Ground-penetrating radar scanning and historical interpretation of the location of the destroyed Epiphany Cathedral in Kyiv Brotherhood Monastery (Ukraine)

Abstract

Background The article presents results of a ground penetrating radar (GPR) scanning carried out in a site of the Epiphany Cathedral of Brotherhood Monastery in Kyiv, Ukraine, destroyed in 1936 by the Soviets. The Cathedral is known as a burial site of Hetman Petro Sahaidachnyi (1582–1622), a Ukrainian Cossack political and civic leader, guardian and patron of Kyiv Brotherhood Monastery. The collection of archival documents, blueprints, stock sources, photographs and cartographic materials of the 17th-19th centuries, as well as historical works of the 19th-21st centuries, were thoroughly analyzed and used as a basis for the interpretation of geophysical results. The set of historical data covers the period from 1615, that is, from the beginning of the construction of the wooden Epiphany Church, the predecessor of the cathedral, to the present day. Methods Summarized information about the construction, restoration after the fire, functioning and destruction of the Cathedral, as well as about the construction on its site in the 20th century, archaeological research in the 20th-21st centuries, was used to clarify possible location of hidden foundations and target GPR measurements. In this context, written testimonies of archaeologists who personally observed the foundations of the cathedral became especially valuable. The shielded GPR antennas, with a central frequency of 300 MHz and 700 MHz, is used for non-invasive investigation. Results GPR scanning specified the site and showed the best-preserved group of foundations of the western wall of the Epiphany Cathedral. Conclusions An integrated historical and geophysical study provided the basis to certify the foundation of the Epiphany Cathedral as a protected object of cultural heritage and facilitated its archaeological research.