The cathedral, dedicated to the Divine Wisdom, was laid down during the rule of Prince Yaroslav the Wise in 1017 in commemoration of his victory over the Pechenegs. Many researchers consider the construction was finished in 1037. It was the principal metropolitan church of Kyivan Rus where important state ceremonies were held; here the first library was established. The cathedral was a burial place for many princes, and the marble sarcophagus of Yaroslav the Wise has survived to the present day. Because of considerable reconstructions at the turn of the 18th c, the cathedral acquired a Baroque appearance.