Modern and original view of the tithe church. Tithe Church in Kyiv

Russia has always been temples. The beauty and grandeur of religion begin from the center of church life - Orthodox churches.

From wood to stone

The abundance of forests in Russia influenced the predominance of wooden construction. Wood was considered a cheap material, and the difficulty in extracting building stone also affected its value.

The history of Ancient Russia describes that almost all buildings were made of wood: towers, palaces, peasant houses, as well as churches. The log was the main element of any design. Creative projects were limited. Few dared to make desperate experiments in order to invest in the search for alternative material. The classic projects of the peasant hut were quadrangular log cabins. More complex compositions were princely towers, hipped churches.

It was because of the fragility of the building material that much of the ancient Russian architecture was lost.

stone building

Stone construction is connected with the Baptism of Russia. The first stone temple of Ancient Russia is the one that was founded in Kyiv by architects from Constantinople. Historians consider the date of this event to be the year 989. Before that, there were also temples, but they were built of wood.

According to the chronicles, the construction of the temple was completed in 996, at the same time there was a solemn consecration.

Symbol of faith and tradition

The attitude of believers to churches has always been special in Orthodoxy. Often the construction of a new temple took place on donations.

The tradition has its roots in the Old Testament. According to the annals, it is established that the first stone temple of Ancient Russia is the Church of the Holy Mother of God, or in another way - the Church of the Tithes. After the Baptism of Russia, in the first years, the construction of church splendor began according to the traditions of Byzantine and Bulgarian architecture. The founder of the noble cause was Prince Vladimir, who gave a tenth of the income.

To this day, it has not been possible to preserve the first stone temple of Ancient Russia in its original form. It was destroyed by the Mongol-Tatars during the capture of Kyiv. Restoration work began in the 19th century. However, the design of this church had a significant impact on the architecture of churches throughout Russia.

About the first stone temple

The first stone temple of ancient Russia got its name from the tithe donated by the prince for the construction. And so its definition was fixed in history - the Church of the Tithes.

Undoubtedly, the first stone temple of Ancient Russia is a building that can be considered a palace church. According to the remains of the brick foundation, historians have concluded that palace buildings were erected nearby. Significant destruction does not allow restoring their original architectural appearance, but according to experts, these were front rooms.

The residential palace premises were the wooden part of the second floors or were located next to the first stone temple of Ancient Russia. It is a historical fact that Kyiv stood out among others for its architecture. The capital of the state was distinguished by monumental construction.

The influence of the Greek masters in the architectural design of the Transfiguration Cathedral is well traced.

During the principality of Mstislav and Yaroslav, the country was divided. Then the next stage of construction began. In the capital city of Chernihiv, construction began earlier. Mstislav laid the foundation stone for the Cathedral of the Savior.

The exact date of the start of construction is not traced in written sources. It is known that in 1036 the walls of the cathedral became, by definition, “like standing on horseback with a hand reaching”, which means “very high”. In history, the date is marked by the death of Prince Mstislav.

Erected later than the Chernigov Spassky Cathedral. Analyzing the political situation and some historical data, the year 1037 can be considered the period when the stone temple was erected. reflects the desire to repeat the Byzantine patterns. This largest temple of Kievan Rus was taken as a model as a cross-domed structure during the construction of cathedrals in Novgorod and Polotsk.

In 1073, the Assumption Cathedral of the Kyiv Caves Monastery was laid. This temple played a significant role in the development of Russian architecture. In the "Pechersky Paterikon" there is an entry: "... masters of the church 4 men" - this is how the arrival of architects for the construction of this building from Constantinople is characterized. The composition of the church building of the Kiev Caves Monastery was also influenced by Kyiv Sofia. The difficult history of the Assumption Cathedral convinces the Orthodox of the power of faith - the cathedral, blown up in 1942, was rebuilt in the 1990s.

At the end of the 11th century, the large ancient Russian city of Pereyaslavl acquired military and political significance. Behind its walls, the Kyiv land and the entire Middle Dnieper region found cover from the invasion of the Polovtsians. On the land of this glorious city, the construction of a "stone city" - the Church of Michael began. At the initiative of Prince Vladimir Monomakh and Bishop Ephraim, gates with the gate church of Fedor appeared. In 1098, the construction of the Church of the Virgin began at the princely court.

According to chronicles, traces of a small church on the Lta River were found outside the city. Unfortunately for Orthodox people and historians, the Pereyaslavl monuments have not survived to this day.

The meaning of the church - from study to royal title

The temples of Ancient Russia influenced the definitions of surnames, streets, roads, cities. All objects that were associated with the holy place quickly took over the name of the temple, the church.

During the period of Ancient Russia, temples were a place of unification. The new settlement began with the construction of a temple - the center of every person's life. Divine services of that time gathered almost all the inhabitants of the settlement. Important events of each family were ceremonies: weddings, baptisms, funerals, blessings.

The temple played a big role in the Orthodox cult. The decoration of the premises, rituals, icons gave the believer hope for the salvation of his soul. In addition, everyone could enjoy the beauty of the temple.

Orthodoxy gave a considerable impetus to the development of the arts. Their development took place inside the temples. For the believer, the church was the primary factor in all culture and worship. That is why some important events that are not related to church life took place under the dome of the shrine. These include: the anointing of kings to the throne, the unction, the announcement of the royal decree. Do not forget about the important role of temples in teaching people literacy.

