Boris and Gleb Cathedral.

Standing in Chernihiv’s historic Dytynets Park, the 12th-century Boris and Gleb Cathedral is a masterclass in architectural resilience. This pre-Mongol monument has been repeatedly destroyed, rebuilt, and repurposed—serving as a Dominican church in the 17th century and undergoing a Baroque transformation before meticulous post-WWII restorations returned it to its medieval core. Outside, the brick facade features rare limestone carvings of mythical beasts and griffins. Inside, layers of history are literally laid bare: visitors can peer at the exposed foundations of an 11th-century building beneath the floorboards. The interior’s undisputed crown jewel is a 56-kilogram silver-gilt royal door, commissioned by Hetman Ivan Mazepa in the early 1700s and crafted by a master jeweler in Augsburg.