Due to the appeals of the Kyiv Sofia National Preserve Directorate, Rinat Akhmetov’s Development of Ukraine Foundation financed the installation of transparent safety barriers inside the cathedral. The barriers both protect and highlight the cathedral’s unique frescos. The press service of the foundation announced that the sum of the grant for the frescos’ protection and the restoration of the famous gate was 150,000 hryvnias. Let us remind that Kyiv Sofia cathedral is a historical, architectural and artistic monument of 11th-19th centuries — monumental paintings from four different epochs can be found on its walls. The paintings, including an 11th century fresco, cover practically all the walls and pillars from floor to ceiling. Those at a person’s height suffered from contact with the visitors’ clothing, and sometimes from the recklessness of the tourists. An 11th century painting in the northern tower of the cathedral, portraying the Byzantine princess Anna, her nieces and their court, was in particularly bad shape. The damaged parts were on the cross-shaped pillars of the central pew of the cathedral. The ICMS (International Council on Monuments and Sites) experts that visited Sofia cathedral in 2009 drew attention to the necessity of protecting the compositions immediately.
The Development of Ukraine Foundation has collaborated with the Kyiv Sofia National Preserve since 2007 within the framework of the Foundation’s project “Cultural Heritage.” During 2007-09 the Preserve obtained around 38 million hryvnias for the restoration of the architectural monuments of 18th century — the house of the metropolitan that is located on the territory of the cathedral. In 2008, the house hosted a collection of bronze sculptures from the Louis XIV collection to celebrate its opening. The Foundation also purchased a collection of antique furniture from the 17th-19th centuries, in order to recreate the historical interiors of the metropolitan’s chambers, which are now open to the public.
