St George's Cathedral in Lviv, Ukraine

St George's Cathedral in Lviv, Ukraine is an Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church and located on St George Hill, over-looking the city of Lviv. The baroque-rococo cathedral was constructed between 1744-1760 but it was often a target of the invaders and vandals and at least two versions of St George Cathedral were built before the present construction.

Picture of St George's Cathedral, Lviv, Ukraine
The first St George's Cathedral was built from wood around year 1280 and was destroyed by King Casimir III of Poland in year 1340. The construction of present St George's Cathedral began under Metropolitan Athanasius Sheptytsky in 1746 and was finished in 1762 when it became the heart of the Greek Catholic religion in the Ukraine. The cathedral hosted the Synod of Lviv after the World War II and was forced to renounce the union with Rome. Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church was joined with Russian Orthodox Church until August 12, 1990, when members of the nationalistic People's Movement of Ukraine party occupied the St George's Cathedral. Two days later the governing council of the Lviv Oblast recognized the claim of Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church to the St Georges Cathedral. The restoration works of the cathedral started on the 400th anniversary of the Union of Brest in 1996.

St George's Cathedral houses tombs of many prominent figures of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church: cardinal Sylvester Sembra-tovych, metropolitan Andrei Sheptyts'kyi, patriarchy Joseph Slipyi, metropolitan Volodymyr Sterniuk and Myroslav-Ivan Cardinal Liubachivs'kyi.

Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine

Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, Ukraine, is an outstanding architectural monument of Kievan Rus' and is inscribed in the World Heritage List. The cathedral was built on orders of Yaroslaw I the Wise in 1037-57 by Old Russian and Byzantine art masters. Saint Sophia Cathedral was religious as well as social, political and cultural center of Kievan Rus'.

Picture of Saint Sophia Cathedral, Kiev, Ukraine
The cathedral was repeatedly ravaged by Cumans, Pechenegs and Tatar Mongols. Cathedral of Saint Sophia was under jurisdiction of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church after the 1595-96 Union of Brest until 1633 when it was claimed by the Ukrainian Orthodox metropolitan Peter Mogila (Mohyla). Mogila commissioned restoration in distinct Ukrainian Baroque style but preserved Byzantine interior including the mosaics and frescoes of Byzantine masters from the 11th century. The restoration continued under the Cossack Hetman Ivan Mazepa and Cathedral of Saint Sofia was completed to its present form in 1740.

Soviet authorities planned to demolish Saint Sofia Cathedral in the 1920's but it was saved from destruction because of the effort of many scientists and historians. Soviet authorities confiscated the structure including the surrounding 17th-18th century architectural complex and designated it as an architectural and historical museum in 1934.

Designed as a rival to the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kiev symbolized the "new Constantinople" and had a great impact on the Orthodox faith in the Russian world.

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