Taras Shevchenko in Kyiv: where the Ukrainian poet lived and worked

Taras Shevchenko lived in Kyiv for some time. To a certain extent, the rhythm of the big city could have affected his work.

The young poet arrived in Kyiv in 1843. It was here that he came up with the ideas that were actually the basis for the creation of the Cyril and Methodius Society.

Taras Shevchenko saw a lot of new things in Kyiv. The beauty and grandeur of ancient churches, temples, and the treasures of a large number of libraries influenced the artist. No less important were the activities of political and social life, which had a significant impact on him, his poetry and early poems.

His first sabbatical took place at the beginning of the century. Shevchenko visited Kyiv in the 1920s. Mentions of this can be found in his early works, such as “Catherine” and “The Haidamaks”.

The poet did not live in Kyiv permanently, but intermittently between 1843 and the spring of 1847. He painted a lot, as his goal was to create an album ‘Picturesque Ukraine’.

In Kyiv, Taras Shevchenko took part in the activities of the Cyril and Methodius Brotherhood. After the defeat of the structure, the Ukrainian poet was arrested. Revolutionary works were found in his possession, and he was sent into exile.

The house on the Goat Marsh

The Taras Shevchenko Literary and Memorial House-Museum is located not far from Maidan Nezalezhnosti. The area was virtually impassable in the poet’s time, so it was called the Goat Marsh.

From the spring of 1846 to 5 April 1847, Shevchenko lived in a house on Goat Marsh. He rented a room and a studio from the then owners Ivan and Olha Zhytnytsky.

In this house, he managed to write the ballads ‘Lily’ and ‘Mermaid’.

Today, the museum sometimes holds masterclasses in etching. Shevchenko was awarded the title of academician for his etchings.

Shevchenko in the Lavra

Taras Shevchenko also visited the territory of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. The religious area inspired him to create the etude ‘Church of All Saints’ in 1846. A chair and a table with art supplies are installed at the place where Shevchenko worked.

The famous works of the artist that were created in the Lavra have also been preserved. The works are pencil drawings – ‘The Far Caves of the Kyiv Cave Monastery’, ‘Kyiv from across the Dnipro’, a sepia painting ‘The Church of All Saints in the Kyiv Cave Monastery’ and an unfinished drawing ‘Kyiv from the Dnipro’.

It is believed that artistic works were also created. These are works such as Lavra Church with a Bell Tower, Elders, Portrait of the Ataman of the Elders, and Caves of the Kyiv Lavra.

Shevchenko and the house on Priorka

Shevchenko returned to Kyiv in 1859. He settled far from the centre – on Priorka (popularly called Pryvarok). He paid a lot of attention to work and friendship. He could often be found in the company of his old friend Ivan Soshenko. Together they would go for walks on the slopes of the Dnipro River and Volodymyr’s Hill.

The authentic hut where Shevchenko stayed has not survived to this day. The hut-museum, which recreates the life of the Kyiv neighbourhood of the second half of the nineteenth century, was created in 1989. The building contains exhibits of cultural heritage that were handed down by the descendants of the residents of Pryorka who personally saw the poet.

There is also an oak tree near the house on Priorka that is over 400 years old. The poet, as his contemporaries recalled, liked to sit under this tree. According to his contemporaries, one of Shevchenko’s unfulfilled dreams was to buy a house in Kyiv.

The memory of the poet

Kyiv said goodbye to the poet on 6-7 May 1861 in the Church of the Nativity in Podil. After that, Kyivites began to call the church ‘Shevchenko’s’.

There are also memorials to Taras Shevchenko in Kyiv. These include a house at 5 Vyshhorodska Street (where he lived in August 1859 in the family of S.M. Loboda), a house at 8-a Shevchenko Lane (formerly Kozynobolotska Street), and the main building of Kyiv University, where Taras Shevchenko worked in the Archaeological Commission from 1845 to 1847 (60 Volodymyrska Street). All the buildings have memorial plaques to the poet.