St. Alexander Cathedral is the oldest Catholic Church in Kyiv. It has a complex and dramatic history. 
In 1815, the governor of Kyiv's province, Potocki received permission from the Emperor, Alexander I, for the construction of a Roman Catholic Church, in Kiev. The Permission was signed on July 7, 1815, in the emperor's main Paris residence.
The construction of the Church began in 1817. 
On August 30, 1817, the foundation stone was laid and consecrated by the Auxiliary Bishop of Mogilev Metropolitan Primate of the Catholic Church in the Russian Empire. Due to financial difficulties, construction stopped soon after. It was only in 1835, that the construction resumed again. 
The construction of the cathedral was completed in 1842. 
The image you see on your screen was the first image of the cathedral, made in 1846. 
Unfortunately, in 1937, the Church was seized by the communist regime. Many Christians were repressed and killed. 
Father Sigismund Kwasniewski was the last Parish priest, to serve in the Parish before the communist regime closed down the Church. Father Sigismund Kwasniewski was arrested on June 3rd, 1937 and executed on September 25th, 1937. 
The Cathedral was returned to Catholic Church in 1991.