Acting as a social phenomenon in the life of the people of Ancient Russia, monasteries and temples were the place where education was organized, archives, workshops, and libraries were located. A little later, from the 19th century, the first schools at that time, parochial schools, began to establish themselves.

Beautiful decoration for the benefit of posterity

A single interior in the architecture of church building in Ancient Russia is a distinctive feature of that time. The classic design was the low altar partitions, which made it possible to see the upper part of the altar zone of the temple.

Each worshiper visually approached the center of worship. For an Orthodox person, it was important to see the divine space that united the earthly and heavenly churches.

The interior decoration of temples in the mosaic style came from the Byzantine tradition. The decoration of bright and light design symbolizes the unity of the earthly and heavenly.

The temples of Ancient Russia carried the relics of saints, icons, relics with historical value. Ancient manuscripts and important documents were also transferred here for safekeeping. Thanks to the work of priests and ministers of the church, the history of Ancient Russia can be traced literally over the years, and many historical events were revealed to contemporaries in the form of indisputable evidence collected in the church.

Blessing for the defense of the Russian land

The church escorted soldiers to service or battles. Sometimes the reason for the construction was to honor the memory of those who died in battles. Such churches were erected on the battlefields, as a sign of gratitude to the soldiers for the victory.

In peacetime, churches and temples were erected in honor of great holidays, saints. For example, Ascension, Christ the Savior.

Honoring the sacred - for the good of oneself

For a believer, the church has always been important in life. Therefore, only high-class craftsmen and architects were allowed to build. Bazaar territories, gatherings and gatherings of citizens were held near churches, as evidenced by the map of Ancient Russia.

The construction was not completed without the investment of large funds. Only the best was donated to the creation: materials, land. Given that the church was built on a hill, or, as the ancestors said, "in a red place", it served as a reference point, according to which a map of Ancient Russia was drawn up, a plan of the area.

Architect's eye

Roofing construction techniques give stone architecture a touch of wooden architecture. This is especially pronounced in examples with temple buildings. Roofs continued to be double-pitched and four-pitched.

In small villages where modest churches were built, masonry was carried out according to the type of a peasant's hut, when a crown (four logs) was laid as a basis. Connecting, they form a square or rectangle. As a result, a structure was obtained from a certain number of crowns - a log house.

A more complex design, but according to a given principle, churches were built. The quadrangular frame was changed to an octagonal frame. The principle of combining fours and eights passed into the stone architecture of Russia and has been preserved to this day.

Distributed in Russia by the type of two- and multi-tiered structures. In order to connect individual log cabins, they were connected to each other by a system of transitions (galleries, porches).

Putting church buildings on stone plinths, the builders placed basements, cellars and underground passages, which were relevant for that time, under ceilings that went into the ground.

Destruction and revival of temples

For half a century, the development of ancient Russian architecture stopped after the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars. For various reasons, craftsmen, icon painters and builders transferred to the Horde, some churches and temples were destroyed.

Departing from Byzantine models, the most ancient temples of Russia in the 12th century acquired original features, determining the development of Russian architecture.

Everything that a student needs to know about the life of Ancient Russia is set out in the teaching materials for the 6th grade. Ancient Russia is the history of our ancestors, the formation, battles, victories of our state, which every Russian should know about.

USE. Culture. Architecture.

Tithe Church. 10 questions - 10 answers

The Church of the Tithes is the first stone church built during the reign of Prince Vladimir after the adoption of Christianity. Unfortunately, it was destroyed by Batu in 1240 and was never restored.
10 questions and answers on this architectural monument, which will help in preparing for the lessons and the exam in history.

Material prepared: Melnikova Vera Aleksandrovna

tithe church

Inscribed outlines of the foundation of the Church of the Tithes.

Ruins of the Church of the Tithes. Picture of 1826. The author is not exactly identified.

Tithe church in the 19th century.

A silver coin issued in 1996 in honor of the 1000th anniversary of the construction of the Children's Church.

From the heart of ancient Kyiv - the Church of the Tithes, which today is exactly 1020 years old (from the date of completion of construction) - now only the foundation remains, but, according to archaeologists, the temple was one of the largest in the then Christian world: its actual dimensions were approximately 44 by 30-32 meters, which is more than even the Vladimir Cathedral on Blvd. Shevchenko. Prince Vladimir decided to build a church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos after his baptism in Korsun. Russian and Byzantine craftsmen fulfilled his wish in 988-996. At various times, the Suzdal prince Andrey Bogolyubsky and the Polovtsy attempted on the chic decoration of the Desyatinnaya, but the original temple was destroyed during the invasion of Batu Khan. Then it was recreated twice for a short time.

