Saint Michael Church, Church building in Vydubychi, Kyiv, Ukraine

Saint Michael Church is the oldest building of Vydubychi Monastery, built in 1070–1088 by Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich. It is a cubical structure with a single apse and a sloping roof topped by one tower; the plastered eastern part and dome carry mid-18th-century Baroque forms, while the western part shows Old Rus masonry. Two walls from the pre-Mongol period survive.

Prince Vsevolod Yaroslavich founded Saint Michael Church in 1070, the year his son Rostislav was born, and Metropolitan John III consecrated it; construction finished in 1088. Landslides undermined its eastern wall above the Dnipro from the 12th century, and in 1199 the architect Peter Miloneg built a retaining wall that has not survived. Half the church collapsed into the river in the 16th century; Metropolitan Petro Mohyla restored it in the 1630s, and after a 1760 fire M. I. Yurasov rebuilt it in Ukrainian Baroque style in 1767–1769.

The church is dedicated to Archangel Michael, and its altar was consecrated by Metropolitan John III after construction. In the 17th century Metropolitan Peter Mohyla divided the interior with vaults into two levels: the lower holds the Michael altar, the upper is dedicated to the Annunciation. Visitors can see 11th-century frescoes and 18th–19th-century paintings uncovered during the 1974–1981 restoration.

The monastery sits along the river and reaching it from the nearest metro exit involves a short walk and some stairs, so comfortable shoes make the visit easier. Early morning or late afternoon tends to be quieter and gives a better sense of the place than midday.

The name Vydubychi comes from an old legend about a pagan idol that was thrown into the river upstream and floated to the surface at this exact spot. Most visitors arrive without knowing that the site carries a pre-Christian story that predates the monastery itself.