In the center of Kyiv, not far from the St. Sophia Cathedral there is a unique monument of the defensive architecture of the Kyivan Rus — the Golden Gate.
Like the St. Sophia of Kyiv, the Golden Gate belongs to the ancient edifices of the Eastern Europe. Golden Gate is mentioned in the famous annalistic article of 1037 narrating about construction activity of Yaroslav the Wise: „Yaroslav has founded a city — a great Kyiv and gates to that city are Golden ones. He founded also the church of the St. Sophia, God’s Great Wisdom, a metropolitanate, then a church on Golden Gate, stone one, of Annunciation of the Holy Virgin”.
Namely at that time, when extending the territory of the upper Kyiv, the great prince has surrounded the city with new grandiose defensive banks. At to their parameters, the defensive works of the “Yaroslav’s city” were unsurpassed in the Old Russian city fortification. Length of banks of the “Yaroslav’s city” made 3.5 km. The banks covered the territory of the Upper Kyiv (“Volodymyr’s city” and “Yaroslav’s city”) covering the area of 80 hectares.
In the fortification system of the “Yaroslav’s city” the chronicle mentions three gates: Golden, Liadsky and Jewish (Lviv). Only Golden Gate was made of stone.
The Golden Gate was not only the strongest link in the system of the ancient city fortification, but also a main entrance to Kyiv. Ambassadors from Byzantine Empire and other states of East and West striving to establish friendly connections with the Rus entered the city through those gates.
Under that vaults were entering the city with glory and gains participants of the military campaigns. A mission of the French king Henry the I Capeting entered the city probably through the Golden Gate, to seek in marriage with Anne — daughter of Yaroslav the Wise.
The Golden Gate was a battle tower with entrance crowned with a church of the Annunciation. The structure’s type uniting the Gates and the temple most probably was borrowed from the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantine historian of the 11th century John Skylytsa narrates on construction in the second half of the 10th century of a Saviour’s Church over the gates of Halka — entrance to the palace of Byzantine emperors in Constantinople. But there is an opinion that churches over the gates are the edifices inherent exclusively in Old Russian architecture. The historian of architecture Y. Aseiev considered “that construction of churches over the gates was not typical for the Byzantine architecture. It is not typical as well for Europe of that time” .
Main Gate to Kyiv was called Golden, undoubtedly, on the analogy with main city gate of Tsargorod. The toponomy of the structures of Yaroslav the Wise, stipulated by the chronicler in the article of 1037 (St. Sophia Cathedral, St. George and St. Irene Monasteries, Golden Gate) inherits the Constantinople one. The analogy can be traced down not only in the names of temples and gates, but also in ideas of town planning and structure of the “Yaroslav’s city”. During medieval times all aspects of life of a Christian country were transfixed with religious conception of the world and symbolism. Particularly it was felt in newly converted Christian states, to which Rus belonged as well. Yaroslav was striving to build not just a city, but a capital of Christian state, like Constantinople, — New Jerusalem. The city was intended as a harmonious entity, closed with a circle of defensive structures. S. Averyntsev wrote: “And in its notional aspect the city is correlated for a medieval person with a temple: a city is as if a spacious temple, a temple is as if the city’s heart, and both of them are the images of one and the same ideal — the Heavenly Jerusalem”. Kyivan
researcher M. M. Nikitenko remarks that the architecture of Kyiv of that time creates “an image of the sacred space in the center of which in the temple of the Saint Sophia a God’s Mother Orans was presenting herself before the Lord, as personifi cation of ideal Church and as a fi rst inhabitant of the Heavenly Jerusalem, introducing there Ruthenians — neophytes”. Both image of the Holy Virgin in the St. Sophia Cathedral, and Golden Gate with a church dedicated to the God’s Mother as well, and a church of the God’s Mother (the Tithes Church) of the 10th century testifi ed to acceptance of the Byzantine idea as to the Mother of God as protectress of cities.
To the symbolical meaning of the Golden Gate Church testify also monuments of the Old Russian literature. In the postamble of the “Word on Law and God’s Grace” when glorifying Yaroslav the Wise, the metropolitan Illarion says about completion of defensive structures and Annunciation church construction: “And glorious city of yours Kyiv wreathed with grandeur as a crown. You gave people of yours and the holy city to the most glorious, ready to help to the Christians the Holy Mother of God. He created For her a Church on Great Gate, in the name of the fi rst municipal feast of the Annunciation”. Further the greetings author, with which the angel addressed the Virgin Mary, readdressed to the city: “Rejoice, the most Orthodox city, God is with you!”. Thus, Yaroslav who dedi-cated the Gate’s church to the Annunciation, has passed Kyiv under protection of not only Mother of God, but of God Himself. Illarion called Kyiv “a city protected by God”. In written sources Jerusalem is being characterized with such an epithet. Main designation of the church over the Golden Gate is to provide for the “heavenly” protection of the city.
