Back in 11th century St. Demetrius's Monastery stood here. It was founded by Prince Isyaslav of Kiev (Christian name - Demetrius). In July 1108 his son Sviatopolk (Christian name - Michael) started to bulid the stone St. Michael's church inside the monastery built by his father. The dome was plated with gold, and the new cathedral became known as the St. Michael's Monastery of the Golden Domes. 
By the middle of the 18th century and after numerous renovations, the Cathedral had seven domes, all of the gold-plated. The interior was decorated with frescoes and mosaics. 
The history of the St. Miachel's Cathedral of the Golden Domes goes back nine centuries. But the present generation of Kievans is only getting used to seeing it as a part of the city landscape. This was the result of the barbarism of the Bolshevik regime. In the 1930s the territory of the monastery was given over for construction of a building for the Soviet People's Committee, which was a part of the design of a governmental area. The bell tower, a number of buildings and a part of the wall were demolished. In 1937 detonators turned St. Michael's Monastery into a heap of stone. Fortunately, the projected building never materialized. In 1997-2000, the holy place was restored with the support of the President of Ukraine and the city authorities.