Kiev Detynets Tour
We invite you to join our customized tour around Ancient Kyiv. You will have a unique opportunity to learn the story about first settlements and the birth of the city, about emergence of the Kyiv dytynets and the formation of the state of Kyiv Rus. Encountering the very origin, you will not only see the preserved ancient foundations, but also feel the energy of the sacred place associated with our ancestors. In addition, we suggest visiting the Historical Museum, where relevant artifacts are stored. Duration – 2-3 hours..
As you know, Old (Upper) Kyiv has a very ancient history. But do we all know when and where exactly the capital of Rus-Ukraine was born?
According to the annals of “The Tale of Bygone Years” back in the I century AD Apostle Andrew the First-Called predicted the emergence of a great city, having erected a cross on one of the hills on the right bank of the Dnieper. Subsequently, Kyiv-grad was founded on Starokyivska Mountain. The first inhabitants were the tribes of the meadow, who settled here and ruled independently. Also, there were three brothers – Kyi, Shchek, Khoriv and their sister Lybid, who built the city, naming it in honor of the older brother.
So, in the northern part of the Starokyivsky plateau, the first settlements appeared in the 5th century, where the city of Prince Kyi, – the center of the Polyany principality, was born. Archaeological excavations indicate that the ancient settlement had an area of 1.5-2 hectares and was protected on three sides by steep slopes, and on side – by tree-earthen ramparts and ditches. The remains of fortifications, dwellings and a pagan temple found by archaeologists confirm the foundation of the city. A burial mound was also studied and scientific data were obtained to recreate the appearance of Ancient Kyiv of the pre-Christian period.
“Grad” within the boundaries of the fortified settlement is called the Dytynets of Kyiv. The princely family and the ruling elite settled here. Among the most famous rulers mentioned in the annals are the princes Askold and Dir, Oleh, Ihor and Svyatoslav. The most famous is Princess Olha, who tops the list of outstanding women of ancient and modern Ukraine. It was Olha, who first adopted Christianity in Rus, introduced “graveyards” and collection of taxes, as well as laid the foundation for stone construction. In memory of her, a monument was erected on Mykhailivska Square.
At the turn of the X–XI centuries, during the reign of Volodymyr the Great, the Kyiv Dytynets grew to 10 hectares and was called the city of Volodymyr. The borders were expanded and strengthened. The Sofia, Podolsky and Mykhailivsky gates were erected. Kyiv entered the era of the highest degree of prosperity and achieved the peak of economic development of the state. The most important event in the history of the state was the Baptism of Rus. Today, in the capital, on Volodymyr Hill, you can see the monument, built in 1853 to perpetuate a significant event. Also, the foundation of the main church, erected by Volodymyr the Baptist, has been preserved to this day.
50 km from Kyiv the Kyiv Rus Park is located. It is a grandiose scientific project to recreate in full size the cultural and architectural image of the Volodymyr city and Kyiv Dytynets of the 5th to 13th centuries, which has no world analogues. Here you can see the buildings of the 11th–13th centuries, including the prince’s yard, artisan trading shops, estates and entrance gates with towers. There are museum expositions, there are collections of ancient musical instruments, costumes and armor on the territory of the park. There are also knightly fights, medieval tournaments, cultural and historical festivals that will allow you to look into the distant past and plunge into the atmosphere of that time.
During our tour you will visit the original foundations, hear stories about the settlement of these lands, the culture and life of the Eastern Slavs, and the formation of the Old Rus state. Our leading guide-historian aware of all legends and annals will help you immerse in history.
South Palace (Grydnytsia – quarters of bodyguard) was located at the southwest at an angle to the Church of the Tithes, separating the square from the main street of the city. Presumably, it was considered to be a princely quarters of bodyguard, i.e. the main hall where the squad used to gather. The palace had a three-part layout – an elongated middle central and two square rooms on each side. The foundations were laid relatively shallow (60 cm) with a very high thickness (170 cm). The foundation, masonry and brick structures are the same as in the Western Palace. There was probably a large hall in the central building, and towers with stairs leading to the 2nd floor in the side buildings.