The Hypatius chronicle explains dedication of the church to the Annunciationas follows: „The wise great prince Yaroslav constructed (the church) of Annunciation on the gate (in order) to provide that city for the joy of the holy Annunciation of God and prayer of the Holy Mother of God, and St. Gabriel, Archangel”. Through the Golden Gate, according to the medieval symbolism, “good news” had to reach Kyiv.
The main Kyivan gate is mentioned in one more Old Russian work “The Legend on Consecration of the St. George Church”.
The St. George Church was constructed by Yaroslav the Wise at the beginning of the 50s of the 11th century not far from the Golden Gate in honor of his heavenly patron. The Legend informs that construction of a new temple was carried out slowly, due to the lack of labor force. The prince ordered to announce at public sale that he would pay worker a nogata per day, “and a lot of workers came”. As settlement for construction work he “ordered to bring kuny by carts into the komara of the Golden Gate”. In old times komara was called vaulted overlapping in the buildings.
Therefore, kunas were brought together under the vault of the Golden Gate. (Nogata and kuna are money units of the Kyivan Rus corresponding to 3.41 g. and 2.73 g. of silver. Marten or sable fur served probably, as their equivalent). Thus, in the Golden Gate should have been a premise where a treasury could be located.
Golden Gate was known also beyond the measures of the Old Russian state. A Polish legend on the sword “Sherbets” noted in later Polish historical chronicles has to do with them. The legend narrates that Polish king Boleslav Ist the Brave (or Boleslav IInd the Courageous, as medieval historians could muddle up the figures of two kings with practically the same names) when entering Kyiv blew with his sword against the Golden Gate as token of the city’s seizure. The sword chipped because of the blow (from here stems its Ukrainian name).
„Shcherbets” — is a coronation sward of Polish kings was kept in Gniezno, the first capital of Poland and was one of the symbols of the Polish Kingdom. Though, it is well known that the sword had no relation to the events of the 11th century, the appearing of the legend is, undoubtedly,
not by chance, since chopping of the Golden Gate meant conquest of Kyiv. This testifies to the wide fame of the Golden Gate and their significance in the city’s defense.
Polovtsian Khan Sevench threatened to perform the same symbolic gesture in 1151 during his attack on Kyiv together with Yuriy the Long-Arm: „I will chop the Golden Gate like my father”. However, troops of Yuriy the Long-Arm with casualties had to retreat to Bilgorod. The threat of “the wild Polovtsian” Sevench Bonyakovych was not put into practice, as he was killed, according to the chronicle, not far from the Golden Gate at the very year of 1151. Sevench mentioned his father — a well-known Polovtsian Khan Bonyak, who in 1096 during invasion of Rus has robbed the suburbs of Kyiv and burned down “a princely court at Berestovy”. Bonyak has almost burst into the city, probably he was trying “to chop” the Golden Gate. The motif of chopping (striking) with a sword against the Golden Gate, which is met in chronicles and legends is no a coincidence. In the middle ages such an action meant not only conquest of Kyiv, such a gesture was a sign of outrage, sacrilege, because the Golden Gate was a sacred guarantor of the city’s impregnability.
The topic of loosing by Kyiv of its defensive symbol Golden Gate lays in the legend on warrior Mykhailyk. The legend has preserved in the notes of the 18th — 19th century, but has to do with Old Kyivan bylina epic and narrates on events of old times when the city was besieged by the Khan Batu troops. A young warrior Mykhaylyk lived in Kyiv at that time. Batu knew that he won’t be able to conquer Kyiv if Mykhaylyk is there. Enemies started to threaten to kill all the inhabitants if Kyivans will not give away the warrior to them. Mykhaylyk reassured the Kyivans that he would protect the city. But the fear of enemy has won, and Kyivans agreed to give away their protector to Batu. Then Mykhaylyk speared the Golden Gate and brought it out of Kyiv. Having lost the symbol of impregnability the Kyivans suffered a defeat.
In old times, inheriting a Byzantine tradition, sacred images were depicted on the gate. Probably, the Golden Gate façade contained fresco or mosaic representation of the Mother of God. It is mentioned in the chronicle narrating on war actions of 1151. The great prince Iziaslav Mstyslavovych along with his allies — princes Viacheslav Volodymyrovych and Rostyslav Mstyslavovych were carrying negotiations with the messenger of Yuriy the Long-Arm at the Golden Gate. During negotiations Viacheslav, turning back to look at the Holy Mother of God which was over the Golden Gate said: “She will judge us, the All-Holy Our Lady, together with the Son of Hers, Our Lord, this age and coming ages.”
