Ivan Kushchnyk Tower (Pechersk Lavra)

Ivan Kushchnyk Tower

Ivan Kushchnyk Tower (Ukrainian: Вежа Іоанна Кущника) — a defensive tower and the same time a church in the tower of fortifications of Kiev Pechersk Lavra in Kiev, Ukraine.

Name

When the defensive tower was built, it received a small church inside consecrated in the name of St. Ivan (John) Kushchnyk, which lived in 5th century A.D. in Bethany. He was considered a saint patron of Hetman Ivan Samoylovych.[1]

Description

The tower irregular-octagonal in plan and elongated in east-west direction. It was built from brick, covered in white plaster and decorated with profiled cornice. The tower has three stories covered with tinned cupola and gilded cross on top. Ceilings of the ground and the 1st floors were originally wooden but later replaced by stone, which increased tower's resistance to fire. The tower height from the ground to the tip of the cross is 25 meters, its other dimensions decrease with height being 9.0 x 7.3 meters at the ground level and 8.5 x 7.0 meters on the 1st floor level.[1] Octagonal walls have windows for shotguns and small cannons. On the side facing the monastery the tower had a gallery on wooden consoles, which was connected to the general system of defensive walls. The upper tier of the tower has a semicircular window openings. The structure is built in Kyiv school style of Ukrainian Baroque.[1]

History

The tower was built between 1696 and 1701. It was heavily damaged by the great Lavra fire of 1718.[2] It is known from historic documents that three churches in defensive towers, among them Ivan Kushchnyk Tower were set to be renovated in 1721, along other restorations of Lavra but it did not happen. The church and the tower were only renovated in 1797. However, there was some maintenance before that – in 1785 the tower received a tin roof.[1]

In 1918 the tower was damaged again – this time from the explosion at Zvirinets, but it was repaired the same year. The major renovations in 20th century were done in 1953[1] and in 1972. The last one was carried out under supervision of art historian V.Pidgora and architect A.Kulagin. During that renovation the lower walls and vaults of the tower were strengthened, the windows of the top floor and tier under cupola were reopened, and the cross re-gilded.[1]

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 An account of historic and cultural monuments, Kyiv (Ukrainian: Звіт пам'яток історії та культури, Київ.)
  2. ↑ Kyivan Cave Monastery at the Encyclopedia of Ukraine
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