Church of the Tithes in Kyiv, 10th century - the first monument of ancient Russian monumental architecture, attention to which - not only scientists, but the public and politicians - does not weaken due to its exceptional role in the history of Ancient Russia. "The Church of the Tithes is located on the Starokievsky Upland, in that part of it from where Andreevsky Spusk begins, leading to Podol. At this place, according to legend, during the time of the great Vladimir, the first martyrs in Russia, John and his son, Fedor, lived and suffered for Christ - Varangians. Being a pagan, Prince Vladimir once wished to bring a human sacrifice to Perun. To choose a person for this sacrifice, they cast lots, and the lot fell on Fedor. But when they turned to John with a demand that he give his son, John not only did not give Fedor, but immediately came out with a fervent sermon about the true God and with a sharp denunciation against the pagans. The angry crowd rushed and destroyed the house of John, under the rubble of which these first martyrs in Russia received the martyr's crown. After his baptism, Prince Vladimir built a church on this place and gave in favor of her [for the construction and maintenance of the church] a tenth of his income [tithe], which is why she received the name " Tithes"" ("Guide to Kyiv and its environs", 1912).

The beginning of the construction of the Church of the Tithes is attributed to the year 989, which was reported in The Tale of Bygone Years: "In the summer of 6497 ... Volodimer thought about creating the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos and sending masters from the Greek." In other chronicles, the year of the foundation of the church is also called 986, 990 and 991. It was built on the basis of the ancient Church of the Tithes by ancient Russian and Byzantine craftsmen in Kyiv in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary (that is why in ancient sources it is often called the Church of the Virgin) during the reign of Equal-to-the-Apostles Vladimir the Great Svyatoslavovich. Construction of the Church of the Tithes, the first stone church of Kievan Rus. was completed on May 12, 996. The first rector of the church was one of the "Korsun priests" of Vladimir - Anastas Korsunyanin, who, according to the chronicle, in 996, Prince Vladimir entrusted the collection of church tithes.

The church was a cross-domed six-tiered stone temple and was built as a cathedral not far from the princely tower - a stone north-eastern palace building, the excavated part of which is located at a distance of 60 meters from the foundations of the Church of the Tithes. Nearby, archaeologists found the remains of a building that is considered the house of a church clergy, built simultaneously with the church (the so-called Olga's tower). Prince Vladimir also transferred here from Vyshgorod the remains of his grandmother - the relics of Princess Olga. Tithe Church was richly endowed with mosaics, frescoes, carved marble and slate slabs. Icons, crosses and utensils were brought from Korsun (Tauric Chersonesos) (the area of ​​modern Sevastopol) in 1007. Marble was used in abundance in decorating the interior, for which contemporaries also called the temple “marble”. In front of the western entrance, Efimov discovered the remains of two pylons, which supposedly served as pedestals for bronze horses brought from Chersonese.

"Somewhere right there was "Babin Torzhok" - a market and at the same time a forum - Vladimir took out from Chersonesos and erected ancient sculptures -" divas ". obviously, and "Babi Torzhok." - Viktor Nekrasov wrote in City Walks. In addition to the main altar, the church had two more: St. Vladimir and St. Nicholas.

Some scholars believe that the church was dedicated to the feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary. It contained the relics of the Holy Hieromartyr Clement, who died in Korsun. In the Church of the Tithes there was a princely tomb, where the Christian wife of Vladimir, the Byzantine princess Anna, who died in 1011, was buried, and then Vladimir himself, who died in 1015. Also, the remains of Princess Olga were transferred here from Vyshgorod. In 1044, Yaroslav the Wise buried the posthumously "baptized" brothers Vladimir, Yaropolk and Oleg Drevlyansky, in the Church of the Tithes. During the invasion of the Mongols, the princely relics were hidden. According to legend, Peter Mohyla found them, but in the XVIII century. the remains are gone again.

In 1039, under Yaroslav the Wise, Metropolitan Theopempt carried out a second consecration, the reasons for which are not known for certain. In the 19th century, it was suggested that after the fire in Kyiv in 1017, the church underwent significant restructuring (galleries were added on three sides). Some modern historians dispute them as insufficient reason. M. F. Muryanov believed that a heretical or pagan act could serve as the basis for the second consecration, but the establishment of the celebration of the annual renovation of the temple, characteristic of the Byzantine tradition and including the rite of consecration, is considered a more reliable reason (this version was proposed by A. E. Musin ). There is another opinion that the re-consecration could be caused by non-observance of the Byzantine canons during the first consecration.

In the first half of the XII century. The church has undergone significant renovations. At this time, the southwestern corner of the temple was completely rebuilt, a powerful pylon appeared in front of the western facade, supporting the wall. These events, most likely, were the restoration of the temple after a partial collapse due to an earthquake.

"In 1169, the church was plundered by the troops of Andrei Bogolyubsky, in 1203 - by the troops of Rurik Rostislavich. At the end of 1240, the hordes of Batu Khan, having taken Kyiv, destroyed the Church of the Tithes - the last stronghold of the people of Kiev. According to legend, the Church of the Tithes [more precisely, choruses] collapsed under the weight of the people crammed into it, trying to escape from the Mongols [however, there is a version that it was destroyed by the horde]. there was a small wooden church in the name of St. Nicholas." ("Guide to Kyiv and its environs", 1912)

Only in the 30s of the XVII century. the reconstruction of the Church of the Tithes began, the history of which can be very reliably restored from a number of references in written sources. So, according to Sylvester Kossov, in 1635 Metropolitan Petro Mohyla of Kyiv "ordered the Church of the Tithes of the Blessed Virgin to be dug out of the darkness of the underground and opened to the light of day." From the ancient church at that time, “only ruins actually remained, and there is part of one wall that barely protrudes to the surface.” This picture of desolation is also confirmed by an independent description by the French engineer Guillaume Levasseur de Beauplan: “the dilapidated walls of the temple, 5 to 6 feet high, are covered with Greek inscriptions ... on alabaster, but time has almost completely smoothed them out.” This description appeared no later than 1640 (the year the manuscript appeared), but not earlier than 1635, since G. Beauplan already mentions the finds of the remains of Russian princes near the church - that is, the excavations carried out by Peter Mogila (which are mentioned in Kiev Synopsis of 1680 and Description of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra of 1817).

