Church of the Tithes
The Church of the Tithes or Church of the Dormition of the Virgin (Ukrainian: Десятинна Церква, Desiatynna Tserkva; Russian: Десятинная Церковь, Desyatinnaya Tserkov') was the first stone church in Kyiv. Originally it was built by the order of Grand Prince Vladimir (Volodymyr) the Great between 989 and 996 by Byzantine and local workers at the site of death of martyrs Theodor the Varangian and his son Johann. It was originally named the "Church of Our Lady", in honor of the Dormition of the Theotokos. The church was ruined in 1240 during the siege of Kyiv by Mongol armies of Batu Khan.
| Church of the Dormition of the Virgin | |
|---|---|
The ruined Church of the Tithes in the 1650s, drawn by Abraham van Westerveld. | |
| Religion | |
| Affiliation | Eastern Orthodox Church |
| Province | Kyiv Metropolis |
| Rite | Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople |
| Status | destroyed |
| Location | |
| Location | Kyiv, Ukraine |
| Architecture | |
| Type | cathedral |
| Completed | 996 |
| Materials | Stone |
Shown within Kyiv | |
| Location | Kyiv, Ukraine |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 50°27′28″N 30°31′03″E |
| Type | Building |
| History | |
| Builder | Volodymyr of Kyiv |
| Founded | 10th century AD |
| Periods | Kievan Rus |
| Cultures | Old Ruthenian |
| Site notes | |
| Condition | Ruined |
Vladimir set aside a tithe of his income and property to finance the church's construction and maintenance, which gave the church its popular name.
On an initiative of the Metropolitan of Kyiv Eugene Bolkhovitinov, the church was rebuilt in the mid-19th century, but in 1928 it was once again destroyed by the Soviet regime.