The Golden Gate is one of the capital's iconic landmarks. This is the main gate of ancient Kyiv, which still gathers around itself a large number of not only guests of the capital, but also local residents. Golden Gate has a long and very interesting history, a large number of events which took place in the XIX century.
Therefore, further "Apostrophe," referring to the photo of the Facebook-group "Spraga: it is interesting in Kyiv", will tell and show the Golden Gate in the 1850s.
In particular, the following post was left to this photo:
"Golden Gate. From the lithography of Vasyl Timm, 1858. "
The Golden Gate was one of the three large city gates that were erected under Yaroslav the Wise. Their construction, along with the construction of St. Sophia Cathedral, was described in the "Tale of Bygone Years." After the Mongol invasion in December 1240 and until the XVI century, written sources do not mention the Golden Gate. However, documents from the XVI-XVII centuries indicate that the gate was already partially destroyed. Martin Gruneveg, a merchant and traveler from Lviv, recalled in 1584:
"The Golden Gate is still standing, but most of it has been destroyed..."
Earth defensive structures were erected in front of the Golden Gate, where military garrisons were located. Until the middle of the XVIII century, they served as the defense of the city as part of the fortification complex, after which they were partially covered with soil to prevent further destruction.
Since the 1820s, the era of archaeological research in Kyiv began, and the Golden Gate became one of the first objects for excavation. In 1832, Emperor Nicholas I recognized the ruins as worthy of preservation, which started the financing of excavations from the state budget from the following year. This is what the Golden Gate was like in the 1870s.
The excavations revealed two parallel walls - an eastern pylon 25 meters long and a western pylon 13 meters long and approximately 8 meters high. The inner sides of the walls were decorated with pilasters and small niches, and the masonry technique of the structure resembled the one that was used in the construction of St. Sophia Cathedral.
On June 25, 1834, the Golden Gate was solemnly opened, consecrated and illuminated. Measures were taken to preserve the monument: the top of the walls were covered with lime mortar and covered with a layer of turf. Subsequently, other measures were taken to enhance the preservation of the ruins: the ancient masonry was restored in certain areas, retaining walls were built, metal reinforcement joints were installed, and a cast-iron fence was erected around the monument.
Thanks to these measures, the Golden Gate has survived to this day. However, despite all the efforts, the monument continued to suffer from the weather, which caused concern among researchers. Already in the 1970s, it was decided to build a pavilion over the ruins, which would not only protect them from destruction but also help to recreate the original appearance of the structure. However, back in the second half and at the end of the XIX century, the Gate looked like this:
Earlier, "Apostrophe" published archival photos of the 1960s of Borychiv Tik Street in Kyiv.