Until 1636, among the ruins of the ancient Church of the Tithes, there was a wooden church, known as the Nikolskaya Tithes. From 1605 the church was in the hands of the Uniates, and in 1633 it was returned by Peter Mohyla to the Orthodox Church. By 1636, the protest of the Uniate Metropolitan Joseph Rutsky about the dismantling of the wooden church at the direction of Peter Mohyla, who on March 10 of this year "is powerful, kgvaltom, himself with his special and with the capitular, with servants, boyars and subjects ... having run into the church of the bright Mykola, named Desetinna, from ancient times under the Kievan Metropolitan in the union of the future ... which the church was roskidati told, and all the belongings and church possessions he took for a hundred thousand gold ... and his grace father Rutskoy knocked out that church from a calm holding and living. ..". According to S.P. Velmin, Petro Mogila deliberately dismantled the wooden St. Nicholas Church in order to reject the claims of the Uniate Church for the return of the temple, and erected a new, stone one in its place. However, there are no direct indications in the sources regarding the exact location of the wooden church.

In 1635, Metropolitan Petro Mogila founded a small church in one of the surviving limits (a small church in the name of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos was built over the southwestern corner of the ancient temple) in memory of the destroyed shrine and placed in it one of the oldest icons with the image of St. Nicholas brought by Prince Vladimir from Korsun. At the same time, at the initiative of the metropolitan, excavations of the ruins of the temple began. Later, Petro Mogila found the sarcophagus of Prince Vladimir and his wife Anna in the ruins. The skull of the prince was laid in the Church of the Transfiguration (Savior) on Berestov, then it was transferred to the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra. The brush and jaw were transferred to St. Sophia Cathedral. Everything else was buried again.

During the life of the metropolitan, the construction of a new stone church was not completed. It is known that in his will in 1646, Petro Mogila wrote down a thousand gold coins from his casket in cash "for the perfect renewal" of the Church of the Tithes. The completion and consecration of the church in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin took place, probably, shortly after the death of Peter Mohyla, since already in 1647 a noble baby was buried at the church. In 1654, after the construction of a new throne and the renewal of utensils, the church was re-consecrated. In subsequent years, by 1682, a “wooden meal” was added to the church on the western side, and by 1700 the eastern part was built on with a wooden tier, in which a chapel was built in honor of the apostles Peter and Paul. In the same years, probably, an extension of the western wooden porch was carried out according to the model of the Russian "meal".

In 1758 the church was already very old and needed restoration. It was held under the supervision of the nun of the Florovsky Monastery Nectaria (Princess Natalya Borisovna Dolgoruky). The crack in the altar wall was repaired and facade work was carried out.

By the beginning of the XIX century. According to I. I. Funduklei, the Mogilyanskaya church was a rectangle elongated from west to east, measuring 14.35 x 6.30 m with beveled eastern corners forming a trihedral apse. The western part looked like a tower covered with a hipped roof and crowned with a lantern, a dome and a cross. From the north to the eastern part adjoined a small stone outbuilding. Adjacent to the western façade was a wooden vestibule ("refectory") with a trihedral end in the west, symmetrical to the eastern stone apse. The wooden extension had an entrance from the south, decorated with a small vestibule. In the interior of the temple, “a depression in the image of the Kyiv Lavra caves was visible on the south side, prepared for the relics”, according to the author of the “Plan of the Primitive Kyiv Tithe Church”, arranged for the relics of Princess Olga, allegedly found during the excavations of Peter Mohyla.

