Reconstruction of Dormition Cathedral (1998-1999)

Dear Friends!

Here is the new release of the “Memories of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” photo project. Today we continue the story about the reconstruction of the Great Pechersk Church and present the photo chronicle of the events of spring-summer 1999.

As mentioned in the previous release, the reconstruction of the temple involved the preservation of the remains of the walls that survived the explosion as well as their inclusion in the total volume of the reconstructed building, along with new masonry (Fig. 1-5). Preliminary bed tests of new masonry fragments and preserved walls for static loads were carried out. Work on brick masonry began in February. The volume of masonry was set at 150 m3 per month - which amounts to 600 thousand bricks. The builders also used prepared old bricks, which were dismantled in the fall of 1998 due to their weak interconnection with the base (Fig. 2). The height of the monthly “growth” of the walls was supposed to be 3 meters, but given that in some areas the installation of injection piles continued until April, the masonry of the Cathedral was initially uneven (Fig. 6). On the 1st of October, the masonry reached the mark of 28 meters - the level of completion of the crowning cornice of the main dome. The vaults were made of reinforced concrete with cast-in-situ strips to ensure the static character of the structure in case of uneven setting. The Cathedral was almost completely restored outside. All that was left to do was to install the domes and arrange the roof.

In the next release of the “Memories of Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra” photo project you will learn about the Church of St. John the Baptist. The church was reconstructed in the Old Russian style in the northwestern part of the interior of the Dormition Cathedral in the spring of 1999.