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UNIT 10

ARCHITECTURAL TRADITION IN UKRAINE

I. Read the text and translate it in the written form.

The authentic Ukrainian architecture started to form in the 9th to 10th
centuries with emergence the Kyivan Rus, the centralized power on the

territory of Ukraine. Initially, all the constructions, that is, fortifications,
palaces, churches, were made of wood. From time immemorial, erected of
horizontally laid sections of timber provided with hipped roof the log-

structure served as basis. This tradition of erecting log-houses had pre-
served up to the beginning of the 20th century. Even today, one may ob-
serve these constructions used for living quarters, for instance, in Cherni-
hiv.

Concurrently with embracing Christianity the first constructions of
Byzantine style appeared in Kyivan Rus, which glaring example is the

Saint Sophia Cathedral of the 11th century in Kyiv that succeeded to last
out until the present, however having undergone substantial baroque re-
modeling.
The Byzantine style, having found itself in Rus, started to be actively

reformed in accord with the authentic conceptions of construction and or-
namentation. Resulted by such a reforming the elongated up domes of
Kyiv’s churches and specific color array of the paintings, frescos and mo-

saics appeared.
Following the Mongol invasion construction in Ukrainian land be-
came subject of defense purposes. During 12th to 15th centuries predomi-
nantly towered fortresses, fortified monasteries and castles were being

built in Kamianets-Podilsky, Lviv, Lutsk, Kremenets, and Bilhorod-
Dniprovsky. With their walls high and unassailable, one may see decora-
tive ornament in some of them made in the form of Ukrainian plakhta

(right-angled pattern) or embroidery bricked red. Of this, the Khotyn Cas-
tle in Chernivtsi oblast with walls 30 to 35 meters high is the best example
that preserved perfectly until now.
Fortified monasteries of the 15th century are also remindful of castles.

The place of the principal cathedral of the monastery was usually either in
the center of the monastery court or within the system of defensive walls.

Temples were necessarily adapted to withstand attack since they often
served asylum not only for monks but for laity too.
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