The St. Sophia Cathedral is one of the most important historic landmarks of Kiev, Ukraine.
Last updated: June 11, 2025
NOTE: Due to military conflict, Ukraine is considered not a safe country to travel to at the moment.
A Complete Guide to Visiting St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev
In Ukraine, the place is known as Sobor Sviatoyi Sofiyi or simply Sofiyskiy sobor. The rest of the world calls it the Saint Sophia Cathedral.
The St. Sophia Cathedral is one of the most remarkable architectural monuments in Ukraine and the former Kievan Rus’.
The outstanding design and historical heritage of the Cathedral didn’t escape the attention of UNESCO. In 1990 the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev was recognized as the first World Heritage Site in Ukraine. Almost a decade later, Kiev Pechersk Lavra was added to this list, further identified as a separate structure of the St. Sophia Cathedral – the Kiev Pechersk Lavra Complex.
St. Sophia Cathedral: History in a Nutshell
The history of the Cathedral is arguable. There are a few debates regarding the time of the establishment of the Cathedral. The most popular theory that UNESCO has also accepted takes you back to 1011.
Similar to the date, the name of the person during whose reign the St. Sophia Cathedral came to life is in question. Some suggest it was Vladimir the Great who gave an order to build the Cathedral. The majority, however, believe that the Great Prince of Kiev, Yaroslav the Wise, was an initiator of such a grand construction.
The Hagia Sophia Cathedral in Constantinople inspired Yaroslav the Wise to create something as holy and majestic in Kiev. Interestingly enough, not many architectural ideas were borrowed from Constantinople during the construction of the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev. The name was by far the most recognizable thing that united these two cathedrals.
Years later, the Cathedral fell into despair and remained neglected until the 17th century. In 1633 the Moldavian Orthodox metropolitan, Peter Mogila, commissioned the reconstruction and remodeling of the St. Sophia Cathedral. Later a bell tower, a monastery canteen, a bakery, the House of Metropolitan, and Zborovskiy Gates, the western gate, arose around the Cathedral.
During the Soviet time, the Cathedral almost became the victim of the anti-religious Soviet policy. Somehow, it was spared due to its historical and cultural importance and turned into a museum.
Visit St. Sophia Cathedral: Admission
Even today, the Cathedral reminds of a museum rather than a religious establishment. The complex remains a secular museum with occasional religious services.
Admission Fee: Admission to the complex is not free. The price of the ticket ranges from 20 to 200 Ukrainian hryvnias. While 20 hryvnias allows you to enter the territory of the complex, the highest price of 200 gives you access to all buildings.
Bell Tower: A visit to the Bell Tower also comes with its own price tag of about 60 hryvnias. But the 360-degree city view from the top is worth the price.
Getting to St. Sophia Cathedral
The complex is located in the heart of Kiev, making your visit to the Cathedral almost inevitable.
Metro
The most popular way to get to the complex is by metro. Make sure to get off at the stop called Zoloti Vorota. From here, walk for about 7 minutes.
Opening Hours
When Dylan and I visited the St. Sophia Cathedral in 2019, the site’s hours varied. It was open most days of the week, from 10 a.m. until 6 p.m. and was closed on Thursdays.
Today, the St. Sophia Cathedral is open 7 days a week, from 10 a.m. until 7 p.m., according to Google.
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