The Book of Genesis in the wall painting of the Transfiguration Cathedral (11th century), Chernihiv

The purpose of this publication is to consider in detail and describe the monumental painting of the upper part of the central (main dome) and northern nave of one of the oldest temples of the Trans Dnipro region – the Transfiguration Cathedral (11th century) Chernihiv, to show the logical consistency of frescoes, plot sequence and the integrity of the overall artistic design, as well as once again to draw attention to the mural, created in the first quarter of the nineteenth century, as an important interior decoration of the ancient temple. The methods on which the research is basedwere selected according to the object as a work of art. First of all, these are methods of description, analysis and interpretation. The scientific novelty is that for the first time the compositions of the fresco, which form the basis of the interior decoration of the cathedral, are described and analyzed in detail. The correspondence of the available compositions to the project idea is analyzed, the logical connection between them is revealed, which in its turn indicates the integrity of the artistic idea. Conclusions. A detailed description and analysis of the compositions revealed that the painting of the central dome and the under dome space of the Transfiguration Cathedral consists of three compositions that create a plotline. It can be called the «Creation of the World» and it illustrates the first chapter of the Book of Genesis. This line is connected to another one located in the upper part of the northern nave. It also consists of three compositions – «The Rejection of Sinful Angels», «Life in the Paradise» and «The Deluge». They can be defined conditionally as «The Rebellion against the Creator and Punishment for This Rebellion». Two of the three named compositions are illustrations for the 2nd and 7th chapters of the Book of Genesis. Both plotlines illustrate certain verses from the 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 6th and 7th chapters of the Book of Genesis