After you buy your tickets, walk around the cathedral on the left side. Opposite the ticket offices is the exit, while the entrance is on the western side. You can easily recognize it by the oblong pit located on the left, with the remains of monumental gates that have survived to this day from the beginning of the fifth century.
Once inside the building, we enter the outer narthex, a narrow and long hall. And from it, into the similarly elongated inner narthex or, in Russian, the pritvor. These parts of the building are devoid of lavish decoration, as they were intended for preparation for prayer. This is also where the procession gathered before entering the temple, baptisms were performed, and the deceased were buried. By the way, to the left of the entrance in the long hall of the outer narthex, you can still see an ancient baptismal font today.
From the vestibule, nine gates lead into the main part of the temple. Only the emperor could enter through the central ones, the tallest of them, which is why they are called the Imperial Gates. It is said that they were once entirely covered in gold and, according to legend, were made from the remnants of Noah's Ark!
