"The Golden Gate of Kyiv" Print

The Golden Gate of Kyiv was the main gate in the 11th century fortifications of Kyiv, the capital of Kievan Rus'. It was named in imitation of the Golden Gate of Constantinople. The structure was dismantled in the Middle Ages, leaving few vestiges of its existence. It was rebuilt completely by the Soviet authorities in 1982, though no images of the original gates have survived. The decision has been immensely controversial because there were many competing reconstructions of what the original gate might have looked like.[1] This gateway as one of three constructed by my ancestor Yaroslav the Wise. The gate was built in 1017-1024 about the same time the Saint Sophia Cathedral was erected a few blocks north. “The Great Gate of Kiev” is one of the best-known of ten pieno pieces in “Pictures at an Exhibition” composed by Russian composer Modest Mussorgsky in 1874. It was destroyed several time, most notably by the Golden Horde Mongols. When I was first there in 1970, all that remained were the ruined stone uprights. In 1982, the gate was completely rebuilt for the 1500th anniversary of Kyiv, as you see here. I painted this as a fundraiser for Ukrainian refugee relief in response to the 2022 Russian invasion.