Domestics courtyard is an institution where future domestics and senior choir singers lived, studied and mastered the art of singing. The first annals mention Volodymyr’s support of education and establishment of schools, as well as narrate of t the “domestic court” located near the Church of the Tithes. Domestics in Byzantium, and then in Rus were singing masters who combined the duties of a solo singer, a conductor of a choir and a teacher of singing. Activities of Greek teachers contributed to the emergence of their own singing masters. The domestics’ courtyard mentioned by the chronicler was apparently one of the first singing schools in Rus. The memorial sign of this first school can be seen in the square near the linden of Petro Mohyla.
Babin Torzhok is the area in front of the Church of the Tithes, which existed during the period of Kyiv Rus. It was the city square of Upper Kyiv (X-XIII centuries), which stretched along the current Volodymyrska Street towards Velyka Zhytomyrska Street and was not only a commercial, but also a ceremonial square. Presumably the name comes from copper statues (women) brought to the capital by Prince Volodymyr from Korsun (Khersones) and installed in front of the Church of the Tithes. In the 1830s the terrain has been changed, and the territory is partially built up and the Volodymyrska street appeared.
Sofia (Gradsky, Batyev) Gate was erected at the end of the X century during construction of the defensive fortifications of the Upper City of Prince Volodymyr. Through this gate the hordes of Batu burst into the dytynets. The foundations of the Sofia Gate were two parallel 6-m long walls. Under the tetrahedral gate tower there was a high 4-meter wide arched passage and, probably, a drawbridge. The wooden structure consisted of two-tier cages and gate towers with pyramid-shaped roofs, equipped with platforms for archery and cross-bows (Ancient Rus arbalets). In 1017-1026, The Sofia gate was dismantled and re-built from plinths and stone, becoming the main entrance (from the side of Sofia Kyiv) and the key defense hub of the city of Volodymyr. In 1798, the ruins of the gate were dismantled. Their foundations are indicated by red quartzite at the corner of Velyka Zhytomyrska and Volodymyrska streets.
Podilskyi Gate led from the city of Volodymyr towards Podil down the Dnieper. Evidence has been found that Babin Torzhok was located close to Podolsky gate. Marketplace very conveniently connected the central part of the city with a gate overlooking the main pier.
Mykhailivsky Gate is one of the three gates of the Kyiv Dytynets (citadel) built during the time of Prince Volodymyr (X-XII centuries). They were located at the end of the street stretching from the market square (“The Babin Torzhok”) near the Desiatynna Church (The Church of Thithes) towards the southeast direction, in the place of the later built Mikhailivsky Monastery, from which they later got their name. The gate was wooden and served as the main entrance to Kyiv. Behind it, there was a deep ravine, through which a drawbridge was probably thrown. From here it was possible to get to Borychiv current leading to the harbor on the Pochaina river, and also to get to Pechersk by crossing the Khreshchatytsky ravine. Comparison with the architecture of Byzantium can speak of the grandeur of the structure.
The Western (Big) Palace was located in front of the Church of the Tithes, striking with its luxury. It is believed that the western side of the palace served as a main residence of Prince Volodymyr, and the longitudinal axis of the church was exactly perpendicular to the axis of the palace. Probably, four horse sculptures were installed in front of the cathedral, brought by Volodymyr from Khersones, the same as the four horses of the sculptor Lysippus in Constantinople, which were taken out of Olympia and installed in front of St. Sophia Cathedral. Analyzing the nature of the division, it is believed that the length of the building reached 70-72 m. The central part, 9×8 m in size, was the lobby of the palace, from where stairs led to the 2nd floor. The room was covered with a tent top. On two sides, extended wings were adjacent to the central building. Probably, lower floors had open arcades in front of the main halls, and the upper floors housed living quarters. Found fragments of bricks are similar to the bricks of the Church of the Tithes.
