Gate Church of the Trinity, Kyiv Pechersk Lavra

Church in Kyiv, Ukraine Church in Kyiv, Ukraine. Part of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

Gate Church of the Trinity
Троїцька надбрамна церква
The Gate Church of the Trinity sits atop the Holy Gates, an entrance to the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.

50°26′05″N 30°33′19″E / 50.434715°N 30.555237°E / 50.434715; 30.555237
Location	Kyiv, Ukraine. Part of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra.
Denomination	non-denominated
Architecture
Architect(s)	Mykola Sviatosha
Style	Ukrainian Baroque
Groundbreaking	1106
Completed	1108
Specifications
Number of domes	1

The Gate Church of the Trinity (Ukrainian: Троїцька надбрамна церква, romanized: Troits’ka nadbramna tserkva) is a historic church of the cave monastery of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. Originally being built as in the church style of Kievan Rus', the Gate Church of the Trinity is now decorated in the Ukrainian Baroque style, having been reconstructed many times through its history.

History

The Gate Church of the Trinity was built in 1106-1108, as part of the Pechersk Lavra fortification, atop the main entrance to the monastery. The church was founded by the grandson of the Prince of Chernigov, Sviatoslav II, who renounced his princely status and became a Pechersk monk on November 17, 1106 under the name of Mykola Sviatosha. Mykola spent 36 years as a monk, and founded the Monastery Hospital of the Trinity within the Lavra.

After destruction of the Dormition Cathedral during the Mongol invasion of 1240, it became the main church of the monastery. In 1462, the most complete edition of the Kiev Pechersk Paterikcon was written here. In 1631, Petro Mohyla founded a school at the monastery's hospital. The school was later merged with the Kyivan Brotherhood School. Since 1701, the combined schools became a Kyivan Academy.

The church was studied by P. Lashkarev, I. Morgilevsky, Y. Aseev, F. Umantsev and S. Kilesso. In 1957-1958, their restoration efforts included replacing lost decorations, gilding the dome, and retouching external oil paintings.

Architecture

The church is located atop the Holy Gates (Ukrainian: Святі ворота), the main entrance to the monastery. Near the entrance are rooms for the gate's guards. The church is wedged between monastery walls, helping to protect the gates. The monastery walls, covered in frescoes, were renewed in 1900-1901 by D. Sonin and others.

The Gate Church of the Trinity is divided into three naves, each containing a spherical apse off the western side. An external stone stairway leads to the church. Several narrow window openings and the overall visually uplifting effect create a heightened sense of spiritual power.

The church is a typical Kievan Rus' construction built on an ancient stone church. Kievan Rus' architectural motifs can still be seen on the southern façade. The church retained its Ukrainian Baroque exteriour after restoration in the 17th-18th centuries by Master V. Stefanovych. During restoration, a new cupola was erected and interior paintings were added.

In 1725, a large sixteen-candle chandelier was installed. During the 1730s-1740s, artists from the monastery's iconography workshop decorated the church's interiour. The church's frescoes were based on Biblical scenes, and the exterior decor was based on Ukrainian folklore. Eighteenth-century compositions by F. Pavlovskyi, I. Maksimovych and A. Galik (with help from M. Yakubovych and I. Kadelskyi) have been preserved to this day, including "Faces of the Holy Martyr," "The Traders Cast Out of the Temple" and "The Council of Nicaea." The names of the painters were unknown for many years and only recently were revealed after archival research.

Interiour frescoes are a unique collection of 18th-century traditional Ukrainian architecture. Allegorical and historical Biblical topics are given in a noncanonical way; some include Ukrainian national ornaments. Carved wooden chairs, painted in Ukrainian folk tradition, are installed along the western wall.

Footnotes

^ Vlasenko, Petro. Троицкая Надвратная церковь. Monuments of architecture of Ukrainian SSR (in Russian). Retrieved March 10, 2007.
The book is a collection of tales about the monks of the Kiev Pechersk Lavra.
^ Malikenaite, Ruta (2003). Guildebook: Touring Kyiv. Kyiv: Baltia Druk. ISBN 966-96041-3-3.
The apses can only be seen from the centre of the church, because the exteriour walls are flat.
^ Троїцька Надбрамна церква. Wiki-Encyclopedia Kyiv (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on June 8, 2011. Retrieved March 8, 2007.

References

Троїцька Надбрамна церква (фрески). Wiki-Encyclopedia Kyiv (in Ukrainian). Archived from the original on August 9, 2007. Retrieved March 8, 2007.
Kilesso, S.K. (1966–1970). Kiev-Pecherskaya Lavra. Iskusstvo. p. 144.
Umantsev, F. (1970). Troitska nadbramna tserkva Kyievo-Pecherskoi Lavry. Mystetstvo. p. 144.

Links

Media related to Gate Church of the Trinity (Kyiv Pechersk Lavra) at Wikimedia Commons

v t e Kyiv Pechersk Lavra
Churches	Dormition Cathedral Refectory Church All Saints Saviour at Berestove Exaltation of Cross Life-Giving Spring Nativity of the Virgin Conception of St. Anne Gate Church of the Trinity
Other constructions	Great Lavra Bell Tower Near Caves Far Caves St. Nicholas Monastery Debosquette Wall Lavra fortification (Ivan Kushchnyk Tower)
Miscellaneous	Typography Theological Academy and Seminary

v t e Churches and monasteries of Kyiv
Cathedrals	Saint Sophia Cathedral St. Volodymyr's Cathedral Resurrection Cathedral St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral St. Nicholas Military Cathedral St. Panteleimon's Cathedral
Churches	St. Andrew's Church St. Cyril's Church Church of the Saviour at Berestove Church of the Tithes Church of the Theotokos Troieshchyna Church Askold Grave Church
Monasteries	Lavra of the Caves (Great Church Gate Church Refectory Church) St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery Vydubychi Monastery Brotherhood Monastery Trinity Monastery Theophania Convent Intercession Convent Florivsky Convent Kytayiv Poustinia
Demolished structures are in italics

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