In 1893, the site was consecrated for the construction of a church in honor of St. Michael, the first Metropolitan of Kyiv. As a sign of respect for his heavenly patron, this construction was started by the honorary citizen of Kyiv, philanthropist Mikhail Degterev at his personal expense (he also fully financed the construction national Philharmonic Society). This cruciform three-altar church was built according to the design of the architect Vladimir Nikolaev (Church of the Ascension on Baikov Cemetery, mansion Tereshchenko, Galperina and Liberman, monument to Khmelnitsky). The altars of the temple were dedicated: the main one – in honor of St. Michael I, Metropolitan of Kyiv, the other two – in honor of St. Alexander Nevsky and the righteous saints Zechariah and Elizabeth. The domes of the church rested on strong walls more than 2.5 meters thick; it had a carved oak iconostasis, parquet flooring, steam heating, and wide granite steps in front of the entrance. The consecration of St. Michael’s Church took place on June 18, 1895.
Mikhail Degterev devoted the last years of his life to serving God and was the church elder. He died on December 21, 1898 and was buried in the family tomb in the left annex of the temple in honor of the righteous saints Zechariah and Elizabeth. In 1901, according to the design of the same architect, a right extension was added to the church on the western side for symmetry, and then a two-tier stone bell tower. At the same time, a major renovation was carried out in the temple with the replacement of wooden floor beams with metal ones and the arrangement of drainage around the church. All work on the expansion and repair of the church was carried out at the expense of Degterev’s widow, who died on June 4, 1902 and was buried in the crypt under the northern extension of the temple. After the October Revolution, the church was looted, and in 1930, on Easter, Komsomol members of the Pechersk region almost completely destroyed it, only the foundation and base of the temple remained. The neighboring buildings of the church office and refectory were turned into the party committee of the Alexander Hospital.
Divine services resumed only 65 years later in December 1995, on the day of remembrance of the Great Martyr Barbara in the surviving building of the former refectory. In 1998, permission was granted to excavate the destroyed temple. During the excavations, many church relics were found: lamps, metal crosses, window bars, etc. In the left extension they found a staircase, which after 3 days of intensive excavations led to the tomb of Mikhail Degterev, which was preserved in its original form. Subsequently, opposite the former bell tower, 3 fragments of the bell were found: part of the ear, and 2 parts from the ringing, with a total weight of more than 11 kg.
In 2000, the restoration of the temple began, and already in 2002, the Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Vladimir, Metropolitan of Kyiv and All Ukraine, consecrated the crosses on the domes of the newly built temple. Now St. Michael’s Church is a typical Orthodox church, but with stricter regulations than in other parishes. Here the Divine Liturgy and 2 prayer services are celebrated daily. This is due to the fact that St. Michael’s Church is located at the central city hospital. There are 7 priests and 2 deacons serving in the church. The service takes place in an adapted wooden church, as well as in a new building built on the ruins of the former church, which is a complete copy of the destroyed one. The church has an Orthodox book center, a Sunday school and a refectory.
Where is St. Michael’s Church at the Alexander Hospital?
Shelkovichnaya street, 39/1
(044) 255-15-58
services: morning 09:00, evening 16:00