In the descriptions of the Mogilyansk church, attention is drawn to the mention of an inscription composed of stone blocks included in the masonry of the southern facade. N.V. Zakrevsky writes that “...according to the news of Archpriest Levanda, one can guess about the facade of this church that it had an architrave decorated with a Greek inscription and large round ant rosettes, like stucco work.” Almost all descriptions of the Greek inscription state the impossibility of reading it due to fragmentation due to the secondary use of blocks. The opinions of researchers differed as early as the beginning of the 19th century about when these blocks fell into the masonry. The anonymous “Brief Historical Description of the Church of the Tithes” of 1829 outlines the following version of the reconstruction of Peter Mohyla: The Kievan Peter Mogila, having attached the altar side, built a small church ... Around 1771, from under the plaster, from the outside on the southern wall, Greek letters carved on stones inserted in the wall were accidentally opened ... ". In a response critical publication, “Notes on a Brief Description”, the authorship of which, most likely, belongs to Metropolitan Evgeny (Bolkhovitinov), this thesis is supported: “This piece [of the ancient Church of the Tithes] in the Grave Church was remarkable in the southern the vault of the church choirs, and when broken, its masonry was found from antiquity to be very strong and solid ”At the same time, Metropolitan Eugene had a different opinion about the time the inscription appeared: “... it is more likely that the Grave himself, having found these fragments in the rubble from the ancient Church of the Tithes, ordered, as a monument, smear them clearly on the southern wall. And it was not noticeable near its fragments of plaster. ... Probably, the full inscription was on the western entrance, or some other wall of the ancient church. " M.F.Berlinsky also pointed out that Peter Mogila "attached the northern and altar sides from the remaining bricks, built the front wooden chapel." N.V. Zakrevsky in his large-scale description of the Church of the Tithes, analyzing the sources available to him, not only insisted on the antiquity of the masonry with the inscription included in the Mogilyansk church, but also accused A.S. Annenkov, the builder of the church of the 19th century, of destroying these most valuable stats. The description of the ruins of the Church of the Tithes by G. Beauplan, made even before the reconstruction of Peter Mohyla and mentioning Greek inscriptions, additionally confirms the version that significant parts of more ancient masonry were preserved in the Mogilyanskaya building. Relatively recently, M.Yu. The researcher came to an unexpected conclusion that the Church of the Tithes underwent the first reconstruction almost two centuries before Peter Mohyla, under Simeon Olelkovich (1455-1471). In the course of these repair works, according to M.Yu. Subsequently, these walls became part of the Mogilyanskaya church and were recorded in the drawings of the 19th century. However, the only argument of the researcher for dating the clutches of the 15th century. were the "Gothic" lancet completions of the windows in one of the drawings.

The figure shows an engraving of the 19th century: "The main objects found during excavations of the former Church of the Tithes, produced in the 30s of the 19th century by His Grace Eugene, Metropolitan of Kyiv." On the left, see No. 6, "remains in the tomb of St. Vladimir; THE HONEST HEAD, kept in the great church of the Pechersk Lavra, and hand brushes are missing; one of them, as is known, is in the Hagia Sophia in Kyiv." In the center is shown "a view of the church erected in the 30s of the 19th century on the site of the former Church of the Tithes." In the middle of the bottom row, see No.9, is depicted "the tomb of a red slate stone, Saint Vladimir".

In 1824, Metropolitan Evgeny (Bolkhovitinov) instructed to clear the foundation of the Church of the Tithes. The excavations were carried out in 1824 by the Kyiv official Kondraty Lokhvitsky, who, as his diaries show, began to engage in amateur archeology for the sake of fame, honor and awards, but his plan for the Church of the Tithes was neither recognized by the exact metropolitan nor taken into account by the imperial commission when considering the restoration project. Tens. Therefore, in 1826, the excavations were entrusted to the St. Petersburg architect Nikolai Efimov. During the excavations, a fairly accurate plan of the foundations was discovered for the first time, many valuable fragments of the floor mosaic, fresco and mosaic decorations of the temple, stone burials, remains of the foundation, etc. were found. However, Efimov's project did not pass either.

Tithe Church in the 19th century

In 1908-14. the foundations of the original Church of the Tithes (where they were not damaged by the Stasov building) were excavated and examined by a member of the Imperial Archaeological Commission, archaeologist D.V. Mileev, who rediscovered the remains of the eastern, apse part of the ancient temple, and also discovered the remains of the foundations of two large civil buildings end of the 10th century near the walls of the temple. Near the Church of the Tithes, the ruins of princely palaces and boyars' dwellings, as well as craft workshops and numerous burials of the 9th-10th centuries, were discovered. According to the researcher of Kyiv K. Sherotsky, at the same time, under the southeastern wall of the temple, the remains of a wooden structure were found - the alleged dwelling of the first martyrs. Unfortunately, the materials of the excavations of the beginning of the 20th century have not been fully published.

In 1928, the Church of the Tithes, like many other monuments of culture and art, was demolished by the Soviet authorities. And in 1936, the remains were finally dismantled into bricks. In 1938-39. the scientific group of the Institute of the History of Material Culture of the USSR Academy of Sciences, under the leadership of M.K. Karger, carried out fundamental research on all parts of the remains of the Church of the Tithes. The expedition of Professor Karger, who began excavations on the Kievan Gora in the late thirties and then continued them after the end of the Great Patriotic War, like all Soviet archaeological groups, did not act in the old way, not by laying separate narrow trenches at random. Trenches are not only unreliable, but also dangerous: they often destroy and spoil the most valuable finds. Now Soviet archaeologists, having determined what area they are interested in, remove layer by layer all the earth in this territory. With this method, nothing can be missed. And no wonder: all the land on an area of ​​​​whole hectares is moved handful by hand, sifted through sieves. Finding a needle in a haystack is nothing compared to this work! During the excavations, fragments of the fresco and mosaic decoration of the ancient temple, stone tombs, remains of foundations, etc. were again found. In addition to the Church of the Tithes, the ruins of princely chambers and boyar dwellings, as well as craftsmen's workshops and numerous burials of the 9th-10th centuries, were found. At the same time, Soviet archaeologists found a burial in a wooden sarcophagus under Desyatinka. Inside it is a male skeleton of a man buried according to Christian customs in a church with a sword in a wooden scabbard with a silver tip. Soviet scientists attributed the grave to Rostislav Mstislavovich, who died in 1093 and was buried in the Church of the Tithes, the last of the members of the princely family (it is believed that Vladimir, his wife Anna, his mother Princess Olga, princes Yaropolk and Oleg Svyatoslavovichi and the son of Yaroslav Izyaslav are also buried in the Church of the Tithes) . Disputes are still ongoing, but so far no one has succeeded in refuting the assumption. Archaeological finds are stored in the St. Sophia Cathedral reserve and the National Museum of the History of Ukraine, as well as the State St. Petersburg Hermitage (where fragments of the frescoes of the Church of the Tithes, found by Soviet archaeologists, are exhibited). The foundations of the original Church of the Tithes preserved underground indicate that its architecture was intermediate between the basilica and the central type. The plan and salvaged details tell about the art of Chersonesos and the early era of the Byzantine style.

