St Andrew's Church, Kiev

Saint Andrew's Church
Андріївська церква
The Saint Andrew's Church is located at the top of the Andriyivskyy Descent in Kiev.
Coordinates: 50°27′32″N 30°31′5″E / 50.45889°N 30.51806°E / 50.45889; 30.51806
Location	Kiev, Ukraine
Denomination
History
Dedication	Saint Andrew
Architecture
Architect(s)	Bartolomeo Rastrelli, Ivan Michurin
Style	Baroque
Groundbreaking	1744
Completed	1767
Specifications
Length	31.7 m (104 ft)
Width	20.4 m (67 ft)
Height	50 m (160 ft)

The Saint Andrew's Church (Ukrainian: Андріївська церква, Andriyivs'ka tserkva; Russian: Андреевская церковь, Andreyevskaya tserkov) is a major Baroque church located in Kiev, the capital of Ukraine. The church was constructed in 1747–1754, to a design by the Italian architect Bartolomeo Rastrelli. It is sometimes incorrectly referred to as a cathedral. The church is part of the National Sanctuary "Sophia of Kiev" as a landmark of cultural heritage.

The Saint Andrew's Church overlooks the historic Podil neighborhood, situated on a steep hill to which the church gave its current name—Andriyivska Hill. It is currently one of four architectural landmarks of Ukraine, which were put down on the List of Mankind Treasures of Five Continents by the world society.

As the church sits atop a hill, foundation problems have been one of the main concerns of preservationists. More recently, the foundation below the church has started to shift, causing some concerns that the church's foundation might collapse. Cracks have already appeared in the foundation, and some of the church's falling decor has been found in neighboring areas.

Saint Andrew's Church was built in honor of Saint Andrew who is recognized as the "Apostle of Rus". According to the chronicle The Tale of Bygone Years, Saint Andrew came to the Dnieper (Dnipro) river's slopes in the 1st century AD and erected a cross on the current location of the church. He prophesied that the sparsely inhabited area would become a great city. As he predicted, the site arose to become the city of Kiev, a center of the Eastern Orthodox faith.