According to the Tale of Bygone Years, the apostle was walking along the Dnieper River with his disciples. Stopping on one of the hills, he planted a cross in the ground and, returning to his followers, said to them: “Here a great Christian city with many churches will be founded.” The apostle was Andrew the First-Called. It was on this very spot that a church was built according to the design of Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli by order of Empress Elizabeth Petrovna in 1749–1754. The construction work was carried out by local craftsmen under the guidance of the Moscow architect Ivan Michurin. The original drawings of St. Andrew’s Church are kept in the Albertina in Vienna.

During her visit to Kyiv in 1744, the devout empress personally laid the first stone in the foundation of the new church. The first design of the church was created by the German architect Johann Gottfried Schädel, who had been working in Kyiv since 1731 on the reconstruction of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra and the rebuilding of the buildings of the St. Sophia Monastery. However, the project did not please the empress, and she ordered Chief Architect Rastrelli to create a new one.

“I,” wrote Rastrelli, “have built in the city of Kyiv, in the province of Ukraine, a large stone church with a dome and four towers in the form of bell towers. This building was constructed on the bastion of Saint Andrew, for according to the tradition of this land, Saint Andrew, passing through this province, erected a cross there, which is preserved with great reverence. It was for this reason that the empress ordered the construction of this church on the very spot where this holy apostle had planted the cross.”

Construction began in the autumn of 1747. While digging the foundation pit, it became clear why the people of Kyiv constantly built new churches on the same site — the hill was saturated with groundwater, and all the buildings eventually collapsed, undermined by underground streams. Rastrelli designed his project without considering the landslide-prone nature of the soil. The direct builder of the church, Ivan Fedorovich Michurin, had to urgently make adjustments and find a solution to the problem. To do this, the foundations were deepened by more than forty meters, almost to the height of the church itself. On this base, a two-story stylobate was erected — the residence of the clergy, whose internal partitions, several meters thick, bear the walls of the church.

The work was completed in 1753, but the church was consecrated only after the interior decoration was finished in 1767. Russian, Ukrainian, Belarusian, and Polish craftsmen participated in the construction of St. Andrew’s Church. In 1894, the wooden structures of the main dome were replaced with iron ones.

The church is majestically “raised” on the top of Andrew’s Hill, and this upward movement is echoed by its columns, pilasters, and towers. The entire structure stands on a high basement with wide staircases. A gallery with a balustrade forms on the basement, offering a picturesque panorama of Podil and the Dnieper River. The height of the church is 46 m, with the cross — 50 m (with the basement — 64 m). Tyutchev wrote about Kyiv:

There, where on the cliff’s height

An airy, radiant temple

Rises — to the eyes’ delight —

As if soaring to the skies…

In plan, the church is a “not quite square with clipped corners,” replaced by projections bearing four Western European-style towers with onion-shaped tops characteristic of North German Baroque. However, together with the central dome, they create the impression of a traditional Russian five-domed church. The corners of the cubic volume of the church are strongly reinforced by clusters of Corinthian columns on high pedestals. The towers, set apart from the central drum, significantly distinguish the composition of the church from Rastrelli’s other buildings and are Michurin’s innovation, closer to Moscow traditions.

The interior paintings were done by well-known capital painters and Ukrainian artists. The wood carving was done in Saint Petersburg. The church is famous for its Baroque iconostasis (1754–1761), made according to a drawing by Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli by St. Petersburg craftsmen from linden wood covered with gold leaf. It was assembled on site from parts. The iconostasis is notable for its bright red color. Ivan Yakovlevich Vishnyakov and his students worked on the icons. Vishnyakov also painted the pulpit, dome, a series of icons on the iconostasis, and images in the altar. The symbolic composition in the lower tier of the iconostasis depicts the seven sacraments. Among the icons are “The Preaching of the Apostle Andrew” by the Ukrainian artist Paton of Boryspil and the painting by Latvian artist Johann Eggink “Saint Prince Vladimir Chooses Faith.”

On the reverse side of the iconostasis wall is depicted the scene of the kings’ adoration of the Heavenly King. Behind the altar is the image of the Last Supper, executed by Antropov. He is also the author of the icons “Descent of the Holy Spirit upon the Apostles” and “The Sermon on the Mount of Christ” (which decorate the pulpit). The main relics of the church in pre-revolutionary times were considered to be “a part of the holy relics of Andrew the First-Called,” brought from Italy, and the Gospel in a precious cover — a gift from Emperor Alexander.

The decoration of the church involved artists Ivan Vishnyakov with his students (25 icons), I. Romensky, I. Chaikovsky (icons on the reverse side of the iconostasis), as well as Alexei Antropov, who painted the pulpit, dome, a series of icons on the iconostasis, and images in the altar. The symbolic composition in the lower tier of the iconostasis depicts the seven sacraments. Among the icons is the scene of the preaching of the Apostle Andrew among the people of Kyiv by Kyiv artist P. Boryspilets and a painting by I. Eggink, where Saint Prince Vladimir chooses faith. On the reverse side of the iconostasis wall are symbolic paintings, in particular, the scene of the kings’ adoration of the Heavenly King (probably by Grigory Levitsky).

The painting by Platon Boryspilets “The Preaching of Apostle Andrew,” painted by him in Paris, is located in the southern part of the church. Art historians, studying the painting, concluded that the man depicted on the left in the shadows is Taras Shevchenko. At that time, Shevchenko was arrested, and Boryspilets, creating the painting, wanted to express his solidarity with the artist.

