KYIV ARCHITECTURE OF THE EARLY 12TH CENTURY AND THE FORMATION OF THE ORIGNAL ARCHITECTURAL TRADITION OF KYIVAN RUS

Kyivan Rus architecture, which is an important component of Ukrainian culture, has not yet been considered as an independent phenomenon. In this regard, the significance of Kyiv as a centre of the formation of the original Kyivan Rus architectural tradition was diminished. The aim of this publication is to examine Kyiv architecture of the early 12th century Kyiv as a multi-vector process that determined the further development of Kyivan Rus architecture. Based on forms brought from Byzantium, the arch-gabled church was formed in Kyivan Rus in the second half of the 11th century, the defining characteristic of which is the completion of all bays with semicircular arched gables. The Dormition Cathedral of Pechersk Monastery is considered to be the first arch-gabled church. The Kyiv churches of the early 12th century already demonstrated a completed composition of the arch-gabled church in two variants: with a narthex (St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral) and without a narthex (the Trinity Gate Church of Pechersk Monastery). At the same time, Kyiv architecture of the early 12th century exhibits elements that would later become characteristic of pillar-shaped churches. These include an increase in the height of the general volume (the Trinity Gate Church, the Church of the Saviour on Berestov); an emphasis on vertical orientation achieved through the façade composition (the Trinity Gate Church, the Church of the Saviour on Berestov); the emergence of porches at the entrances, which function as components of an overall stepped composition (St Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral, the Church of the Saviour on Berestov); and the trefoil form of vaulting (the Church of the Saviour on Berestov). The analysis shows that at the early 12th century Kyiv was the centre of the formation of the original Kyivan Rus architectural tradition, represented by both arch-gabled and pillar-shaped churches, which later spread throughout the entire territory of Kyivan Rus.