Kyiv Sofiyska view to St. Michaels.jpg (8 of 21)

Khmelnytsky aside, this is one of the most stunning points in all of Kyiv. In one direction you see the St. Michael's Monastery of the Golden Domes, inside and out a stunning testament to the faith of the Ukrainian Orthodox. The other way (next photos) you see the St. Sophia cathedral, built by Yaroslav the Wise in 1037. Modelled on the Hagia St. Sophia in Constantinople (with the exterior baroque trappings added much later, of course), the inside is a stunning museum of Kievan Rus, with amazing mosaics and frescos. One of the most impressive sites in the city.