St.Andrew’s Descent – Podil Tour
We begin this short but unforgettable Kyiv tour in front of the masterpiece of Baroque genius Bartholomew Rastrelli, the famous St. Andrew’s Church. You enjoy the breathtaking panoramic view on the Dnipro river left bank and Podil district from the observation deck around church base and we start walking down one of the oldest streets of Eastern Europe, the legendary St. Andrew’s Descent. We pass “Richard the Lion Hearted Castle”, the house of the Bulgakovs, make numerous stops in front of different souvenirs stands (as nobody leaves “the Kyiv Montmartre” without buying a gift!) and finally we reach the old trade district of Kyiv – Podil!
500 years ago Kontraktova Square (Contract Sqr.) was the center of Kyiv downtown and together we explore the numerous architectural and historical monuments still standing. Among them is the mentioned in the 12th century epic “Tale of Igor’s Host” the Church of Blessed Virgin Pirogoscha (destroyed in the 1935 by the Soviet administration and reconstructed in 1998). In the centre of the square there is a monument to the 17th century chieftain of Ukrainian Cossacks to Hetman Sahaidachny. Next to Contract Square is St. Flor’s Convent, founded in the 15th century, whose nuns were women from noble families. Nearby is the famous 18th century Samson Fountain. And then we proceed to the Kyiv Mohyla Academy (1632) – the first school of higher education in Eastern Europe! Ukrainian poet and philosopher Hryhoriy Skovoroda was one of the students of the above Academy in the 18th century. His monument is right in front of the Academy!
We end our tour at Poshtova Square where we take a Metro to get back to your hotel, but if you wish – our guide might stay with you for another hour or two and together you visit located nearby Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum or, if the weather is right, you take 1 hour public boat Dnipro river voyage – the best way to make photos of Pecherska Lavra and the Motherland Monument of the National Museum of the History of Ukraine in the Second World War.
Highlights:
1. St Andrew's Church
Saint Andrew’s Church (Andriivska church) was designed for the Empress Elizabeth I by Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli and built in 1747–53. Set on a hill above the Podil district on a cruciform foundation atop a two-story building, it’s a magnificent interpretation of the traditional Ukrainian five-domed, cross-shaped church. The interior has the light and grace characteristic... 2. Pyrohoshcha Church
Founded in 1132, Pyrohoshcha Church of the Mother of God was one of not many churches to have mosaic-covered floors and astonishingly detailed frescoes on the walls. The short church consisted of three naves and apses covered by one dome. It was the first building of the Kyivan Rus to be built entirely from brick... 3. The Chernobyl Museum
Opened to the public on April 26, 1992, Ukrainian National Chernobyl Museum is built inside a former fire station which crews were dispatched to respond to the nuclear accident hundred kilometers away from the capital of Ukraine. Located in the Podil area of Kyiv rather than the now deserted Exclusion Zone around Chernobyl, the museum...
