Attractions of Pereyaslav

Church of Saints Borys and Hlib in Pereyaslav was built in the early XIX century on the site where in 1015 by order of Svyatopolk Okayannyi was killed Prince Borys, son of Volodymyr the Baptist, who became one of the first Rus saints.

The first shrine at the confluence of the Alta and Trubizh was erected by the will of Prince Volodymyr Monomakh. In 1125, according to the chronicles, Monomakh died "near his favorite church built on the Alta, seventy-two years from birth." After some time Borys and Hlib Church was destroyed by the Polovtsians, but in 1806-1839 it was rebuilt in the style of classicism.

Architectural monument of national importance. The main shrine is a stone cross that pours myrrh, made in 1664 by the folk craftsman Kharko Bespaly. In fact, the Saints Borys and Hlib Church was built around it. The anointing of the cross began in the 1980s.

To mark the 1000th anniversary of the deaths of Saints Borys and Hlib, an eight-meter wooden cross has been erected on the church grounds.

The building of the synagogue in Pereyaslav was built at the beginning of the 20th century. This is the only surviving Jewish religious building in the city, although at the end of the 19th century, half of the population of Pereyaslav consisted of Jews.

Since Soviet times, the building has been home to the Bohdan Khmelnytskyi Art Products Factory, which produces artistic weaving and hand-made embroidery (towels, vyshyvanka, etc.).

Excursions are conducted. Ready-made products can be purchased directly from the factory.

The majestic complex of the Ascension Monastery was built in 1700 in the center of Pereyaslav at the expense of Hetman Ivan Mazepa. It is a part of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav".

The monumental Ascension Cathedral is considered a model of Ukrainian national architecture due to its complex construction and rich Baroque stucco.

On the territory of the monastery there is a two-storey building of the former monastery school and the dormitory of bursaks. In 1776, a three-tiered bell tower in the Ukrainian Baroque style, 48 meters high, was built, which served as the second entrance to the monastery.

In Soviet times, a museum-diorama "Battle for the Dnipro and the creation of the Bukrin bridgehead in the autumn of 1943" (canvas length 28 meters, height 7 meters) was opened in the cathedral, which recreates the events of September 21-22, 1943, when Soviet troops Dnipro on the Bukrin bridgehead near Pereyaslav.

The Mausoleum of Eternal Glory is located in the basement, where the names of Pereyaslav residents who died in the Second World War are immortalized on the walls.

The Cossack Church of John the Baptist is an example of folk wooden architecture, the oldest wooden church in Pereyaslav. It is located on the territory of the Museum of Folk Architecture and Life. Transported from the village of Ostriyki (Bilotserkivske Starostvo).

A Cossack cemetery with stone crosses has been recreated around the church. Nearby is a three-tier bell tower (XVIII century) from the village of Busheve, Kyiv region. A church bell weighing 25 tons is installed in it.

Another wooden church is located nearby - the Church of the Intercession (1778) from the village of Sukhyi Yar in the Stavyshchen district. In Soviet times, it housed the Museum of Atheism, and now it is the Museum of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.

The Museum of Folk Architecture and Life of the Middle Dnipro Region is the first and one of the largest open-air museums in Ukraine. It was founded in 1964 on the initiative of historian and ethnographer Mykhaнlo Sikorskyш. It is a part of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav".

The building of the museum imitates the planning of a classic Ukrainian village with a square in the middle. There are about 300 exhibits in the picturesque park area of 25 hectares on the outskirts of Pereyaslav. Almost half of them are authentic wooden temples, peasant houses and windmills of the XVII-XIX centuries, transported here from different parts of the region. 20 peasant yards with residential and farm buildings represent the life of representatives of various professions and segments of the population of Middle Dnipro Region - from the house of a poor peasant to the hunting lodge of Count Horchakov. The interiors feature more than 20,000 exhibits: works of folk artists, tools, household items, archaeological materials, documents, photographs.

Among the most valuable architectural monuments: the Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin (early XVII century) and the bell tower (mid-XVIII century) from the Right Bank Kyiv region; the Church of Saint George (mid-18th century) from the Pereyaslav region, immortalized by Taras Shevchenko in the sepia "Andrusha"; forest border - a house of forest protection (late XIX century) from Kyiv Polissya; inn (early XIX century.) from the city of Pereyaslav.

There are 13 thematic museums in some monuments and exposition pavilions: Museum of the History of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, Museum of Decorative and Applied Arts of the Kyiv Region, Museum of Ukrainian Rites, Museum of the Ukrainian Towel, Museum of the History of Forestry in the Middle Dnipro Region, Museum of the History of Beekeeping in the Middle Dnipro Region, Museum of Bread, Museum of the Post Station, Museum of the History of Folk Land Transport in the Dnipro Region, Museum of space, Mykola Benardos Museum, Sholom Aleichem Classics of Jewish Literature Museum, the Polissya District Memorial Museum.

The archeological department exhibits reconstructions of dwellings of the Late Paleolithic, Chernyakhiv culture, Ancient Kyiv, Cossack era, as well as lapidary with stone stelae and burial structures of different epochs.

The decoration of the museum is the natural landscape of the Tatar mountain, with skillfully inscribed in it artificial ponds, streets, courtyards, gardens, orchards and pastures, which give it vitality and special comfort.

The Pereyaslav Collegium was opened at the Ascension Monastery in Pereyaslav in 1738. Its main purpose was to train the Orthodox clergy to fight against the union and Catholicism on the Right Bank.

The school had six classes: two grammars, one each - rhetoric, poetics, philosophy and theology. The term of study was six years. Children of the clergy, Cossack officers, burghers, and peasants studied here.

From 1750 to 1751, the outstanding Ukrainian philosopher-humanist, poet and educator Hryhoriy Skovoroda taught poetry at the Pereyaslav Collegium. To commemorate the 250th anniversary of his birth, a memorial museum was established in the reconstructed building. The atmosphere of the library, classroom, teacher's room is recreated. The atmosphere of the era is conveyed by antique furniture and interior items - cabinets, chairs, secretary, astronomical globe, ancient musical instruments. A copy of the Peresopnytsia Gospel, which was kept in the collegium until 1862, is presented.

In the art department you can see a portrait of Hryhoriy Skovoroda by an unknown artist of the XVIII century, a sculptural portrait of the philosopher Ivan Kavaleridze, rare folk paintings: "Cymbalist", "Near the house".

The Hryhoriy Skovoroda Memorial Museum is part of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav".

The Museum of Kobzar Art in Pereyaslav is located in an old house, where in the early XX century there was a shop of the Pereyaslav merchant Arkhyp Marchenko. It is a part of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav".

About 250 exhibits tell about the history of the origin and development of Kobzar Art, about the life of the most famous Ukrainian bards, as well as about modern trends in kobzar art - traditional folk and folklore and stage-academic.

The oldest exhibits are authentic ancient Rus musical instruments: whistles, tambourines and harps. A special place in the exposition is occupied by the traditional Ukrainian kobza - a lute-like string plucked musical instrument, which was an indispensable companion of the Zaporozhzhian Cossacks.

In addition to the Cossack kobza, the museum exhibits lute, zither and bagpipes, as well as 26 banduras, which are more modern and sophisticated musical instruments. In particular, there are banduras that belonged to a prominent kobzar of the XIX century. Hnat Honcharenko and the famous master Oleksandr Korniyevskyi.

The museum hosts concerts of Pereyaslav kobzars and other events.

The back side of the building is decorated with artistic ceramic tiles on historical subjects, which tell about the princes and bishops of Pereyaslav.

The Museum of "Testament" in Pereyaslav is dedicated to the most famous work of the outstanding Ukrainian poet-prophet Taras Shevchenko. It is a part of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav".

The exposition is located in an old wooden house built in 1820, which belonged to the family of Pereyaslav doctor Andriy Kozachkovskyi. It was there that Shevchenko visited him during his stay in Pereyalav, and it was here on December 25, 1845, during a serious illness, that he wrote his program poem, which became a call to the liberation struggle of the Ukrainian people and a message to his descendants.

The house reproduces the preliminary planning and interiors of the guest room where the poet lived, living rooms, libraries, Kozachkovsky's office. For a long time, a historical museum was located here. Much of his exposition is preserved and now reveals in chronological order the history of the Pereyaslav region of the Cossack period through the prism of its understanding by Shevchenko.

The most interesting exhibits belong to the Cossack era: ancient weapons, Cossack jewels, personal belongings of Cossack leaders, copies of important documents of the time. In particular, the personal sword of Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytsky, presented to him by the Polish King Yan Kazymir, is presented. You can also see the hetman's mace of the XVIII century, bunchuk of the XVII century, colonel's pirnach, squid of the hetman's clerk, etc.

Three literary and artistic halls tell about Taras Shevchenko's studies at the St. Petersburg Academy of Arts, the poet's early work, as well as his acquaintance with many Pereyaslav residents and personally with the owner of the house, about the "Pereyaslav Kobzar Autumn" - the period of a real creative rise of the artist.

In front of the estate grows an acacia tree planted by Shevchenko together with Kozachkovskyi. There is a souvenir shop in front of the museum.

The Museum of the Famous Academician, Outstanding Architect, Founder of the Ukrainian Academy of Architecture Volodymyr Zabolotny is located in a building that belonged to the Zabolotny family. It is a part of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav".

The exposition includes unique items from Volodymyr Zabolotny's collection: paintings by Western European artists, luxurious vases, a library (over 5,000 volumes). Here are the works of the architect himself - a model of the Verkhovna Rada building, furniture designed by him, watercolors and oil landscapes.

The exposition pavilion of the Archaeological Museum of Pereyaslav was built in 1957 over the remains of the Savior Church of the XI century, which was located on the territory of the city suburb and served as the tomb of famous people of ancient Pereyaslav princely times.

Thus, it was possible to preserve and present to visitors fragments of the foundations and walls of the ancient Rus temple with the remains of a fresco, paved floor with ceramic tiles, burial in brick sarcophagi under slate slabs.

The exposition of the Archaeological Museum tells about the ancient history of the Pereyaslav region. In particular, you can see stone tools of primitive people, ceramic dishes of Trypillia culture, antique helmet made of gilded bronze, rare glassware of Chernyakhiv culture, products of Pereyaslav masters of the Princely era.

The Archaeological Museum is part of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav".

The Pereyaslav City Gymnasium was built in the 19th century and originally belonged to the complex of buildings of the Ascension Monastery. The brick building, which housed the dormitory of the seminary until 1917, still impresses with its monumentality.

Until 1941, an orphanage was located here, during the war - the German commandant's office. During the war, the building lost most of its magnificent decoration. After the restoration, in 1958, the educational building of the pedagogic school was opened in it.

In 2000, the building was reorganized into primary school No. 6 and a gymnasium, then into the Pereyaslav Academic Lyceum named after Ivan Mazepa.

The Cathedral of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Pereyaslav is located in the western part of the former city center, on the site of the church of the same name, founded in the 12th century.

Before its destruction by the Tatars in the 13th century, it served as a house church for the princes of Pereyaslav. In 1586, Prince Vasyl Ostrozkyi rebuilt the temple as a military cathedral. It was here on January 8, 1654 that the Cossack foreman, led by Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, took an oath of loyalty to the Moscow Tsar. A year later, during a big fire, the wooden building burned down.

Modern architectural forms - a five-domed church in the pseudo-Byzantine style - the cathedral acquired at the end of the 19th century. The church is still active.

The architectural ensemble of the Saint Michael's Monastery is located on the territory of the Episcopal Court of the Pereyaslav Dytynets (Citadel). 

This fortification at the confluence of the Alta River and the Trubizh River was the historical core of medieval Pereyaslav in princely times. It is a part of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav".

