Saint Sophia of Kyiv as a Sacred Space of Religious Memory and National Identity

Authors

• Oleh Sokolovskyi, Zhytomyr Ivan Franko State UniversityFollow
• Olha Hordiichuk, Zhytomyr Polytechnic State UniversityFollow
• Viktoriia Omelchenko, Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv, KyivFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

ORCID: 0000-0003-2228-3040

ORCID: 0000-0003-4606-9188

ORCID: 0009-0008-4609-0730

Abstract

This article examines Saint Sophia of Kyiv as a sacred space where religious memory, Christian symbolism, sacred geography, and national identity intersect. Using historical, hermeneutic, cultural-studies, and discourse approaches, it analyzes the cathedral’s architecture and iconography, particularly the Virgin Orans, the “Unshakable Wall,” and the concepts of Kyiv as the Second and New Jerusalem. The study demonstrates how medieval Christian meanings have been preserved, transformed, and reactivated within cultural and religious memory. It argues that, particularly during Russia’s war against Ukraine, Saint Sophia functions as a dynamic symbolic space where sacred meanings interact with contemporary national identity, historical continuity, and cultural resilience.

Recommended Citation

Sokolovskyi, Oleh; Hordiichuk, Olha; and Omelchenko, Viktoriia (2026) "Saint Sophia of Kyiv as a Sacred Space of Religious Memory and National Identity," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 46 : Iss. 10 , Article 7.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2693-2229.2927
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol46/iss10/7