reading response 8: the understated beauty of ukrainian baroque

photo credits: mira eng-goetz and kraevid.org

this little book, which i made in the style of a "visitor's kit" was inspired by my visit to the saint sophia cathedral in ukraine back in 1995.  at the time, i didn't speak a lick of ukrainian and there were no pamphlets or descriptive posters in english to clue me into the history of this amazing building.  so years later, i've decided to make my own little guide... in english!  it seemed appropriate considering our focus on european cathedral design and baroque aesthetics in class this week.  saint sophia's cathedral has a byzantine interior and a ukrainian baroque exterior that complement each other well.  as you flip through the tiny pages, these architectural features are explained along with the building's tumultuous past. as an added bonus, the kit includes a bit of incense and gold leaf to help bring this unique cathedral home to you.