Full-scale reconstruction and excavations carried out at all sites of St Sophia Reserve

Benefitting from the full-scale summer construction season, the professionals of St Sofia of Kyiv, a national historical and architectural reserve, carry out restoration and archaeological works on all of their sites, "Vechirny Kyiv" reports.

According to Vadym Kyrylenko, Deputy Head of the Reserve, restoration work on the domes and facades of St Cyril's Church, an architectural monument of the 12th century, is continuing. The cleaning and painting of the two domes is completed, drum restoration is underway. The assemblers began installing scaffolding on the eastern facade of the monument.

Repair and restoration works are paid for by various benefactors.

St Sophia of Kyiv Reserve provides technical supervision, documentary support, work of chemistry technologists and designers.

“In parallel with the church history, the story of one abandoned monument continues. Restoration works are underway at the architectural site of the 18th century, the Wall Tower of St Cyril's Church, says Vadym Kyrylenko. “The works on strengthening and insulation of the foundations were completed. The perimeter of the retaining wall was arranged along the perimeter, and the ground level was lowered down to the historical mark of the 18th century. The injection of cracks and the masonry were completed.”

Inside the St Sofia Cathedral, parts of the interior were restored. In the courtyard of the main cathedral of Ukraine, specialists carry out the work on renovating the cables.

“One more step to the energy independence of St Sophia of Kyiv Reserve,” says Vadym Kyrylenko. "We carry out works on reconstruction of power supply networks of the reserve sites. We replace the physically and morally obsolete cable networks of the 1960s with modern ones. There are also excavations underway. Archaeologists of the reserve conduct archaeological excavations in the courtyard of St Sophia Cathedral. In the 17th-19th century cultural layers, the remains of an unknown building of the 18th century -- coins, glass, building ceramics, iron and copper products, pieces of smalt -- were found.”