Restored crosses installed on the domes of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv

December 22, 2023 at 04:56 AM • 50573 переглядiв

In Kyiv, workers used cranes to install two restored crosses on top of the the top of the domes of St. Sophia Cathedral. This was reported by the press service of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, UNN reports.

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The seven golden crosses on the seven domes of the iconic cathedral are rusted. Officials said they needed urgent restoration.

The last cross on the main golden dome of the of the cathedral is to be removed next week. It is expected to be returned in May.

The cathedral, which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site UNESCO World Heritage Site, is located in the heart of Kyiv. It has not been seriously damaged from the bombing of the Ukrainian capital by Russia since its full-scale invasion of the Ukrainian capital on February 24, 2022, but from time to time it has been hit by debris from explosions.

In September, the UN World Heritage Committee included the cathedral in the list of sites it considers to be under threat.

The cathedral was built to compete with Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. The monument of Byzantine art contains the largest collection of mosaics and frescoes of that period. It is surrounded by monastic buildings of the 17th century. It is one of the main tourist attractions in Kyiv.