St. Panteleimon's Cathedral
Encyclopedia
The Cathedral of St. Pantaleon or St. Panteleimon is a large Eastern Orthodox
cathedral
in the Kiev
an neighbourhood of Theophania. It shares similarities with the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn
and is considered a high point in Russian Revival ecclesiastical architecture
.
It was built to a Russian Revival design by Yevgeny Yermakov between 1905 and 1912. The building is pentacupola
r, with the massive black central dome
and the four tent-like domes
on the corners, as well as low galleries which run continuously around the building. The outer walls are covered with a mazy web of tracery
.
The cathedral was intended to serve as the main church of the Kievan Monastery
of St. Panteleimon, which originated as a branch, or skete
, of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
. It was closed for worship and thoroughly looted in the 1920s and was damaged in World War II
.
The hollow shell of the church was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church
in 1990s and has been restored as the main church of a nunnery. The other church building of the convent conforms to the cathedral in style.
Eastern Orthodox Church
The Orthodox Church, officially called the Orthodox Catholic Church and commonly referred to as the Eastern Orthodox Church, is the second largest Christian denomination in the world, with an estimated 300 million adherents mainly in the countries of Belarus, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Georgia, Greece,...
cathedral
Cathedral
A cathedral is a Christian church that contains the seat of a bishop...
in the Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
an neighbourhood of Theophania. It shares similarities with the Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn
Alexander Nevsky Cathedral, Tallinn
The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is an orthodox cathedral in the Tallinn Old Town, Estonia. It was built to a design by Mikhail Preobrazhensky in a typical Russian Revival style between 1894 and 1900, during the period when the country was part of the Russian Empire. The Alexander Nevsky Cathedral is...
and is considered a high point in Russian Revival ecclesiastical architecture
Church architecture
Church architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of Christian churches. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by imitating other architectural styles as well as responding to changing beliefs, practices and local traditions...
.
It was built to a Russian Revival design by Yevgeny Yermakov between 1905 and 1912. The building is pentacupola
Cupola
In architecture, a cupola is a small, most-often dome-like, structure on top of a building. Often used to provide a lookout or to admit light and air, it usually crowns a larger roof or dome....
r, with the massive black central dome
Dome
A dome is a structural element of architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a sphere. Dome structures made of various materials have a long architectural lineage extending into prehistory....
and the four tent-like domes
Tented roof
A tented roof is a type of roof widely used in 16th and 17th century Russian architecture for churches. It is like a polygonal spire but differs in purpose in that it is typically used to roof the main internal space of a church, rather than an auxiliary structure...
on the corners, as well as low galleries which run continuously around the building. The outer walls are covered with a mazy web of tracery
Tracery
In architecture, Tracery is the stonework elements that support the glass in a Gothic window. The term probably derives from the 'tracing floors' on which the complex patterns of late Gothic windows were laid out.-Plate tracery:...
.
The cathedral was intended to serve as the main church of the Kievan Monastery
Monastery
Monastery denotes the building, or complex of buildings, that houses a room reserved for prayer as well as the domestic quarters and workplace of monastics, whether monks or nuns, and whether living in community or alone .Monasteries may vary greatly in size – a small dwelling accommodating only...
of St. Panteleimon, which originated as a branch, or skete
Skete
A Skete is a monastic style community that allows relative isolation for monks, but alsoallows for communal services and the safety of shared resources and protection...
, of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery is a functioning monastery in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The monastery is located on the right bank of the Dnieper River on the edge of a bluff northeast of the Saint Sophia Cathedral...
. It was closed for worship and thoroughly looted in the 1920s and was damaged in World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
The hollow shell of the church was returned to the Russian Orthodox Church
Ukrainian Orthodox Church (Moscow Patriarchate)
The Ukrainian Orthodox Church is an autonomous Church of Eastern Orthodoxy in Ukraine, under the ecclesiastic jurisdiction of the Moscow Patriarchate...
in 1990s and has been restored as the main church of a nunnery. The other church building of the convent conforms to the cathedral in style.