In 1240 he lived in Kyiv, in the old city of Vladimir, near the princely court, a man well known to many Kievans.

His name was Maxim, and he was a "goldsmith" - he cast all kinds of jewelry from bronze or gold: patterned "colts" - pendants - star-shaped, with a simple ornament, and others, with the image of mysterious animals, various bracelets and wrists, and most often loved in antiquity beautiful three-bead earrings.

In his semi-hut, semi-dugout, located very close to the Church of the Tithes, Maxim lived and worked. Here he kept his uncomplicated possessions; blanks for work, material and the most valuable, the most expensive for him - carefully made casting molds from slate. Without them, the master felt like without hands. It can be said bluntly: if a disaster happened - a fire, a flood or an earthquake - Maxim, before saving grain supplies, clothes, utensils, would grab his molds. That's what he was.

But which of the chroniclers told us about this man? Nobody. Not a single ancient charter contains his name. None of the old songs mention him. And yet we know that everything said about him is true. And we know that he died a tragic death.

On the terrible day of Nikolin in 1240, misfortune, although long expected, as always happens, fell upon Kyiv sooner than expected. The prince fled the city a long time ago, leaving the voevoda Dmitry behind him. The Kievans defended themselves on the ramparts of the new city of Yaroslav and were pushed back. The ancient borders of the city of Vladimirov also failed to be defended. It became clear that a ferocious enemy was about to break into its borders.

In the center of the city stood the revered Church of the Mother of God, Tithes, with its mighty walls and high vaults. People rushed there, because there, preparing for inevitable death, Dmitry locked himself with his retinue. There, seeking salvation, the goldsmith Maxim also ran. His path was truly terrible. In all the narrow lanes, the last fights have already begun. Many dugouts were on fire. From one—a man well-known to Maxim, a fellow craftsman, a skilled artist—lived in it—the desperate meowing of a cat could be heard. But there's a lock on the door, you can't break it...

And who will feel sorry for the cat if the fire crackles all around, if nearby, in another hut, desperate girlish voices are heard and closer and closer are heard the cries of the battle-drunk Tatars...

The goldsmith Maxim managed to get to the church and hide in it. There were a great many people there. Even all the church galleries - mosquitoes - were overflowing with people and their belongings. And the Tatars were already bringing their wall-beating machines-vices to the last stronghold of Kiev, already crushing the walls with heavy blows ... What to do? Where to hide?

In one of the corners of the church, for some reason, a deep, almost five-meter well-hidden well was dug in the ground. The abbot could not, of course, hide all those who fled there: even at such a terrible moment, he opened this refuge only to a small number of the richest and noblest. But, finding themselves at the bottom of the pit, people decided to dig a horizontal passage from it to the hillside and go free. With two spades in the cramped and dark, they began this desperate and completely hopeless work. They pushed each other, interfered with each other ... Underfoot, squealing, someone's dog got in the way. The earth had to be lifted up with a rope. Having made his way to the entrance to the cache, Maxim began to help the unfortunate.

It could be said for sure that hopes were futile: a huge thickness of the earth could not be broken through before the enemies broke into the church. And suddenly the vaults of the church collapsed. A column of brick and lime dust rose; fragments of "plinth" - a flat brick of that time, pieces of marble cornices, rubble - all this fell on the heads of people hiding in the hiding place. Maxim, apparently, managed to fight this avalanche for several seconds. But then a fragment of the vault hit him too, he fell down, and bricks, marble, rubble lay on top of him with an irresistible weight. Everything was over forever...

Seven hundred years passed before the people of our century opened up the ruins of the Church of the Tithes. In the 19th century, scientists tried to get close to them, but then a tasteless Stasov building, the new Church of the Tithes, was piled up on the ruins. Nobody would let it be destroyed.

Only after the Great Patriotic War, from under the ruins left by the Nazis, did they unearth the ruins of the times of Batu. Out of the earth came the ancient Church of the Tithes, its mighty foundations. The secret was also opened. At the bottom of it, there are scraps of expensive clothes embroidered with gold and silver - clothes of rich Kyivans - and many other items. Both spades, the bones of a dog that died along with the people, were found in the begun and unfinished digging. And above, on a two-meter layer of a collapsed mass of fragments, lay a human skeleton next to many fragments of molds for casting. Thirty-six of them were found, but only six were fully assembled and glued together. On one of them, by barely noticeable scratches, scientists read the word “Makosimov”. A peculiar stone device, even the real name of which we now do not know (we called it the "casting mold"), has preserved for us the name of its industrious owner.

