St. Sofia Cathedral was founded in 1037 by Prince Yaroslav the Wise. According to legend, the temple was built exactly on the spot where the prince defeated the pagans pechenegy. In the XI-XIII centuries cathedral was repeatedly ravaged - Polovtsy, Pechenegs, and especially the destruction of the cathedral underwent crushing in the capture of Kiev in 1240 Tatar-Mongols led by Batu Khan. The temple was destroyed, but not destroyed. In 1385 - 90 years. Metropolitan Cyprian recreated it from the ruins, after which more than three and a half centuries, the temple was in ruins. In the 1630s the Metropolitan of Kiev Petro Mohyla restored Cathedral and founded the monastery with him. Work on the renovation of the temple continued until 1740, when he finally acquired present appearance.

The bell tower of St. Sophia Cathedral was built by order of Hetman Mazepa. Until now preserved bell cast also by his order, which is located on the second floor of the bell tower and is called the "Mazepa".

The threat of destruction hangs over the ancient temple complex in the XX century. In the early 1930s, the Soviet government decided on the destruction of Sofia, only the intervention of the French, who remembered that Queen Anna (the wife of Henry I), was the daughter of the founder of the Temple of Yaroslav the Wise, is not allowed to destroy the relic.

Initially, St. Sophia Cathedral was a five-naval cross-domed church with 13 chapters. On three sides it was surrounded by a two-tiered gallery, and outside it is even more wide single-tiered. Nave of the cathedral came to an end in the east five apse. But as a result of reorganizations XVII-XVIII centuries the cathedral changed its appearance significantly. Outside the gallery were overbuilt, and new chapels, topped with additional domes (of them now 19). The cathedral was whitewashed. Ancient hemispherical shape has been replaced by the Heads characteristic of Ukrainian Baroque high pear-shaped.

The interior of the cathedral has preserved a large number of frescoes and mosaics of the XI century by the best Byzantine masters. Mosaics palette has 177 shades. On the walls of the church depict scenes from the life of Christ and the Virgin Mary, her parents Joachim and Anna, Peter and Paul Church, St. George, the patron of Kiev - archangel Michael and many Orthodox saints.