National Sanctuary "Sophia of Kiev"

The National Sanctuary "Sophia of Kiev" (Ukrainian: Національний заповідник «Софія Київська») is the National Sanctuary in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine, responsible for maintenance and preservation of some of its most precious historic sites.

Beside the complex of Saint Sophia Cathedral, part of the site "buffer zone", the preserve also includes the Golden Gate, St. Cyril's Monastery and St Andrew's Church in Kiev, as well as the Genoese Sudak fortress in Crimea.

History

The creation of the cultural reserve (sanctuary) in 1934 by the order of the authorities of the Soviet Ukraine at the site of the Saint Sophia Cathedral has likely saved one of the holiest sites in Eastern Europe from destruction during the Soviet-wide anti-religious campaign of early 1930s. The museum's responsibilities were gradually expanded to other historic locations of Kiev.

In 1994, the sanctuary was accorded its current status of the National Reserve.

References

• Sophia of Kiev official website
• Kateryna Shchotkina, "An ordinary date of Sophia", Zerkalo Nedeli (The Mirror Weekly), October 16-22, 2006, in Russian, in Ukrainian.