The Refectory Church is a refectory and an adjoining church of Saint Anthony and Theodosius of the medieval cave monastery of Kyiv Pechersk Lavra in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine. In the refectory, the Lavra monks had their meals. The building was constructed in 1893-1895 at a time when more than a thousand monks were living within the monastery.
The sturdy dome of the church incorporates some aspects of ancient Byzantium. The interior decoration of the building was designed by Aleksey Shchusev. The marble icons are in the Neo-Russian style. The paintings in both the refectory and the church, painted in the beginning of the 20th century by Ivan Yizhakevych, G. Popov, among many others, contain a Modernist influence. In the rear of the refectory is viewing area, providing visitors with a panorama of the Near and Far Caverns, the Dnieper River, and the left-bank of the city.
In 1911 following the assassination of Pyotr Stolypin, the Russian politician's funeral service was held in the Refectory church and his grave is located in the Lavra.
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The Walls of Constantinople are a series of defensive stone walls that have surrounded and protected the city of Constantinople (today Istanbul) since its founding as the new capital of the Roman Empire by Constantine the Great. With numerous additions and modifications during their history, they were the last great fortification system of antiquity, and one of the most complex and elaborate systems ever built. They were also the largest and strongest fortification in both the ancient and medieval world.
Initially built by Constantine the Great, the walls surrounded the new city on all sides, protecting it against attack from both sea and land. As the city grew, the famous double line of the Theodosian Walls was built in the 5th century. Although the other sections of the walls were less elaborate, they were, when well-manned, almost impregnable for any medieval besieger.