Mysterious underground passages leading to St. Sophia Cathedral found in Kyiv
This is reported by TSN.
On the reserve's territory, there is the Refectory Church – an architectural monument of the eighteenth century. It is known that it stands in the basements of the 17th century. According to scientists, these basements were located under the former wooden structure of the church. The first known refectory of the St. Sophia monastery was first mentioned in 1682. It was made of wood and had a church consecrated in honor of St. Theodore Stratelates. According to the description of 1695, it was a warm church.
Recently, employees of the Reserve began a complex of repair and restoration works in this basement.
"We planned to equip the Museum of Archeology of the reserve there because we have a vibrant archaeological collection of artifacts. The architecture is magnificent, and the basement is below ground level, so it will be a fascinating object for tourists," Vadym Kyrylenko, first deputy director general and chief restorer of the St. Sophia of Kyiv National Reserve, states TSN.ua.
In the basement of the Refectory Church, which was half-covered with earth, archaeologists discovered three heads of underground passages that had never been explored before.
"We decided to open all three underground passages and started our work. Moreover, almost nothing is known about these underground passages in history. After working in the archives, we found out that when the Refectory Church was completed in the 19th century, these underground passages were already covered with earth, no one had explored them, and it is unknown where they lead. Although at one time, we conducted a biolocation of the Reserve's territory, and the locator shows that one of these three passages leads to St. Sophia Cathedral. We know that the depth of this passage is six meters from ground level. At the same time, the underground passage is covered with bricks and laid at an angle. One of the assumptions that were confirmed by biolocation is that somewhere under St. Sophia Cathedral, at a depth of 9 meters, there is some kind of virtual camera. What it is is still a mystery," Vadym Kyrylenko tells us.
Archaeologists have set themselves the goal of opening these passages and exploring them, to walk along them to the end of the underground passage.
"Now archaeologists are working in the basement. There's a lot of work to be done - it's a real Klondike for scientists because the basement is filled with household waste from the 18th and 19th centuries. We find a lot of interesting materials that show the life of Kyiv residents of that time. Back then, there were no landfills - everything was simply thrown away and covered with soil. We find various household items, such as antique dishes. There are a lot of interesting things. The research process continues, and there are many interesting things ahead," Vadym Kyrylenko intrigues.
