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Occidentali Karma (2017) 

Italian place of contemplation in the East 

EUROVISION COUNTRY: Italy
KYIV DESTINATION: St Andrew's Church, Andreivskiy Spusk


Francesco Bartolomeo Rastrelli was the son of a Florentine sculptor who had worked for a number of Russian Tsars, including Peter the Great. Born in Paris he travelled to St Petersburg with his father. At the age of 30 he was appointed court architect by Empress Elizabeth who loved his ornate late Baroque style. In 1748 he started a 19 year project to build St Andrew's church in Kyiv.



Another of his buildings is the Maryinsky Palace, currently sadly closed and in need of repair. Both buildings may look like the Hermitage museum in St Petersburg, as he was also the architect for that and other royal palaces in the Russian empire's capital. He fell out of favour with Catherine the Great, who referred the architectural style as "whipped cream".


St Andrew is of special relevance because of a local myth. The apostle was banned to a Greek island by the Roman governor of Judea after Christ's death. From there he spread the Gospel and travelled to the Greek mainland and beyond. The 9th century Ukrainian sagas  say Andrew sailed up the Dnipro river in the 1st century and scaled this hill in Kyiv and planted a there saying the location would become a great city. There is no archeological evidence to support this.
The church dominates the eastern edge of the city. The road in front of it Andryivskiy Spusk (Andrew's Descent) links the upper and lower parts of the city. 
It was a statement of Russian religious domination of Ukraine, and also served as a private chapel for Empress Elizabeth, who intended to have a summer palace in Kyiv. The Empress laid the first stones. But it's improbable location also means it has weak foundations. In the last year the church has been closed  for restoration and strengthening the foundations. The scaffolding around the church has now come down. 
Italian embassy: 
Address: Yaroslavl Val St, 32B, Kyiv
Tel: +380 44 230 3100
There are lots of Italian restaurants in Kyiv. Here are some of the most popular:
 https://www.facebook.com/search/111227078906045/places-in/193831710644458/places/intersect/ 
What's your favourite part of Italy in Kyiv?
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