St. Nicholas Cathedral in Kyiv

03 March, 2017

St. Nicholas Cathedral without any doubt is among the most beautiful architectural landmarks of Kyiv. This spectacular temple was built in the beginning of the 20th century in formalized Gothic style with two slender arrow-shaped towers adorned with elaborate stone carved details.

St. Nicholas Catholic Cathedral is one of the most unusual buildings in Kyiv downtown. Raised in untypical for Ukraine's capital Neo Gothic style, it significantly stands out against the background of other buildings in Kyiv city center and inevitably amazes Kyiv's locals and guests.
In late 19th century there were over 40 thousand Catholics living in Kyiv and just a single Catholic cathedral - St. Alexander Cathedral - built in 1842 and able to accommodate only around thousand parishioners. City’s authorities received a request from the representatives of the Kyiv's Catholic community to allocate money for construction of the second cathedral.
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St. Nicholas Cathedral in Kyiv was designed and built under strict guidance of Vladislav Gorodetsky, the famous city architect, the author of the most whimsical and spectacular buildings in Kyiv. The church has absorbed the best architectural features of popular at that times Neo Gothic style: lightness and elegance of proportions, sharp spires, tracery lancet windows.

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Sadly, the temple didn't serve long to its parishioners. In the late 1930s it was closed down and partially vandalized. During the World War II, the St. Nicholas Roman Catholic Cathedral was damaged even more and it was used as a random storehouse. The reconstruction didn't happen until 1978, when it was decided to turn the building into the House of Organ and Chamber Music. These days the restored (even not to its former glory) St. Nicholas Cathedral houses National House of Organ and Chamber Music of Ukraine.

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A huge organ consisting of almost four thousand pipes of different sizes was manufactured specially for the Kyiv concert hall in the Krnov (Czech Republic). The instrument, designed to meet the unique architectural features of the building, perfectly fits into church's interior and is its most valuable treasure now.
Classical and Church music concerts are regularly carried out in the House of Organ and Chamber Music in Kyiv and attract numerous visitors.
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