Probably, the Golden Gate contained image of the Mother of Gods with an Infant (the Virgin Hodigitria). Soon on the battle tower of the Gates shall be installed a mosaic image of the Mother of God in iconographic type of Nikopea (a Victress) like chancel fresco of the St. Sophia of Ochrid (1040). The author is L. Totsky, artist, consultant — Doctor of Historical Sciences N. Nikitenko. Mary holds the Infant Christ in front of her, as if a sword. Nikopea was considered to be a wonder-working one, the one which shall preserve the people and statehood.
Chronicle of the 12th century mention the Golden Gate primarily in connection with war actions and sieges during the times of princely intestine wars. Thus, in 1146 „…Berendeis, having crossed the Lybid, seized the impedimenta of Igor in front of the Golden Gate…” (its talked of the Berendei tribes). In 1151: „…without entering the city, Viacheslav (and) Iziaslav encamped both in front of the Golden Gate, near a ravine…” Under 1161 read: „…and run Berendeis: (one) — to Hungarian (tract), and the other — to the Golden Gate…” The Kyivan prince Mstyslav Iziaslavovych in 1170 „…together with brothers stopped in front of the Golden Gate in gardens..”. On battled in front of the Golden Gate testify archeological findings discovered in the ditch in front of the gates (along Golden Gate passage): human bones, stones, arrowheads, stone balls.
The Golden Gate embodied the power of state, is grandeur and invincibility.
Sure enough, for its time the Gates were impregnable ones. Describing various disasters suffered by Kyiv during the epoch of princely intestine wars and nomad invasions, the chronicles never mention
enemy’s encroachment to the city through the Golden Gate, though such attempts took place. In December 1240 Batu concentrated at Kyiv his main troops: “And (nothing) could be heard because of creaking of his carts, roar of great number of his camels, neighing of the herd of his horses, and the Russian land was full of enemies”. The Batu Khan did not dare to attack the Golden Gate. Main forces were concentrated at Liadsky Gates and fortifi cations of the Khreshchata valley. A Goat swamp and a rivulet were located there, but they have frozen and could not serve as a defensive factor.
Ten weeks and four days lasted defense of Kyiv. Municipal fortifi cations were attacked day and night by „poroky” (throwing machines, wooden artillery– the highest achievement of the military equipment of that time). Having broken the walls of fortifi cations and overpowering heroic resistance of the city’s defenders, numerous hordes of Batu invaded Kyiv through the Liadsky Gates. Having captured Kyiv, Batu moved to the West. However, exhausted with resistance they met in the Russian land, the Mongols were not able to conquer Europe, and in 1242 turned back. On the Lower Volga was created a center of the Golden Horde with its capital Sarai Berqe. The Kyivan Rus ceased to be an independent state. On its lands for long centuries was established the Mongolian burden. The Mongolian invasion in 1240 caused a great damage to Kyiv, undermined its material and spiritual recourses, but did not cause complete desolation. Life in Kyiv did not stop, though city’s expansion ceased for long years, and there was no a sign of its former mightiness.
After 1240 mentioning of the Golden Gate disappears for a long time from written sources. That is why it is unknown in which state were the Gates after the Mongolian invasion. Only at the end of the 15th century information on the Golden Gate appears again in the offi cial documents and notes of wanderers. Thus, charter of the great Lithuanian prince Alexander testifi es that in the second half of the 15th century the Golden Gate was used as the main entrance to the city, where traditionally municipal watch was located, and duties were levied from he merchants. In travel writings and diaries the Golden Gate were mentioned by the merchant Martin Grueneweg (1584), messenger of the Austrian emperor Rudolf II to Zaporozhye Cossacks Erich Liassota (1594), archdeacon Paul of Aleppo (1654) who accompanied his father Antiochian patriarch Macarius to Moscow.
From the written sources of the 16th — 17th centuries it is known that then the Golden Gate were dilapidated.
M. Grueneweg wrote: „the Golden Gate is still standing but their major part is destroyed… A chapel is arranged over them, according to the tradition of Ruthenians who decorate their gates on the top with beautiful churches, giving them to God for protection”.
On the Gates external look of that time narrate drawings by Holland artist Abraham vаn Westerfeld who was in Kyiv in 1651 together with Polish and Lithuanian troops of the prince Yanush Radzivill and sketched a lot of famous monuments of the Kyivan antiquities. According to the drawings by Westerfeld, the Golden Gate of the 17th century represented picturesque ruins, though separate arches, vaults of passage and remnants of the temple over the gate survived.