But how did you find out that this man lived not far from the Church of the Tithes? In one of the numerous dugouts, along with handicraft blanks and other traces of the work of a caster, archaeologists came across another mold, the thirty-seventh, which had obviously collapsed somewhere on a fateful day. It is enough to look at it to determine: it is from the same kit. There is nothing to doubt - the goldsmith Maxim lived here. About him, about his life full of work, about his sad end, which coincided with the end of his native city, are told by things buried in the ground. Their story excites, touches, teaches.

Uspensky Lev Vasilyevich, Schneider Ksenia Nikolaevna. Behind seven seals (essays on archeology)

On November 26, 1996, the National Bank of Ukraine put into use 2 commemorative coins "Church of the Tithes" made of silver and copper-nickel alloy, dedicated to the millennium of the construction of the Church of the Tithes in Kyiv.

Foundations of the church during excavations in 2008

In 2006, a tabernacle temple was erected on the museum territory near the Church of the Tithes, the legality of which was doubted. In 2007, a wooden church was erected on the site of the temporary tabernacle temple, which was consecrated on July 25 of the same year by the Primate of the UOC-MP His Beatitude Metropolitan Volodymyr. On July 9, 2009, at a meeting of the Holy Synod of the UOC-MP, a decision was made to open the Tithes Monastery in Kyiv and appoint Archimandrite Gideon (Charon) as its vicar. In January 2010, the head of the Main Department of Urban Planning, Architecture and Design of the Urban Environment of Kyiv, Sergei Tselovalnik, announced that a platform would be built on the ruins of the Church of the Tithes, on which there would be a new church belonging to the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate. Later, he was told about the refusal to build new facilities on the foundations in connection with the conventions signed by Ukraine. At the same time, the competition commission to determine the future fate of the remains of the foundation of the Church of the Tithes announced two projects as the winners of the competition, one of which provides for the restoration of the temple, and the other for the preservation of the foundations as an archaeological monument with the construction of a chapel nearby. The UOC-MP initiative also does not find full support from society and is criticized by scientists in due to the fact that information about the appearance of the temple has not been preserved and an authentic reconstruction is impossible.

Historian and political scientist Alexander Paly asks the question: "What does the Moscow Patriarchate have to do with the church, built a century and a half before the first mention of the village of Moscow, 300 years before the birth of the Moscow Principality and 600 years before the formation of the Moscow Patriarchate?" Pyotr Tolochko (Director of the Institute of Archeology of the National Academy of Sciences of Ukraine, Chairman of the Ukrainian Society for the Protection of Historical and Cultural Monuments, member of the Academy of Europe and the International Union of Slavic Archeology, laureate of the State Prize of Ukraine in Science and Technology) said that he did not know who allowed the wagons to be placed near the remains of the church . According to him: “We have our own base on Volodymyrska Street, 3, so we don’t need any trailers, even if we were doing research there,” said the chief Ukrainian archaeologist. “Therefore, I don’t know who started this provocation. The Institute of Archeology has long suggested that it is only possible to museumify the remains of the foundation of the Church of the Tithes. Nothing more can be done there. This is our official idea. And one more thing - there is no need for a church at the Church of the Tithes, since there is St. Andrew's Church nearby. If anyone so wants to pray, then let him go there. Because if there is only one confession, the rest will be unhappy, and we will create another point of instability in the state." According to Oleksandr Brihynets, chairman of the permanent commission of the Kyiv City Council on culture and tourism, on May 26, 2011, the monks of the monastery illegally installed next to the Church of the Tithes made an attempt to enter the territory of the archaeological excavations of the Church of the Tithes. When asked how the monks got the keys to the territory, they referred to St. Peter (who has the keys not only to paradise).

On June 3, 2011, Viktor Yushchenko denied accusations that he had allegedly granted permits in 2005 to carry out construction work on the site of the Church of the Tithes. As the third president of Ukraine V. Yushchenko noted in relation to the Church of the Tithes: "[The good intentions of many people] today are being cynically and rudely used by businessmen who associate themselves with the Moscow Patriarchate ... These people have nothing to do with faith. Their behavior is unworthy, but, essentially blasphemous. These are the conscious schismatics of our people."

On June 24, 2011, the International Commission of UNESCO, as well as ICOMOS, opposed plans to build a temple on the foundations of the Church of the Tithes. Experts from UNESCO and ICOMOS organizations emphasize: "Such construction will change the skyline of the existing urban landscape and may affect the visual integrity and outstanding global value of the site (the Sophia of Kyiv buffer zone)".

Of course, the discussions around the need for the revival of the church have not yet come to an end. But, when discussing, it is very important to call all things by their proper names. For example, for some reason, especially active protests are heard against the revival of churches in the unique Byzantine-Ukrainian style. By the way, this applies not only to the Church of the Tithes. Previously, a lot of objections resulted in Kyiv Pirogoshcha, the Spassky and Boriso-Glebsky cathedrals in Chernigov, the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir-Volynsky and many others. At the same time, almost no one pays attention to the numerous buildings of the same type of modern church buildings that cannot be identified. Thus, the fate of Tithes is still vague. But I would like to quote one more quote from Dmitry (Rudyuk): "If at least one soul is destined to be saved in this temple, it must be revived."

