St. Sophia’s Cathedral – Street view

Saint Sophia’s Cathedral complex is one of Kiev’s most recognizable landmarks. It is known in Ukrainian as Sobor Sviatoyi Sofiyi (Собор Святої Софії) or Sofiyskyi Sobor (Софійський собор). It was built between 1037 – 1299 during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. The name comes from the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. It was recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1990.

St. Sophia’s – late afternoon in the Square

I would recommend an early visit for the best photographs.. It is an impressive sight when the sun lights the bell tower in the morning. And as an added incentive, the square does not really get crowded until after 11 AM…

 St. Sophia’s Square is also home to Kyiv’s largest monument to Bohdan Khmelnytsky, a Ukrainian hero and folk legend. He led an uprising against the Lithuanian-Polish Commonwealth that led to the formation of an independent Cossack state. He is considered to be one of the fathers of the nation.

St. Sophia’s

Monument to Bohdan Khmelnitsky