St. Sofia Cathedral
Saint Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv is an outstanding architectural monument of Kyivan Rus and one of the city's best known landmarks, inscribed in the World Heritage List. The complex of the Cathedral is the gem of the National Sanctuary Sophia of Kyiv state institution, which is responsible for its preservation along with several other historic landmarks.
The Cathedral was built in 1037 to the order of Yaroslav Mudry (the Great Prince of Novgorod and Kyiv) and served as a social, political and cultural center of Kyivan Rus as well as a burial place of Kyiv princes. The remains of Yaroslav Mudry, his son Vsevolod and Volodymyr Monomakh are buried there. The cathedral is also famous for its ancient mosaics and frescos by Byzantine masters, as well as for notes and images of great historical value on its walls, known as Sophia graffiti.