Previously, on the site of the holy church in the 10th century, there was also a large pagan cemetery, where the ancient people of Kiev were buried. During all the archaeological excavations, about a hundred of them were found in the area of ​​the Church of the Tithes. This female burial of the 10th century was one of the last to be discovered, just a meter from the wall of the Church of the Tithes. It turns out that the then inhabitants of Kyiv were buried under earth mounds from 1.5 to 3-4 meters in height. They were laid in the ground on their backs and, almost as now, with their arms folded or straightened on their chests. The coffins were different: the pagans of Kiev were simply laid in the ground, covering the pit with boards, or buried in decks (they sawed the tree trunk lengthwise, cut a recess in one of the halves, where they put the deceased, and then covered it with the other half of the trunk). During the funeral, the future grave was “cleansed” with fire and sacrificed over it to the gods of animals. Everything “necessary” in the next world was placed in the graves for a person: archaeologists found jewelry, household utensils, money, festive clothes in the graves, and sometimes all this was placed not in the grave itself, but in an earthen mound above it.

One of the most interesting finds of recent years can be safely called kochedyk. This bone horn was found not far from the church in one of the pagan burials. It was made in the middle of the 10th century and placed in a mound above the grave. On the kochedyk, Scandinavian craftsmen, with whom the ancient people of Kiev traded, carved mythical animals and intricate floral ornaments. He has survived to this day a little burnt: archaeologists believe that he became a participant in a pagan rite and even visited a funeral pyre. And they wore a kochedyk on their belt as a decoration, but there was also a benefit in it: with its help, a person could untie knots on his clothes, shoes and bags. Bast shoes were also woven with a kochedyk, and there was even a proverb: “he is so hardworking that he died with a kochedyk in his hands.”

Excavations of the temple by Vikentiy Khvoyka

Official name: Tithe Church in Kyiv

Address: Starokievskaya Gora (foundation)

Date built: 996

Basic information:

Tithe Church in Kyiv- the first stone temple on the territory of Kyiv and the then Kievan Rus, one of the oldest Kyiv churches, located on the historical part. The temple was destroyed during the Tatar-Mongol invasion of Kyiv, rebuilt again in the middle of the 19th century and completely destroyed by the communists in 1928. To date, only the foundation of the church has remained in Kyiv, located on, not far from.

Story:

Tithe Church. View from . Photo from 1980

History of the Church of the Tithes. According to chronicles and historians, the construction of the church began in the late 980s and was completed in 996, during the reign of Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavovich. The church had a typical exterior in the Byzantine architectural style, the interior was richly decorated with frescoes and mosaics. The tithe church in Kyiv was built not far from the alleged location of the citadel - the princely palace and related buildings. The name "tithe" was due to the fact that Prince Vladimir allocated a tenth of his income for the construction of the church. Also, the church was called “marble” due to the abundance of marble in the interior of the temple, in addition, in the ancient chronicles, the Church of the Tithes appears as the church of the Most Holy Theotokos.

The tithe church was consecrated twice - the first time immediately after the completion of construction, the second time - in 1039, at the time. Prince Vladimir and his wife, brothers of Prince Vladimir, were buried in the Church of the Tithes, and the remains of Princess Olga were transferred from Vyshgorod.

The first minor reconstruction of the Church of the Tithes took place in the second half of the 12th century. In 1240, the Church of the Tithes was almost completely destroyed by the hordes of Batu Khan who entered Kyiv, and another tragic story of Kyiv is connected with this event. During the brutal massacre in Kyiv, arranged by the Tatar-Mongols, many Kyivans tried to hide in the Church of the Tithes and on its vaults. Under the onslaught of people, the church could not stand it and collapsed, burying the people of Kiev under it.

Already at the end of the 17th century, the first archaeological excavations of the Church of the Tithes began, for the initiative of Metropolitan Peter Mohyla. Then the tombs with the relics of Volodymyr the Great and his wife were found, and Peter Mohyla bequeathed 1,000 gold pieces after his death to restore the Church of the Tithes. Most of the remains of the foundation of the temple, as well as the plan for its construction, as well as some of the interior frescoes and mosaics, were found in the first half of the 19th century.

The first temple appeared on the site of the former Church of the Tithes in 1635, the initiator of the construction of which was Peter Mogila. It was a small church called the Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary. After numerous archaeological excavations at the beginning of the 19th century, it was decided to completely rebuild the Church of the Tithes in Kyiv, on the site of its old foundation. The first stone for the construction of the new temple was laid in August 1828, and it was completed in 1842. The tithe church was rebuilt according to old plans, but its appearance only partially corresponded to that of the original church. The New Church of the Tithes was built in the Byzantine-Moscow style. This temple was completely destroyed by the communists in 1928, leaving us again only the foundation of the temple.

To date, for several years now, there have been disputes about a new building and the revival of the glory of the Church of the Tithes. Representatives of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate repeatedly intended to build a new temple on the former foundation of the Church of the Tithes in Kyiv, but this idea did not have support from both archaeologists and the public.

Interesting Facts:

Church of the Tithes - the first stone church on the territory of Kyiv and Kievan Rus

The foundation of the Church of the Tithes on the map of Kyiv:

Attraction on the map:

Attractions: