AllatRa by Anastasia Novykh 2 www.allatra.org

AllatRa by Anastasia Novykh
Past, that is, the Back Aspect…
Rigden: And the first stone church of Kievan Rus, which was dedicated to the Blessed
Virgin Mary and which today is known in history as the Church of the Tithes, became
the Northern conditional “gate”. It was built already by prince Vladimir, Yaroslav’s
father. The entire old grand-ducal court of Vladimir was located beside it. Generally, it
must be mentioned that this place has a more ancient history regarding pre-Christian
places of worship.
Anastasia: Yes, judging by archaeological excavations, foundations of palaces and
much older buildings were found there, which belong to the “pagan” times of the Slavs,
and also the remains of even more ancient place of worship (a pagan temple) in the form
of a stone platform with four protrusions at the corners. In other words, even in more
ancient times, the Old Kiev mountain had already been an important religious centre of
the Slavic peoples who lived in this area.
Rigden: Absolutely. So, Yaroslav the Wise not only restored this church but also
consecrated it once again on the advice of Agapit, this time in the right way. The first
church in Kievan Rus, which was dedicated to the Mother of God, symbolised the past
which opened a way for the future. And it also played an important role in placing signs
in Kiev.
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