A legend says, during christening of the citizens, wooden idol Perun was pulled off the Starokyivsky (Oldkiev) Hill top and was thrown into the deep-blue Dnipro waters. The crowd kept running along the river bank crying out to their idol to surface – “Vydybai!”, and Perun did so – on the place, where he surfaced, there was a forest which later got the name of the motto “Vydybai!” – Vydubytchi. Son of the King Yaroslav the Wise – Vsevolod – founded there in Xi century own family monastery. In 1070-88 Mykhailivsky (Saint Michael) Cathedral was erected. In a few years time a southern enemy tribe of polovtsi attacked and damaged the monastery.
Not only people, but also the weather did a lot of harm to the monastery – especially, numerous inundations. To protect the monastery from the water element, famous Kiev architect Petro Meloneg built in 12th century a special system of strong thick walls. These walls have been doing their job for about three centuries. But then, in 15th century they didn’t manage to oppose the flooding, and the eastern side of Saint Michael monastery slid down the hill. In two centuries time the monastery was restored owing to Petro Mogyla costs. During its long history, the monastery has seen and suffered numerous fires, inundations and even a collapse. In 1845 after another flooding there even appeared a small lake near the cathedral, which got the name of Vydubytske.
Contemporary ensemble of Vydubytsky monastery formed in late-17th-early 18th centuries under Ukrainian baroque influence. The first man to have started rebuilding was Myklashevsky, who built five-domed Saint George Cathedral and a refectory, on facades of which one can find his family symbol. A little later Danylo Apostol built there a bell tower.
Vydubytsky monastery was declared one of the most worthy monuments, a masterpiece of Ukrainian baroque.
