Sts. Borys and Hlib Church-Mausoleum in Vyshhorod: Results of Research and New Data

Abstract

History of archaeological research at the Sts. Borys and Hlib Church counts two hundred years. At the current stage, there is a necessity to systematize the materials obtained; and it especially concerns the excavations in the 19th and the first half of the 20th centuries which are known only by brief reports and disconnected archival data. Also the materials of the research in 1980—2000 remain not published in the proper way. History of the research presented in chronological order allows the author to generalize the data available. The issue of the Sts. Borys and Hlib Church’s exterior and decoration is elucidated in the literature comprehensively enough. Here, a special attention is paid to the issue of certain constructive and stylistic peculiarities of the largest three-naved temple in the Ancient Rus, such as a presence of tower with staircase leading to the gallery, design of separate architectural details, etc. The possibility of comparison the archaeological materials with two separate building periods known from the written sources and with the building schools is also discussed. During the recent decades, a huge mass of data on the development of civil engineering itself in Vyshhorod has been obtained. Assemblages Specialized in plinthoi and glazed tiles production were revealed. In 2014—2016, V.H. Ivakin and the author studied two kilns for lime firing in the central part of posad in Vyshhorod. All the objects listed are undoubtedly related to the final stage of the Sts. Borys and Hlib Temple construction. Additionally, A.M. Olenych studied and systematized the collection of plinthoi which we found at the hill-fort’s eastern border.