The cathedral was built in the princely period as the family church and burial place for the Davydovychi princely family. The temple is dedicated to the first Old Russian saint bothers Borys and Hlib. It is a characteristic model of Chernihiv orthodox architecture school of the 12th century.
The Cathedral of Sts Borys and Hlib is a cross-domed single-storey building which has three naves, three apses, and six columns. The cathedral of 25 meters height is topped with one dome. The facades decorated with semi-columns from the bottom to the cornices have arching bands of ceramic decorations and a series of small decorative niches. Today, the capitals on the facade semi-columns have been restored from plexiglass whereas the fragments of the original ones are being exhibited in the cathedral museum. The interior was decorated with light-coloured frescoes and a colourful ceramic-tile and mosaic floor.
It has been scientifically proved that the Cathedral of Sts Borys and Hlib stands on the earlier structure of the 11th century. Excavations of the cathedral have uncovered the remains of the walls and foundation under the cathedral floor. Scientists presume that the ancient structure was either a two-chamber princely house or more ancient church or cathedral.
Once the old brick buildings were pulled down, a large gap emerged there. The excavations on Soborna square have uncovered the old underground structure. It was a big circular brick accommodation consisting of four brick fortified galleries leading from the main chamber to various directions. One of them led to the Cathedral of the Transfiguration, others – to the slopes of the hill. While surveying, the coins and the tiles of the early 18th century have been recorded. This, in turn, made it possible to conclude that the underground constructions were created at the end of the17th-beginning of the 18th centuries.
Since the 12th century the Cathedral of Sts Borys and Hlib was destroyed and rebuilt time and again. Every time its architecture took on new features. It was heavily damaged during the World War II.
Well-known architect Mykola Kholostenko who designed the project and reconstructed the Cathedral of Sts Borys and Hlib in its original form brought new life to the temple in the post-war period.
Fresco compositions that decorated the cathedral walls, vaults and entrance portals almost did not survive. Only inside the temple geometric fresco patterns of the 12th century on the window slope of the north wall above the portal are barely visible.
The cathedral was originally constructed as a burial place, so deep niches arcasolia for the tombs were made in the northern and southern walls. Historians assume that burials were also under the floor as well as in galleries-extensions, which unfortunately did not survive (their remains are brought out on the surface of the soil).
Light-coloured fresco paintings with relief ornaments of so-called "animal style" (where floral designs are combined into fairy lace with fantastic birds and animals-griffins) decorate the interior of the cathedral. A griffin is a typical feature of Chernihiv architecture school of the 12th century. The floor is decorated with encrusted mosaic of slate plates and ceramic multicolour tiles.
There is an exciting story related to the cathedral restoration when Chernihiv Semargl was found. The city has got the coat of arms since old times. It is the Chernihiv eagle. But Semargl has become a kind of an unofficial symbol of the city. Semargle was mentioned in “The Tale of Bygone Years” as a pagan god. An idol of Semargl was present in the panthenon of Volodymyr the Great. When Volodymyr decided to reshape the pagan religion, he created the pantheon with Perun as a chief god, as well as “Mokosh, and Stribog and Semargl”. It had been unknown how Semargl looked like till the archeologists found the image they interpreted as the idol Semargl. The character is extremely popular in Chernihiv nowadays. You can find it on postcards and business cards, souvenirs, posters etc.
The ornate silver Royal gates embellish the Cathedral of Sts Borys and Hlib inside. These gates are the core element of the iconostasis made by the order of Hetman Ivan Mazepa. They say that the iconostasis was melted out of the silver idol found during the excavations on the territory of Sts Borys and Hlib monastery.
The cathedral was the burial place not only for princes and the rich but noble people of Ukraine. For instance, Lazar Baranovych was buried in the Cathedral of Sts Borys and Hlib. He was a religious and political leader and literary genius, professor and rector of Kyiv Mohyla College (1650), the archbishop of Chernihiv (1657), the author of the collection of poetry, cantatas and spiritual songs.
At present, the Cathedral of Sts Borys and Hlib is a part of the National Architectural and Historical Reserve “Chernihiv Ancient”. The exposition, reflecting the history of this church complex, and two permanent exhibitions: “The Fresco of Chernihiv Temples”, “Chernihiv Architecture and Crafts of the 11th -13th centuries” are being held there. In addition, the Cathedral of Sts Borys and Hlib is a platform for concerts of spiritual music.
