The church was built in 1037 by Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise, dedicated to God's Wisdom (Sophia).  The walls are filled with original frescoes and mosaics of the saints and of Yaroslav's family.

The Belfry is from the 17th-18th century, representative of what they call Ukrainian Baroque style.  (The photo only includes the upper two levels.)

In visiting a church of this age, we begin to understand history that far pre-dates our North American or even Mennonite history.

St. Sophia's was built shortly after the conversion of Kiev to Christianity under Prince Vlodomir.   The images inside the church show his family on the walls; the Madonna is depicted in the nave and the apostles in the spire.  The church largely survived invasion from the east and from Germany and was spared from Stalin's destructiveness.

Some day, it would be good to take the time to understand the Ukrainian Orthodox spirituality -- the sense of mystery and the respect for tradition.

And yet, the Ukrainians typically have little understanding themselves after the communist policies drove a deep wedge between the church and the people.

The gold on the domes is a striking feature of the Kiev skyline, seen at the monastery, St. Sophia's, St. Michaels, and St. Andrew's, for example -- but seemingly not in Sevastopol, Odessa or elsewhere.