The Boris and Gleb Cathedral stands beside the Transfiguration Cathedral on Val Hill and was built in the 1120s as part of the ensemble of princely churches on the Chernihiv citadel. It is smaller than the Transfiguration Cathedral but architecturally more sophisticated — a six-pillared church with refined limestone carving in the window surrounds and doorways that shows the influence of Romanesque masons who were working in Rus during this period.
The cathedral has been modified over the centuries — the upper sections were rebuilt in the 17th century, giving the exterior a slightly mixed character — but the lower walls and several architectural details are original 12th-century construction. The interior retains fragmentary medieval frescoes. It stands within a few dozen metres of the Transfiguration Cathedral and the Collegium building, making Val Hill one of the most architecturally concentrated spots in Ukraine.