In the middle of the 17th century in Kyiv commenced construction of a fortress in order to protect the city of Polish troops, and later of Turkish aggression. The basis for the Starokyivsky fortress were the banks of the “Yaroslav’s city” and “Volodymyr’s city”. This fact emphasizes the great viability of the fortifi cation design of the Old Russian architects.
However, with appearance of artillery the structure of the old fortifi cations did not correspond any more to the requirements of making war, that is why new system of the municipal fortifi cation was elaborated. Old wooden defensive structures were demolished, banks were added some more, on the upper grounds guns were fi xed. The Golden Gate was adjusted to new conditions as well: in front of it earthy bastions were constructed.
Thus, the Golden Gate in the middle of the 18th century belonged to the system of the Starokyivska fortress. The garrison guard was placed there. The Gates were the place for solemn meetings. In 1648 the Kyivans greeted Bogdan Khmelnytsky with his troops near the Golden Gate, after the victory over Poles under the Yellow Waters, Korsun, Pyliavtsy.
Years were passing. The structure was dilapidating even more, became dangerous for the guards, visitors to the city and passersby. After investigation of the Gates in 1750 the engineer lieutenant-colonel D. Debosket arrived at a conclusion that they were not subject to repairs. In the middle of the 18th century the Golden Gate were covered with the land. In this way it was supposed to protect the remains of the monument of final destruction.
Ruins of the Golden Gate were beneath the ground until the 30s of the 19th century. In the beginning of the 19th century, due to reconstruction of the streets of the Upper city was taken decision on removal of banquettes surrounding the “Yaroslav’s city”.
In 20s of the 19th century an archaeological investigation of the ancient city on the Dnipro commenced.
Excavations of the Golden Gate in 1832 became one of the first in Kyiv. They were carried out “by clubbing of fanciers of the sacred antiquities”, i.e. by subscription. In 1832 the Tsar Nicolas the Іst, when looking over the open ruins of the Gates mentioned that “the monument was worth preservation”. Starting from 1833 for excavations of the Gates insignificant public funds started to be assigned. Archeological excavations were carried out by authority of the Kyivan governor-general V. Levashov, on initiative of an archeologist amateur K. Lokhvytsky, officer at large by that governor-general.
Discovered remains of the Golden Gate were considerably different from the ruins of the middle of the 18th century. An attempt to save “antiquity look” of the monument by covering it with land failed. The monument turned out to be in a much worse state.
For almost 80 years of being underground of the remains of the Golden Gate (1755–1832) the monument was forgotten, and its discovery became a kind of sensation. That event was celebrated by Kyivans on June 25, 1934. Solemn consecration took place at the emperor’s birthday. K. Lokhvytsky wrote that after the church service the Gate was sprinkled with the holy water, and in the evening they was “illuminated”. From that time the Golden Gate became for Kyivans and visitors to the city one of the favorite monuments of the antiquity, a Kyiv’s visiting card.
Open edifice consisted of two parallel walls (pylons) 25 meters long (the eastern one) and 13 meters long (the western one) and around 8 meters high. Internal surface of the passage walls is partitioned by seven couples of pilasters, the lower part of which rests upon the foundation’s base.
Brickwork of the edifice’s main part is typical for stone erections of the first half of the 11th century and close to the brickwork of the St. Sophia Cathedral. It was executed in Byzantine, so called mixed masonry technique („opus mixtum”), which is characterized by alternation of natural stone (granite, quartzite, slate, etc.) of various size with the layers of plinth (ancient brick).
Immediately after discovery of the Golden Gate an important question was raised: how to prevent the remains of the walls from the final destruction? In 1835–1836 the upper part of the walls was covered with lime mortar and laid with turf. In 1837 at the suggestion of the architect V. Beretti the engineer F. Mekhovych constructed three counterforts by the eastern wall and connected the walls of the Gates by means of the iron ligaments with rings.
In the middle of the 19th century a necessity arose to add two more brick counterforts to the eastern pylon. At the same time under the guidance of the architect M. Samonov the territory around the monument was fenced with open-work iron-cast railing under the sketches by V. Beretti.
In the 80s of the 19th century for the purpose of strengthening the ancient walls were laid with bricks and covered with metal roof. Though, namely then the external look of remains was considerably changed, it shall be noted that in the XIXth century measures as to the monument’s preservation were carried out quite delicately. To imagine what the Golden Gate looked like at the end of the 19th early 20th century help drawings by artists and photographs of that time. General attention and interest to the Golden Gate stimulated to its study, description, and archeological investigations in 1915, 1927, 1948 and 1961. A lot of scientists of the 19th — 20th centuries studied the Golden Gate (K. Lokhvytsky, F. Solntsev, P. Pokryshkin, O. Ertel, V. Liasoronsky, V. Bogusevych, Y. Aseiev).
