Artistic Heritage of St. Michael’s Golden-Domed Cathedral and the Present

InFebruary 1934, thePolitburo oftheCentral Committee oftheCommunist Party (Bolsheviks) ofUkraine adopted a resolution onthe construction of government buildings inKyiv, due tothe transfer ofthe capital oftheUkrainian Soviet Socialist Republic fromKharkiv toKyiv. Toclear space forthe construction, itwas decided todemolish St. Michael’sGolden-Domed Monastery andits cathedral (1108–1113). Before thedemolition ofthe cathedral, its mosaics andfrescoes were removed fromthewalls. TheState Tretyakov Gallery inMoscow immediately expressed interest inacquiring part ofthese artifacts butwas refused by theKyiv authorities. In1937, anexhibition oftheState Ukrainian Museum was opened inKyiv, which included a section on the art ofKyivan Rus and featured themosaics and frescoes fromSt. Michael’s. That same year, thefirst director oftheUkrainian Museum was repressed, andinthe following year, part oftheSt. Michael’s artifacts were sent fromtheUkrainian Museum toMoscow for a temporary exhibition. However, afterthe exhibition closed, all ofthem were transferred totheTretyakov Gallery. DuringWorld War II, nearly all the frescoes andsmall mosaic fragments fromSt. Michael’sthat remained inKyiv were taken toGermany. Afterthewar, only part ofthe looted frescoes were returned toKyiv, while others were distributed amongmuseums inNovgorod andLeningrad. Inthe late 1990s, atUkraine’sinitiative, abilateral commission ofUkrainian andRussian experts was established tofacilitate the restitution ofthe artistic heritage ofSt. Michael’sGolden-Domed Cathedral held inmuseums intheRussian Federation. Between2001 and2004, the commission succeeded inreturning a group offrescoes fromtheState Hermitage Museum inSt. Petersburg toUkraine. Afterthat, the commission ceased its activities.