Behind the altar is the image of the Last Supper, executed by Antropov. The interior is distinguished by elegant lines of the pulpit for sermons with a canopy supported by two angels. The pulpit is decorated with carvings and paintings illustrating gospel parables. This structure combines the achievements of European art embodied by Rastrelli and Ukrainian artistic traditions with their lyricism, clarity of forms, and colors.

Many legends open up to those interested in St. Andrew’s Church. One legend says: When Andrew the First-Called planted the cross, a spring appeared at the site of the future church, now hidden under the altar. If the bells are rung, the water will burst out and flood the entire city. In 1849, a part of the relics of Andrew the First-Called was brought to St. Andrew’s Church directly from the sacred Mount Athos. However, they were lost during Soviet times.

On November 30 (old style) (December 13), Orthodox Christians solemnly celebrate the day of Saint Apostle Andrew. This day became a real event for all unmarried women of Kyiv. Among the women of Kyiv, it was believed that Apostle Andrew helps those longing for family happiness to find their betrothed. It was enough to walk the streets of Kyiv on this day and ask the first man you meet his name — then, according to the belief, that would be the name of the future husband.

Moreover, the rector of St. Andrew’s Church long noticed that on the solemn liturgy on the day of Apostle Andrew, the church was packed with a huge number of young people and middle-aged women. At the same time, a bustle and crowding began in the church, continuing until the end of the service. It turned out that only on Andrew’s Day, tightly pressed to her chosen one, could a young lady surely guarantee herself a quick marriage. To stop the disorder and eradicate the unnecessary superstition, the church authorities and the Kyiv metropolitan appealed to the governor-general, who sent a reinforced police guard to St. Andrew’s Church on Andrew’s Day, whose task was to maintain public order during such a “responsible” church service.

St. Andrew’s Church is also connected with the pious activity of the legendary city fool-for-Christ Ivan Bosoy (Rastorguev). Wandering barefoot for many years through monasteries and hermitages with chains, he collected significant donations, which he immediately distributed to the poor, healing diseases and predicting fate. In 1848, Ivan Bosoy rented the two-story stylobate of St. Andrew’s Church, where he established his almshouse. The premises were divided into male and female parts, where the needy were clothed, fed, and treated, while Bosoy himself lived in a separate room among numerous icons and lamps. In the middle of his room lay a huge stone on which the ascetic bowed during night vigils, causing a large growth on his forehead. Every day, crowds of people besieged the house, and often “city fathers” and notable citizens of Kyiv visited.

Ivan Bosoy died as a righteous man and was buried in the Shchekavytske Cemetery with a large crowd of people. The earth taken from his grave was considered healing for a long time — it was worn on the chest for three days and then necessarily returned.

Visitors naturally noticed the absence of a traditional bell tower. In the city itself, this landmark interested few. But on tours of Kyiv, it is often mentioned that at the beginning of the 20th century, one Kyiv newspaper, wishing to amuse the respectable public with a good joke, published in the April 1 issue a note as follows: “Yesterday, with a terrible crash, the bell tower of St. Andrew’s Church collapsed! The street was covered with brick debris. Hurry to see!” It was assumed that the townspeople, well acquainted with the appearance of the church, would laugh it off and move on. But it turned out not so simple — half of Kyiv rushed to the “scene of the incident” hoping to see the spectacle of monstrous destruction. The prank succeeded, the Kyiv commoner was embarrassed, but complications arose. The city mayor, along with city officials, also arrived at the “disaster site” to clarify the circumstances of the calamity. A major scandal broke out. Despite all the authorities’ efforts to hush up the matter, the story went viral as a joke.

Since 1949, the stylobate of the church housed the Kyiv Theological Seminary (closed in 1960), and the church itself stored the relics of Saint Barbara the Great Martyr. Soon after the seminary was closed, under the pretext of “emergency condition,” St. Andrew’s Church was also closed (meanwhile, the relics of Saint Barbara were transferred to the Vladimir Cathedral).

In 1968, the church was opened to visitors as a museum. In May 2008, the Secretariat of President Viktor Yushchenko transferred St. Andrew’s Church from the balance of the National Reserve “Sophia of Kyiv” to the Ukrainian Autocephalous Orthodox Church. The church is part of the National Reserve “Sophia of Kyiv.”

The condition of St. Andrew’s Church noticeably improved after major works to strengthen the slope on which the building stands and the major reconstruction of the road of Andriyivskyy Descent. These and other works were carried out before Euro 2012. The slope under St. Andrew’s Church was reinforced by a special project with anchors, and the soil was reinforced with polymer materials. Trees and shrubs were completely removed. Thus, the slope was restored to its original appearance, and the view of St. Andrew’s Church from the north and east sides was improved. However, houses continue to be built in the protected zone of St. Andrew’s Church and Andriyivskyy Descent, which worsens the condition of the monument.

On October 18, 2018, the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine adopted the law “On the peculiarities of the use of St. Andrew’s Church of the National Reserve ‘Sophia of Kyiv,’” according to which St. Andrew’s Church was transferred to the permanent use of the Constantinople Patriarchate.

On December 13, 2020 (on Saint Andrew’s Day), after 11 years of restoration work, the church was opened. Since December 15, 2020, the church has been open to all visitors.

The heroes of the film “Chasing Two Hares” (1961), Svirid Petrovich and Pronya Prokopovna, went to St. Andrew’s Church to be married.

Sources:

https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andriyivska_Church_(Kyiv)

https://spraga.info/2021/05/07/andreevskaja-cerkov-v-kieve-istorija-i-legendy/