Hoard from the St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery

The hoard that was found in 1903 in the enclosure of the St. Michael's Golden-domed monastery is one of the many hoards found in Kiev. The hoard includes a variety of women's jewelry of different shapes and different times – luxurious attire that indicated the high social status of its owner. Among the head’s accessories can be mentioned silver kolts. The hoard includes unique pendants with seven rays on each decorated with granulation and filigree. Also in the hoard there is a chain consisting of 15 silver gilded rectangular plaques decorated with niello ornament on an engraving, connected with each other by threads of small pearls. The purpose of use of this chain is not clear. There is a point of view that the chain served as a "ryasna” (a pendant) and with its help kolts were attached to the headdress. However, the length of the chain and the thinness of pearl threads, most likely witnesses in favor of the fact that this chain served as a head aureole. With neck accessories one of two best preserved necklaces is connected. It included seven cross-shaped granulated pendants, one bead ornamented with granulation and filigree, two oval, ribbed silver beads; in the center of the necklace hung a round silver gilded medallion with the image of a blossomed cross and a body-cross with straight ends and round glass inserts on them.
Apparently, the owner of these treasures was a Christian that is witnessed by the medallion and the cross in the center of the necklace. It is interesting to note that cross-shaped pendants dated to the end of the X – first half of the XI century were in one necklace with items of the XII–XIII centuries (beads, a body-cross, a medallion) that allows us to assert that the wealth was accumulating for a long time and was apparently possessed by several generations of one family.
Acmes of perfection are double-leaf bracelets-bracers, ornamented with the finest engraving, gold and niello. The hoard contained two bracelets – one is single-tier and another is two-tier.
The design of these bracelets Old Russian jewelers adopted from Byzantium, almost completely repeating their configuration. However, they went their own way in the decoration, creating completely original works of art.
On these bracelets were engraved images of mythical creatures, birds, "lions", etc. – subjects related to the pagan tradition of Rus’. To rare types of bracelets belongs a two-leaved band, soldered from two plates and hollow inside. In round medallions on a niello background birds and floral motifs are depicted; lion masks are on ends of the bracelet. Totally in Russia are known only five of these bracelets. Apparently, they all came from the same workshop and were made, perhaps, by the same craftsman.
St. Michael's Golden-Domed Monastery was found by the first metropolitan of Kiev Michael according to the legend.
The first cathedral in sake of Michael the Archangel was ordered in 1108 by duke Sviatopolk Iziaslavych (in Holy Baptism – Michael) to be built on the place of the Demetrius monastery that was supposedly built by his father –Iziaslav Yaroslavich (in Holy Baptism – Demetrius).
Built in 1108–1113 St. Michael's Cathedral had a special meaning for the people of Kiev, because it was dedicated to the Archangel Michael – the patron Saint of Kiev. In the XII century the monastery was the burial place of princes.
It is assumed that at the same time with the church the monastery was established. Since those old times, the Church has been called the Golden-Domed Church, probably because it was the only Church with a gilded top in those times. To the times of Svyatopolk the legend relates the transfer from Constantinople to Kiev in 1108 the main Shrine of the Golden-domed monastery, the relics of St. Barbara.