The St. Nicholas Prytyska Church is one of the oldest and most mysterious monuments of Ukrainian Baroque architecture preserved in Kyiv’s Podil district. Its history goes back centuries, and the very name “Pritiska” comes, according to folk legend, from a curious incident: a thief once tried to rob the church but got stuck in a window — he was “pressed” by an icon or the window frame of St. Nicholas — which led him to repent.
The first mentions of a wooden church on this site date back to the mid-16th century, but the present stone church was built, according to various sources, between 1621 and 1631 (although some researchers date it to the late 17th century). The building was funded by a wealthy Kyiv townsman Petro Zaliznyi Hrish.
Architecturally, the church is a classic example of a Ukrainian nine-part cross-shaped church with a single dome. Its refined proportions and massive walls combine the austerity of defensive architecture with the richness of Baroque decoration.
Over the centuries, the church repeatedly suffered from major Podil fires, particularly in 1718 and 1811. After the great fire of 1811, which destroyed most of Lower Town, the church was thoroughly restored according to a project by the prominent architect Andrii Melenskyi, who added a classicist three-tier bell tower and a warm church dedicated to the Feast of the Presentation of the Lord.
In the 20th century, during the Soviet anti-religious campaign, the church was closed and used for storage and industrial purposes. In the 1980s, a tragic event occurred — part of the dome and the southeastern wall collapsed due to the poor condition of the foundations. However, a long restoration led by architect Artem Hlushchenko restored the church’s historical appearance.