The Desiatynna Church (The Church of the Tithes) is the main stone cathedral of Kyiv Rus, erected in 989-996. at the place where, by decree of Volodymyr the Baptist, the pagan god Perun was sacrificed by two Christians – Fedir and his baby son, John. For the maintenance of the church and the metropolis, Prince Volodymyr allocated “tithe” – a tenth of the income of his possessions, hence the name of the church (in the annals it is referred to as the Church of the Virgin). The magnificent building was striking in its size and rich decoration. The cross-domed church was decorated with mosaics, frescoes, and marble, which is why it was often called the “marble” church. Icons, precious vases and crosses were brought from Korsun (Chersonesos). Volodymyr, his wife, Anna, and the ashes of Princess Olga, transported from Vyshhorod, were buried here. During the siege of Kyiv by Khan Batu, the townspeople tried to hide in the cathedral. Unable to withstand the onslaught, the church collapsed, burying hundreds of people alive under it.
The rotunda is a building supposedly of the 12th – beginning of the 13th centuries, which, unlike the rotunda in the west, did not serve for religious objectives. It is possible that it had a utilitarian purpose and was a grand-princely cuisine.
The Terem of Olga is a country house of Princess Olga. It was supposedly located behind the ramparts on Starokyivska Mountain. According to one version, there was a tower close to the current St. Andrew’s Church.
Olga’s Palace is a princely residence (X century), the foundations of which were found during excavations on Starokyivska mountain. Presumably it was a two-story building, decorated with marble, mosaics and frescoes. In the palace, the Princess used to meet with the Drevlyan ambassadors, and conduct business negotiations. Olga was the first among the rulers to adopt Christianity long before the baptism of Rus. It was with her that stone construction appeared in Rus (the first stone buildings of Kyiv is the palace and Olga’s suburban tower). During archaeological excavations conducted near the historical museum, the remains of the foundation were found. It is believed that this place radiates strong energy. In ancient Rus, such places were revealed by the magicians, which is probably why the palace was erected here. Today, a memorial sign is installed here.
The pagan temple is the oldest sanctuary (VI-VII centuries), whereof foundation was reconstructed on Starokyivska mountain. Once there was an altar, where the pagans gathered to honor their gods. Archaeologists suggest that this was the temple of the god Perun, which was a pantheon of six main gods in the form of a stone circle with quadrangular ledges directed to different directions of the world. The first researcher of the temple was V. Khvoika, who in 1908 found here the remains of animals along with layers of clay and ash.
The dwelling of Prince Kyi is supposedly a wooden structure, which was located in the center of the city of Kiy. In view of the fact that in the conditions of military democracy of the 5th century the prince the first one of the kind, his dwelling was not much different from the dwellings of other warriors.
The most ancient settlement is the north-eastern ledge of Starokyivska Mountain, where the city of Prince Kyi, the capital of the Polyana Principality (V-IX centuries), arose. “Grad” within the boundaries of the fortified settlement, where the prince’s family settled, was called the dytynets (citadel) of Kyiv. Due to natural conditions, the territory was reliably fortified. From the north-west it was protected by steep slopes of the Dnieper River (before the Gonchary-Kozhemyaki precipice), from the southeast – by a deep moat and earthen rampart. The defense line was located on the western edge of the St. Andrew’s Hill. Behind the moat to the east and south there was a burial mound. Having studied it, scientific materials were obtained to recreate the appearance of Ancient Kyiv. The remains of dwellings, a pagan temple, and defense structures found by archaeologists confirm that back in the 5th century Kyiv arose here. At the end of the X century. the dytynets (citadel) expanded and was called the city of Volodymyr. Today, at the spot of the state’s inception, a memorial stone has been installed with the inscription “The Rus land came from here.” From the observation deck you can see the Shchekavytsia and Khorevytsia hills, where, according to the legend, brothers Kyi, Shchek and Khoryv settled.