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The Golden Gate of Kyiv
How it survived over one thousand years of turbulent history
Nearly one thousand years ago the city of Kyiv was surrounded by a strong wall, protecting its great cathedral of St Sophia and its buildings of state. The home of Grand Prince Yaroslav the Wise, it sat at the top of a hill — a natural rampart, which was further strengthened by its imposing wall. Visitors could enter through one of three gates, the most magnificent of which was the Golden Gate — the other gates, the Polish and the Jewish Gates, were merely tradesmen’s entrances.
Yaroslav the Wise was the son of Volodymyr, who had brought Orthodox Christianity to Kyiv, after carefully weighing up the various alternative religions of Islam, Judaism, and Catholicism. Yaroslav married his daughters into major European dynasties — in Norway to King Harold Hardrada, to King Henry of France, and to King Andrew of Hungary. He was connected to the courts of England and Poland through his sisters. He himself was married to Anne, the sister of the powerful Byzantine Emperor Basil II.
When the Golden Gate was built in 1037, Kyiv was at the height of its power and influence within the medieval world, as the capital of Kyivan Rus’. Medieval Kyiv was a thriving trading centre. It straddled the important silk routes from east to west, as well as the north-south route…
