Saint George's (Dormition) Cathedral

Saint George's (Dormition) Cathedral (Yuriivskyi [Uspenskyi] sobor). (Photo: Saint George's [Dormition] Cathedral.) An architectural monument in Kaniv, built in 1144 for Prince Vsevolod Olhovych. A small, six-column church with three naves and apses and a single cupola, it was similar in structure to the church of Saint Cyril's Monastery and the Pyrohoshcha Church of the Mother of God in Kyiv. Incorporated in its façade are rows of small niches once decorated with frescoes. Frescoes also adorned the portals. In 1805–10 the church's exterior was remodeled in the neoclassical style. The characteristic features of Kyivan Rus’ architecture have been relatively well preserved in the cathedral.

[This article originally appeared in the Encyclopedia of Ukraine, vol. 4 (1993).]