One of the symbols of Kyiv is the monument to St. Volodymyr the Great, located on Volodymyrska Hill in the capital.
Apostrophe tells about the history of the monument and the legends associated with it.
In the first half of the XIX century, the territory where the monument is currently situated was the vineyards of St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery, but later the land became the property of the city. In the 30s of the XIX century, the idea of creating a monument to St. Volodymyr for Kyiv arose. In 1842, the location was finally approved. It was decided to use a pedestal by architect Alexander Ton and a statue by architect Vasyl Demut-Malynovskyi.
The monument to Volodymyr the Great was unveiled on October 10, 1853. It was not customary in the church to consecrate monuments, so the presentation of the monument was combined with the opening of the Chain Bridge across the Dnipro on October 15, 1853.
The figure of the Baptist of Kyivan Rus stands on a pedestal that has the outlines of an octagonal chapel in the pseudo-Byzantine style. Volodymyr holds a large cross in his right hand and a princely hat in his left. The pedestal depicts scenes of the baptism of the population of Kyiv in the Dnipro River and the regalia of the Order of St. Volodymyr, including stars and crosses. The monument is 20 meters high, although the bronze figure itself is only 4.5 meters. The statue of Prince Volodymyr was personally cast by the Russian sculptor of German origin Peter Clodt von Jürgensburg in his workshop in St. Petersburg.
In 1895, electric illumination of the cross was organized at the expense of a patron, the well-known Kyiv entrepreneur Semen Mogilevtsev (it was restored after the dissolution of the Soviet Union).
In Soviet times, the monument became one of the few monuments built before 1917 that managed to survive. However, the Soviet authorities tried to remove all religious decorations from it.
In 1988, it was even featured on a Soviet commemorative coin on the occasion of the 1000th anniversary of the Christianization of Kyivan Rus.
In 2013, a minor restoration of the monument and the area around it was carried out.
Earlier, we told the story of the destroyed Music Lane in Kyiv.