Temple Karaïme Kiev

Karaimska︠i︡a kenasa Kiev (Temple Karaïme Kiev)

Postcard

Kyiv: Granberg v Stokgolm︠i︡e, ca. 1907–20

The Karaite community in Kyiv was established in the 1850s. By 1900, the community had expanded from only a few Karaite families to include 200 members, and then 729 members by 1910. In 1876 the community appealed for the construction of the Karaite kenesa (Karaite worship house) and obtained permission four years later. They began construction in 1898 and continued through 1902, adhering to local restrictions that mandated a specific distance be maintained between the kenesa and nearby Russian Orthodox temples. 

This building, though relatively modest in size, exudes immense grace. Władysław Horodecki (1863–1930), a famous architect of Polish descent, designed it in an opulent Moorish style. His creation still stands on the present-day Yaroslaviv Val Street (formerly Bol’shaia Podval’naia Street). While the local Karaite community commissioned and funded the project, Solomon Aronovich Kogen (1830–1900), a wealthy tobacco merchant and philanthropist, provided the major contribution of 115,000 rubles. He died before the project was completed, and his brother Moses Kogen assumed his role. 

The elegant front façade, featuring an entrance supported by two columns and an arch, is decorated with stucco ornaments that surround the building. The interiors were done in the same fine style, full of intricate details. The dome with its spire, which the Italian architect Elio Sala (1864–1920) crafted, appears on this early postcard but was removed in 1968. 

To this day, the sophisticated edifice is considered one of Kyiv’s most cherished architectural landmarks.