When in Rome, do as Romans do. What to do in Kyiv - visit churches! An Orthodox church is a must destination to visit for any traveller coming to Ukraine, be it for a few days, or indefinitely. Below we have compiled the list of the best Orthodox churches in Kyiv - just pick the one you like and off you go! Feel free to use our interactive map to build the most effective route for your Ukrainian Orthodox discoveries.

Contact us for your private tour of Orthodox churches

Ukraine has a rich religious history. The Ukrainian nation has always taken pride in its gold-domed monasteries on the background of the blue Dnieper river. Even despite wars and Soviet attacks, many Orthodox churches have survived throughout the centuries and have undergone many design alterations throughout those times. Despite many hardships, the Ukrainian Orthodox faith still endures as the monasteries have saved its ancient spirit.

1. Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

The only church in Ukraine that has its name borrowed from the caves under it - “Pechersk” - is the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. This church is over 1,000 years old and has been founded by two monks Anthony and Theodosius. It covers a large territory of 22 acres and consists of two main hills connected by the trough gradually descending to the Dnieper river. It is not only a beautiful church but the one that can also boast of the rare status of a lavra. There are only 12 churches in the world having this status, and three of them - in Ukraine. It’s also a historic sight that, in some magical religious way, has survived two world wars.

2. Saint Sophia Cathedral

Saint Sophia Cathedral is an Orthodox church in Kyiv famous for its Byzantine frescoes and mosaics. It is one of those traditional churches that awes visitors with its mystique. It’s one of the mandatory destinations for any visitor or traveller. It was supposedly built a few years earlier than the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra - around 1037. Many famous metropolitans and princes from the Ukrainian religious history were buried on the territory of the Saint Sophia Cathedral, including Yaroslav the Wise (Ukr. - Yaroslav Murdryj), who had founded the first Ukrainian library there.

3. St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral

In 1686, the Kiev Patriarchate deemed itself a separate ecclesiastical body (a.k.a. an autocephalous church), as opposed to being previously included as a branch of the Moscow Patriarchate. However, the decision was not recognized by the ruling Moscow Patriarchate for a long time. Finally, last year, in 2018, the Patriarchate of Constantinople revisited an earlier attempt to grant autocephaly to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

St. Volodymyr’s Cathedral is one of the newer Orthodox churches in Kyiv. It was founded in the XIX century as a mark of the 900-year anniversary of the Ukrainian Christianity. It is arguably the prettiest church in Ukraine influenced by the art nouveau tendencies.

4. St. Andrew’s Church

St. Andrew’s Church was initially designed by the Italian architect. It is a baroque interpretation of the classic Ukrainian church. Built in 1754, with the main focus on the exterior view, the church is now closed for the visitors. However, it’s still possible to climb its stairs and enjoy a magnificent view of the Dnieper River and the Podil part of Kyiv. Located on the Andrew’s Descent where you can find souvenirs and fully admire the city, monuments, museums.

Read more: WHAT TO VISIT IN KYIV FOR ONE DAY, 10 AWESOME THINGS TO DO IN KYIV, HOW TO EXPLORE COMMUNISM IN KYIV

5. St. Nicolas Wondermaker on The Water Church

St. Nicholas the Wondermaker was the saint in the Ukrainian religion who provided gifts to the children. As a religious Santa Claus, he would reward the children who had been behaving well over the past year. For not so well-behaved kids, he could bring a rod as punishment. The church on water is also a tribute to the seamen who have been lost in the waters as well as the Baptism of Ukraine on water.

Read more: UNUSUAL HOLIDAYS AND TRADITIONS IN UKRAINE

6. St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery

St. Michael’s Monastery in Kyiv was initially built in 1713 but then demolished by the Soviets before the World War II. However, Ukrainians managed to rebuild and reopen the church for the visitors again in 1999. Ever since, the St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Monastery has been acting as the headquarters of the Metropolitan of Kiev and the whole Ukraine.

7. Vydubychi Monastery

Vydubychi Monastery is one of the less famous and more traditional monasteries on the territory of Kyiv. The monastery was found in 1070 and was dedicated to the pagan god of water Perun. The name of the church “Vydubychi” comes from the old Ukrainian word meaning “to emerge from the waters”. A beautiful bell tower was erected in 1727 by the Hetman Danylo Apostol - a prominent Ukrainian military leader from the 18th century.

8. Transfiguration Cathedral

The Transfiguration Cathedral is the place to hear some Ukrainian Orthodox choir. The national Ukrainian hymn is performed daily in the bell tower. There are also some of the most beautiful mosaics placed on the light walls of the church’s interior. These frescoes depict some of the historic sights, including St. Volodymyr holding his trident, and the bone of St. Luke the Archbishop of Crimea.

9. Pyrohoshcha Church

Pyrohoshcha Church of the Mother of God was founded in 1132. It was one of not many churches to have mosaic-covered floors and astonishingly detailed frescoes on the walls. It was also the first medieval building in Kyiv to be built from brick, not stone. The church was redesigned several times. It was reconstructed in the Italian style in the XVI century, then in the baroque style in the XVIII century, and, finally, in the neoclassical style in the XIX century. In the XX century, the Soviet Union destroyed the church and it was rebuilt again only in 1998 as part of the independent Ukraine’s Orthodox Kyiv Patriarchate.

10. The Church of the Nativity of Christ

The Church of the Nativity of Christ is located on the Postal Square in Kyiv. It was built at the beginning on the XIX century purely from stone. Also destroyed by Bolsheviks in the middle of the XX century, it was fully rebuilt and returned to its initial state only in 2003. This church was a symbolic beginning of the path leading to the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra all the way across the Podil region of Kyiv. In 1861, when the ashes of the famous poet Taras Shevchenko were taken from Saint Petersburg to his native city Kanev, a stop was made by the Church of the Nativity of Christ for saying farewell to the poet’s remains. After that, the Church also gained an unofficial status of the “Shevchenko church”.

Churches in Ukraine are different. There are a lot of them, just like there are more than 40 million individuals with different views and religious opinions in this country. However, the pinnacle of the ancient Ukrainian faith is in its beautiful Orthodox images depicted by the religious frescas, mosaics, and golden domes.

Contact us for your private tour of Orthodox churches

It’s worth coming to Ukraine for a few days just to savor the beauty of the Orthodox spirit which is so strong and versatile, just like the church organ music, a singing choir, and a ringing bell tower on a Sunday.