St, Mikhail's Monastery of the Golden Domes

Very close to St. Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev and echoing the style of its belltower, St. Mikhail's looks old but was actually reconstructed in 2001. Various monasteries stood on this site since the 12th century, but the previous one was destroyed by Stalin in 1937. Just as with Christ the Saviour in Moscow, rebuilding the church was a high priority of the new non-Communist government after the fall of the Soviet Union.

I didn't actually explore this monastery, but found it another beautiful example of Ukrainian church architecture. This monastery belongs to the Kiev Patriarchate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, so apparently it is one of the few places in Kiev where the Ukrainian language is actually spoken.

For fans of Ukrainian churches, this is the last picture I will be posting in 2010, but look for more in 2011. Happy New Year.