Abstract

An important characteristic of historical consciousness is the society’s attitude towards ancient monuments. The recognition or denial of the value of material remnants of the past, the practice of visiting historical places and the very selection of these places reflect the characteristic features of the formation of national identity and patriotism. For centuries, the city of Kiev remained one of the main symbols of ancient Russian history. Its cultural image is multilayered; it combines both secular and religious features. A lot of research is devoted to the place of Kiev in the public consciousness at different stages of historical development. Most of them are based on the analysis of historical and literary works, political rhetoric, diplomatic negotiations, and propound to a large extent the official ideology of the state and the church. At the same time, sources of personal origin, which include the diaries and memoirs of travellers, are of great interest for studying everyday historical consciousness. The comparison of the value judgments and descriptions of Kiev landmarks, reflected in the travel notes of the 18th century, shows a wide variety of views on Russian antiquities in modern period. The cornerstone of the cultural image of Kiev was the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra Monastery, which defined it as a holy city, the place where Russia took the baptism and where the first Russian ascetics lived. The cult of the saints of Kiev was propagated in the publications printed by the monastery printing house, and attracted to the city numerous pilgrims, driven not so much by the thirst for knowledge of Russian history but by Christian zeal. The educated nobility, on the contrary, was primarily interested in cultural and historical aspect of visiting sites, comparing ancient Russian churches with European architectural monuments, perceiving them as aesthetic and artistic treasures. The notes of foreigners reflect a generally sceptical attitude to the sanctity of Kiev relics. Nevertheless, the secular history of the city attracts their attention. Finally, we can trace a comparison between the ancient Kiev and the antiquity in the descriptions of ceremonial receptions of crowned guests. The lack of unanimity in the perception of the main symbol of ancient Russian history shows how deep the cultural stratification of society was in the 18th century.