Centuries-old secrets: What lies beneath St. Cyril's Church

What makes St. Cyril's Church unique

The church was founded in the 12th century against the backdrop of internal conflicts. The founder and ktetor (patron – ed.) of the church was Prince Vsevolod of Chernihiv, who ascended the Kyiv throne in 1140. He dedicated the church to his heavenly patron, Saint Cyril, Archbishop of Alexandria.

"The shrine was built in the historical area of Dorohovychi. This is where the main battles for Kyiv once took place. The chronicle says that the land of Dorohovychi was "soaked in blood and strewn with bones." Soon after its founding, a monastic complex formed around the church," says Pronina.

The original appearance of the St. Cyril's Church (photo: Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)

St. Cyril's Church is included in UNESCO's tentative list. The church has preserved 800 square meters of 12th-century frescoes, with some compositions having no analogues in the world.

"The layout of the central part of this church and that of Saint Sophia Cathedral is completely identical. The only difference is that the upper zones in the cathedral are decorated with mosaics, while here they are frescoes. The patrons of the St. Cyril's Church likely could not afford mosaics, as they were extremely expensive. The church was most likely painted by local craftsmen — after the decoration of Saint Sophia in the 11th century, an iconographic school emerged in Kyiv based on Byzantine traditions," says the researcher.

In addition, the church contains 863 medieval graffiti written in Old Church Slavonic and Latin.

"The graffiti in the church are messages to God. People used to believe that a prayer was a temporary act. Once the prayer ended, the plea ended as well. But if something was scratched into the wall of a church, it would continuously reach God's ears. That’s why every person felt the need to leave such a mark. Some graffiti even asked for punishment for dishonest taxpayers. If a person couldn’t write, they would draw a cross or some symbol on the wall. We even have children’s graffiti — one shows a little horse," shares Petrenko.

Frescoes in the southern apse (photo: Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)

Fresco "Angel Rolls Up the Sky" (photo: Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)

Scene of hell depicted in the frescoes (photo: Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)

What secrets does the church hide

Chronicles indicate that St. Cyril's Church served as a princely burial site.

"Here they buried the wife of the church's founder, Princess Maria Mstyslavivna — granddaughter of Volodymyr Monomakh; her eldest son, Prince Sviatoslav — the hero of the Old Rus' epic "The Tale of Igor’s Campaign"; as well as his son Vsevolod the Red and his wife, Princess Maria Kazymyrivna. None of the burials have survived to this day," says Pronina.

According to her, the graves were most likely looted between the 13th and 17th centuries, when the church stood abandoned after being destroyed by the hordes of Khan Batu. The Mongol-Tatars themselves could not have looted it, as they had a taboo against disturbing graves.

In addition, there are 21 burials in the church's underground chambers: this is the resting place of the Tuptalo family. The most famous among them is Metropolitan Dymytrii of Rostov, who was later canonized. Today, the underground chambers of the church are sealed, as is the entrance to the caves.

"During restoration work in the 19th century, a crack was discovered in the altar area containing fragments of male bones and a piece of monastic clothing. Researchers believe these are relics of a local saint — there was a tradition of placing such remains in church walls. There is a legend that a monk named Kyrylo lived in the caves here, and his bones may have been walled up in the church. During the restoration, the remains were removed, and their current whereabouts are unknown," says Petrenko.

There is also a secret passage in the church wall that leads to a height of 5.5 meters. There used to be a balcony there. Scholars assume it may have been intended for Prince Vsevolod to ascend for prayer and be closer to his heavenly patron.

It is worth noting that St. Cyril's Church functions as a museum, but religious services are also held there periodically.

Secret passage in the wall (photo: Vitalii Nosach/RBC-Ukraine)

Earlier we reported that the Assumption Cathedral in the Lavra has become a symbol of Ukraine’s restoration. It was blown up by the communists in 1941, and the shrine was rebuilt shortly after our independence was declared. Most of the church is painted in the style of Cossack Baroque, while the Andriivsky altar was illegally painted in the style of the Russian Church by the Moscow Patriarchate.