Transfiguration Cathedral, Chernihiv
A cathedral of 1033–1034 — among Ukraine's oldest churches.
The cathedral was founded around 1033–1034 by prince Mstyslav Volodymyrovych; in 1036, when he died suddenly, the walls reached only the height of a horseman with his arm raised, and the church was completed under Sviatoslav Yaroslavych. It is a cross-domed building of plinth brick and stone with features of a Romanesque basilica, and the burial place of the Chernihiv princes — Mstyslav, his wife Anastasia, Sviatoslav Yaroslavych. The fire of 1750 destroyed the iconostasis and the roofs; in 1791–1798 the stair tower was built up and a second, symmetrical one raised, and the new iconostasis was carved by masters from Nizhyn. In 1967 the cathedral was handed to the reserve. In October 2023 a commission of the Ministry of Culture found the state of the church appalling and withdrew it from the use of the UOC (MP); on 14 December 2023 the cathedral was placed under enhanced UNESCO protection, and on 28 June 2024 it opened as a museum of the Ancient Chernihiv reserve: restorers are cleaning the 19th-century paintings of soot, and on display is the seal of Sviatoslav Yaroslavych.
Entry 100 UAH, concession for pupils, students and pensioners 50 UAH (website of the Ancient Chernihiv reserve, updated 13.07.2026). The city is regularly attacked: on 08.09.2026 a “Banderol” hit Chernihiv, damaging trucks and the windows of an administrative building (LB.ua, 08.09.2026), and on 22.09.2026 a downed Shahed exploded on the north-eastern outskirts (Suspilne Chernihiv, 22.09.2026). During an alert go straight to a shelter.