The Church of the Tithes

The Church of the Tithes was the first church in Kiev Rus which was made of stone. It was built in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin in 989-996. The church was built on the initiative of Prince Vladimir, who allocated a tenth of his income for its construction, that is, tithing, where the name of the shrine came from.

The Church of the Tithes was the first in the Kievan Rus temple, which was made of stone. It was built in honor of the Nativity of the Virgin in 989-996. The church was built on the initiative of Prince Vladimir, who allocated a tenth of his income for its construction, that is, tithing, from which the name of the shrine came.

This church has a long history, like most Ukrainian churches. According to legend, the Church of the Tithes was built on the site of the death of the first martyrs John and Fedor, who were sacrificed to the god Perun. A few years before the baptism of Rus there was the house of the Varangian Fedor and his son John. Somehow the Kiev pagans wanted to sacrifice their gods, the lot pointed to John. However, Fyodor not only did not give his son, but at the same time he condemned the pagans. Enraged, the crowd destroyed the house of Fyodor, whose wreckage buried his father and son.

During numerous archaeological excavations it was possible to find out that the Church of the Tithes was the last haven of St. Vladimirand some of his descendants. Here, the tombs of Princess Olga, the Greek princess Anna and other members of the grand-ducal family were found. At present, this temple does not exist anymore. However, it is known that he was near the Andrew descent.