The adoption of Christianity in Russia began the stone construction of temple structures.
Remark 1
The temples were built according to Byzantine models: a cross-domed type, in which a rectangular room at the base was divided in the middle by pillars (from four or more). The internal space, thus, was divided into nine parts, the center of the temple was the dome. At the eastern wall, three apses adjoined the temple, faceted or semicircular in shape, the central apse corresponded to the altar.
Wall painting and iconography also came to Russia from Byzantium. But like temple construction, these types of art soon began to change, representing a special, Old Russian type of architecture.
Kyiv temple architecture
The first stone temple appeared in Kyiv immediately after the baptism of Prince Vladimir, its construction began in $989$, it was tithe church, which has not survived to this day. This church became the architectural center of the city along with the princely court. The Church of the Tithes was built on the model of the Pharos Church of the Holy Mother of God in the Great Palace in Constantinople. Temples in Kyiv were built from plinths.
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Definition 1
Plinfa is a thin flat burnt brick, light yellow in color.
Mstislav Udaloy launched an active stone construction in Chernigov in order to overshadow Kyiv. The center of the palace complex was Transfiguration Cathedral, for its time, just huge. The temple was built by Byzantine architects. The temple was built with five domes, with three apses, cross-domed in shape. The interior of the church was also planned to be magnificent - with frescoes, marble columns, and mosaics. As planned by Mstislav, the metropolitan was supposed to conduct divine services in this temple.
At the same time, or rather, in $1037$, Yaroslav Vladimirovich laid the foundation for the construction of a temple unique for its time - Sophia of Kiev.
Remark 2
The temple has $13$ domes, five apses, five naves. Currently, it looks completely different than when it was built.
The monumental structure eclipsed the Chernihiv temple. In general, Yaroslav sought to copy Constantinople: he built his Golden Gate and Hagia Sophia, which contributed to both spiritual enrichment and the strengthening of Kyiv as a political center. During the period of feudal fragmentation, and especially after the destruction of the city by the Mongols at $1240$, Kyiv fell into decay. The temple construction of the southern cities developed following the example of Kievan traditions.
Novgorod temple architecture
Distinctive features of Novgorod churches:
- At an early stage, monumentality
- Ease of decoration
- cubic shape
- $5$ or $1$ dome
In Novgorod was also built on the example of Kyiv sophia temple, son of Yaroslav the Wise Vladimir. Construction ended in $1050$.
Remark 3
However, the Novgorod temple differs from the Kiev one in its conciseness and austerity both outside and inside - there was neither marble nor mosaics.
The material was also different - limestone, which was rich in Novgorod land. Sofia Cathedral has five domes and $5$ naves. The early temples of Novgorod are monumental and complex in design.
During the period of the Novgorod Republic, a huge number of churches appeared, they were built already small, but with the preservation of the features of the Novgorod school. By the end of the $XII$ century, the church Peter and Paul on Sinichya Gora, Church of the Savior on Nereditsa. The temples of this period were single-domed, cubic in shape, with four pillars and three apses. The heyday of Novgorod architecture fell on the $XIV$ century.
Vladimir-Suzdal churches
Features of the northeastern temples:
- White stone
- Combined Byzantine and South Russian traditions with elements of Western European architecture
- Rich white stone carving
Andrey Bogolyubsky lined up Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, also under him a masterpiece of ancient Russian architecture was built - Church of the Intercession on the Nerl. The architecture of the North-East of Russia reached its greatest prosperity under Vsevolod the Big Nest - he expanded the Assumption Cathedral, built Demetrius Cathedral, with the richest white-stone carving.
Russian church architecture begins with the establishment of Christianity in Russia (988). Having adopted from the Greeks the faith, the clergy and everything necessary for worship, we simultaneously borrowed from them the form of temples. Our ancestors were baptized in the age when the Byzantine style dominated Greece; therefore our ancient temples are built in this style. These temples were built in the main Russian cities: in Kyiv, Novgorod, Pskov, Vladimir and Moscow.
Kiev and Novgorod churches resemble Byzantine ones in plan - a rectangle with three altar semicircles. Inside are the usual four pillars, the same arches and domes. But despite the great similarity between the ancient Russian churches and the contemporary Greek ones, there is also a noticeable difference between them in domes, windows and decorations. In multi-domed Greek churches, domes were placed on special pillars and at different heights compared to the main dome - in Russian churches, all domes were placed at the same height. Windows in Byzantine churches were large and frequent, while in Russian ones they were small and rare. Cutouts for doors in Byzantine churches were horizontal, in Russian - semicircular.
In Greek large temples, sometimes two vestibules were arranged - an inner one, intended for catechumens and penitents, and an outer one (or porch), furnished with columns. In Russian churches, even large ones, only small internal porches were arranged. In Greek temples, columns were a necessary accessory both in the internal and external parts; in Russian churches, due to the lack of marble and stone, there were no columns. Due to these differences, some experts call the Russian style not just Byzantine (Greek), but mixed - Russian-Greek.
In some temples in Novgorod, the walls end at the top with a pointed "tongue", similar to the tong on the roof of a village hut. Stone churches in Russia were not numerous. Wooden churches, due to the abundance of wood materials (especially in the northern regions of Russia), were much more numerous, and Russian craftsmen showed more taste and independence in the construction of these churches than in the construction of stone ones. The shape and plan of ancient wooden churches was either a square or an oblong quadrangle. The domes were either round or tower-shaped, sometimes in large numbers and of various sizes.
