New scientific monographs of Nadia Nikitenko

New scientific monographs of Nadia Nikitenko

These fundamental scientific monographs of Nadia Nikitenko, which were published at the end of 2022 – the beginning of 2023, are the result of her many years of studying St. Sophia of Kyiv. The books do not repeat, but complement each other in the scientific reproduction of the spiritual and artistic phenomenon of the cathedral, they give a panoramic vision of it as a monument of history and art. At the center of both studies is the grand integrated complex of architecture, mosaics, frescoes and graffiti inscriptions of St. Sophia of Kyiv. At the current level, all available sources and the scientific output of several generations of cathedral researchers have been analyzed, a new methodology for its study has been proposed, and significant results of own research have been highlighted. The unique architectural solution of the cathedral, the colossal number of scenes of completed mosaics and frescoes were considered and elaborated. Knowledge about the cathedral is supplemented by numerous new data obtained by the author in the cathedral. A large number of facts prove the author’s conclusion about the foundation of the cathedral by Volodymyr the Great in 1011 and its completion by Yaroslav the Wise in 1018. This conclusion allows one to objectively perceive the entire period of formation and apogee of the mighty Kyiv state, which dates back to the time of Volodymyr. This is a whole human generation older than claimed by Soviet and modern russian historians. This approach destroys their infamous postulate about russia as the “single cradle of three brotherly peoples” and affirms the 1000th anniversary of Rus-Ukraine as a state and the autochthony of its people-builders. The cathedral is a direct witness to the fact that statehood and culture originated in Kyiv and from there spread throughout Eastern Europe as civilizational factors.

The publication of these books was made possible thanks to patrons from the OLOS-ACADEMY group of companies, who are not just generous donors, but true fans of our culture, good friends of the National Conservation Area “St. Sophia of Kyiv”. We bow down before and gratitude to all involved, especially Ms. Tetiana Troian, the founder of the OLOS-ACADEMY project, and her associate Ihor Osypenko and their students.