska
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Name	Kiev: Saint Sophia Cathedral and Related Monastic Buildings, Kiev Pechersk Lavra
Year	1990 (#14)
Number	527
Region	Europe and North America
Criteria	i, ii, iii, iv
Recognition	Seven Wonders of Ukraine
Website: www.sophia.org.ua

Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev is an outstanding architectural monument of Kievan Rus'. Today, it is one of the city's best known landmarks and the first Ukrainian patrimony to be inscribed on the World Heritage List along with the Kiev Cave Monastery complex. Aside from its main building, the cathedral includes an ensemble of supporting structures such as a bell tower, the House of Metropolitan, and others. In 2011 the historic site was reassigned from the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Regional Development of Ukraine to the Ministry of Culture of Ukraine. One of the reasons for that move was the fact that both "Sofia Kyivska" and Kiev Pechersk Lavra are recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Program as one complex, while in Ukraine the two were governed by different government entities.

In Ukrainian the cathedral is known as Sobor Sviatoyi Sofiyi (Собор Святої Софії) or Sofiyskyi sobor (Софійський собор). In Russian it is known as Sobor Svyatoi Sofii (Собор Святой Софии) or Sofiyskiy sobor (Софийский собор).

The complex of the Cathedral is the main component and museum of the National Preserve "Sophia of Kiev" which is the state institution responsible for the preservation of the Cathedral complex as well as four other historic landmarks across the nation.