In the 70s of the 20th century the Golden Gate remains were in bad condition. Despite of the measures on the remains preservation the monument in the open air was gradually going to ruin. Under conditions of Kyiv with typical fluctuation of temperature in winter it is impossible to prevent wrack and ruin of the brick remains of the Golden Gate. Thus during thaw the walls absorb water, and when the temperature decreases the moisture in cracks frizzes and expanding breaks the ancient wall.
In 1970 the Ukrainian Society for Protection of the Monuments of History and Culture formed a special committee for investigation of the Golden Gate’ condition, to which belonged historians, archeologists, and architects. The Committee came to a conclusion that for the purpose of the monument’s preservation it was necessary to revive it in its initial look.
In 1971 a group of authors was formed for the purpose of the Golden Gate revival. It consisted of the experts of various specialization: practicing restorer E. Lopushynska (Ukrprojektrestavratsia), archeologist S. Vysotsky (Institute of Archeology at the Academy of Sciences of the USSR), a well-known researcher of the Old Russian architecture M. Kholostenko (Kyivprojekt).
In October 1977 the Council of Ministers of the USSR passed a decree under No. 549 On Celebration of the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv, one of the paragraph’s of which provided for reconstruction of the Golden Gate. After that the case of the monument’s restoration
from its hypothetical initial aspect was transferred into a practical one.
In 1972–1973 fundamental architectural and archeological surveys and diligent taking of measures were carried out, rendering great number of new materials on the Golden Gate. Archeological excavations in 1970 were directed by S. Vysotsky.
Of great importance for the project of the Golden Gate reconstruction belonged to the study of architectural analogies. The only architectural analogy which has been good preserved under the later extensions was the Trinity Church on the gate of the 12th century of Kyiv Pechersk Monastery. The closest analogy to the Kyivan main gate is the Golden Gate in Vladymyr-on-Kliazma erected in 1158–1164.
In 1970s M. Kholostenko, S. Vysotsky, and E. Lopushynska suggested Gate’s reconstruction subject to new materials obtained during excavations of 1972–1973. From now on the basis for designing of the project of the pavilion-reconstruction over the Golden Gate was a reconstruction by E. Lopushynska considerably corrected and supplemented.
Construction of the pavilion commenced in June 1981 and was completed in April 1982. During the pavilion’s reconstruction was preserved the late masonry adjacent to the walls of the first half of the 11th century, and counterforts.
Modern superstructure do not press on the old walls, it rests on the metal structures hidden in its depths.
The pavilion reconstruction reproduces the Golden Gate as follows: the main part is the battle tower with passage, above it is the church over the gate, on either sides of the Gate there are plots (sections) of the bank with booms above them.
If during battle tower reproduction the data of natural architectural and archeological investigations was used, then the second tier of the pavilion reconstruction, i.e. the church over the gate and booms, was constructed on totally hypothetical basis. Renovated Annunciation church is a three-nave, four-pillar temple with one dome located over the passage. Façades of the reconstructed temple are separated by pilasters according to the plan of internal premises and decorated with double-stage niches, and arched window openings. The temple’s dome is gilded one.
In the ancient times, the interior of the Annunciation church, according to the tradition of the Kyivan architecture of the 11th century, was decorated with mosaics and frescoes which is proved by archaeological findings. On the walls of the new church there is no monumental painting. As of today the temple is decorated with mosaic floor only, pattern of which was executed under the guidance of the monumentalist — artist L. Totsky, according to the motifs of the ancient floor of the St. Sophia of Kyiv.
The Gate was standing within the bank and was organically connected with it. In constructed pavilion sections of bulks are recreated which were adjacent to the tower. On the part of field they have turfed struts, on the part of the city — stage terraces.
Inside of the restored sections of the banks there are stairs leading to the bank’s top towards the Annunciation church. In 1983 the pavilion reconstruction the Golden Gate became a museum. It belongs to the St. Sophia of Kyiv, National Conservation Area.
Like the St. Sophia Cathedral, the Golden Gate belongs to the most ancient edifices which have survived from the epoch of Yaroslav the Wise. They are a mute witness of the glory and grandeur of the Kyivan Rus, and the most important events in the centuries-old history of Kyiv. Without the Golden Gate it is impossible to imagine Kyiv. This monument has identified itself with the city and became its symbol.