Saint Michael's Cathedral of the XI century, built on the initiative of the Bishop of Pereyaslav, the Reverend Ephraim of Pechersk, under Prince Volodymyr Monomakh was the largest church in the city. Many Pereyaslav princes were buried there (the tomb has not survived).

The cathedral was destroyed by the Mongol-Tatars during the storming of Pereyaslav in 1237. Now you can see the later Saint Michael's Church, revived on ancient foundations by Pereyaslav Colonel Fedir Loboda in the middle of the XVII century. as a small wooden temple, and a century later rebuilt in stone in its present form. At the same time, a defensive bell tower with an entrance gate was erected. As a result of secularization in 1876, the church became a parish, received the status of a city council.

Under Soviet rule, Saint Michael's Church was closed and the dome torn down. Until recently, it housed the Museum of Folk Costume of the Dnipro region. The interior has preserved paintings of the XVIII-XIX centuries. Since 2010, the monastery complex has been in use by the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate, the men's monastery of Archstrateg Michael was opened in it. Instead of the authentic dome recorded in Taras Shevchenko's painting, the religious community erected a dome-model of a 12th-century church above the church.

The monastery shares the territory with the Museum of Architecture of Ancient Rus Pereyaslav, which was opened in 1982 on the initiative of the founder of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav" Mykhaylo Sikorskyi. The outline of the temple destroyed by the Mongols is lined with stone around the perimeter of the church, and the original masonry and mosaics are available for viewing in the covered pavilion in the courtyard of Saint Michael's Monastery. There is also a model of an ancient Rus cathedral.

The remains of other structures of the baby are hidden underground. There is a memorial sign in honor of the ancient Rus chronicler Sylvester, one of the authors of the "Tale of Bygone Years", and several other sculptures.

In 2023, the Economic Court of the Kyiv region made a decision based on the lawsuit of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve "Pereyaslav", according to which the oldest shrine of Pereyaslav should return to the use of the National Historical and Ethnographic Reserve and obliged the UOC of the Moscow Patriarchate to vacate the premises of the Saint Michael's Church.

Maydan Knyazhyi dvir (princely court) is located in the center of the ancient Pereyaslav. Princes of Pereyaslav lived here, state affairs were decided, the princely army was gathered, from here they set off against the enemy and returned here victorious.

In princely times, the area of the entire city center reached 2.5 hectares. The princely court (Knyazhyi dvir) occupied its northern part and was bounded from the east by the central street connecting the princely and episcopal gates, from the north and west by a defensive rampart, and from the south by a transverse street that departed from the city center.

It was at this place in 1654 that the Pereyaslavska Rada was held - the general military council of the leaders of the Ukrainian Cossacks, at which Hetman Bohdan Khmelnytskyi, before the Moscow embassy of the boyar Vasyl Buturlin, took an oath of loyalty to Tsar Oleksiy Mykhaylovych, the result of which was the conclusion of an agreement on a military-political union between Ukraine and by Muscovy.

On the square is the Cathedral of the Dormition, where the Cossack foreman was sworn in. Ukraine was under the protectorate of the Muscovite Empire. The process of curtailing the autonomy of the Cossack state and the complete absorption of Ukraine by the Muscovite state, which later became the Russian Empire, soon began.

In honor of the anniversary of those events in Soviet times, the square in front of the Cathedral of the Dormition was named "Pereyaslavska Rada Square". On September 26, 2019, by the decision of the city council session, Pereyaslavska Rada Square was renamed Maydan Knyazhyi dvir.

Bohdan Khmelnytsky Square is the main one in Pereyaslav. The administration building and the central hotel are located here.

A monument to Ukrainian-Russian friendship was erected in the Central City Park adjacent to the square in honor of the 300th anniversary of the reunification of Ukraine with Russia (1954). In 2022, during Russia's large-scale military invasion of Ukraine, this monument was dismantled by the decision of the hromada and the local self-government body.

Khmelnytsky Square is closed to traffic.