A characteristic feature and difference between Russian domes and Greek domes is that a special dome was arranged above the dome under the cross, resembling an onion. Moscow churches until the 15th century. were usually built by masters from Novgorod, Vladimir and Suzdal and resembled the temples of Kiev-Novgorod and Vladimir-Suzdal architecture. But these temples were not preserved: they either completely perished from time, fires and Tatar destruction, or were rebuilt according to a new look. Other temples built after the 15th century have survived. after the liberation from the Tatar yoke and the strengthening of the Muscovite state. Starting from the reign of Grand Duke John III (1462-1505), foreign builders and artists came to Russia and were called, who, with the help of Russian masters and according to the guidance of ancient Russian traditions of church architecture, created several historical churches. The most important of them are the Assumption Cathedral of the Kremlin, where the sacred coronation of Russian sovereigns took place (built by the Italian Aristotle Fioravanti) and the Archangel Cathedral - the tomb of Russian princes (built by the Italian Aloysius).
Over time, Russian builders develop their own national architectural style. The first type of Russian style is called "roof" or pillar. It is a view of several separate churches connected into one church, each of which looks like a pillar or a tent, crowned with a dome and a cupola. In addition to the massiveness of the pillars and columns in such a temple and a large number of domes in the form of onions, the peculiarities of the "tented" temple are the diversity and variety of colors of its external and internal parts. An example of such temples are the church in the village of Dyakovo and St. Basil's Church in Moscow.
The time of distribution of the "tent" species in Russia ends in the 17th century; later, a dislike for this style is noticed and even its prohibition by the spiritual authorities (perhaps due to its difference from the historical - Byzantine style). In the last decades of the XIX century. awakens the revival of this type of temples. In this form, several historical churches are being created, for example, the Trinity Church of the St. Petersburg Society for the Propagation of Religious and Moral Education in the spirit of the Orthodox Church and the Church of the Resurrection at the site of the murder of the Tsar-Liberator - the Savior on Blood.
In addition to the "tent" type, there are other forms of the national style: a quadrangle (cube) elongated in height, as a result of which upper and lower churches are often obtained, a two-part form: a quadrangle at the bottom and an octagonal at the top; a form formed by layering several square log cabins, of which each overlying is already underlying. In the reign of Emperor Nicholas I, for the construction of military churches in St. Petersburg, the architect K. Ton developed a monotonous style, called the "Ton" style, an example of which is the Church of the Annunciation in the Horse Guards Regiment.
Of the Western European styles (Romanesque, Gothic and Renaissance style), only the Renaissance style was used in the construction of Russian churches. Features of this style are seen in the two main cathedrals of St. Petersburg - Kazan and St. Isaac's. Other styles were used in the construction of churches of other faiths. Sometimes in the history of architecture there is a mixture of styles - Basilic and Byzantine, or Romanesque and Gothic.
In the 18th and 19th centuries, "house" churches, arranged in palaces and houses of wealthy people, at educational and government institutions and at almshouses, became widespread. Such churches can be close to the ancient Christian "ikos" and many of them, being richly and artistically painted, are the repository of Russian art.
architecture symbolism orthodox temple
Cross-domed churches
The cross-domed type of the temple (the entire central space of the temple forms a cross in plan) was borrowed from Byzantium. As a rule, it is rectangular in plan, and all its forms, gradually descending from the central dome, form a pyramidal composition. The light drum of a cross-domed church usually rests on a pylon - four massive pillars in the center of the building - from where four vaulted "sleeves" diverge. Semi-cylindrical vaults adjacent to the dome, intersecting, form an equilateral cross. In its original form, a clear cross-domed composition was the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. Classical examples of cross-domed churches are the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the Church of the Transfiguration in Veliky Novgorod.
Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin
Church of the Transfiguration in Veliky Novgorod
In their appearance, the cross-domed churches are a rectangular volume. On the eastern side, in the altar part of the temple, apses were attached to it. Along with modestly decorated temples of this type, there were those that struck with the richness and splendor of their external design. Sophia of Kyiv can again serve as an example, which had open arches, outdoor galleries, decorative niches, semi-columns, slate cornices, etc.
The traditions of building cross-domed churches were continued in the church architecture of North-Eastern Russia (Assumption and Demetrius Cathedrals in Vladimir, etc.). Their external design is characterized by: zakomara, arcature, pilasters, spindly.
Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir
Demetrius Cathedrals in Vladimir
Tent temples
Tent temples are classics of Russian architecture. An example of this kind of temples is the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye (Moscow), which recreates the “octagon on a quadrangle” design adopted in wooden architecture.
Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye
An octagonal structure, or part of a structure, octagonal in plan, was placed on a quadrangular base - a quadrangle. The octagonal tent organically grows out of the quadrangular building of the temple.
The main distinguishing feature of a tent temple is the tent itself, i.e. tent covering, roofing in the form of a tetrahedral or polyhedral pyramid. Facing domes, tents and other parts of the building could be done with a plowshare - oblong, sometimes curved wooden planks with denticles along the edges. This elegant element is borrowed from ancient Russian wooden architecture.
The temple is surrounded on all sides by ambush - this is how galleries or terraces surrounding the building were called in Russian architecture, as a rule, at the level of the ceiling of the lower floor - the basement. Rows of kokoshniks - decorative zakomars - were used as outdoor decoration.
The tent was used not only to cover churches, but also to complete bell towers, towers, porches and other buildings, both of a religious and secular nature.
Tiered temples
Temples, consisting of parts, sections, placed on top of each other and gradually decreasing upwards, are called tiered in architecture.
You can get an idea of them by carefully examining the famous Church of the Intercession of the Virgin in Fili. In total there are six tiers with a basement. The top two, not glazed, are intended for bells.
Church of the Intercession of the Virgin in Fili
The temple is replete with rich external decor: various kinds of columns, platbands, cornices, carved shoulder blades - vertical flat and narrow ledges in the wall, brickwork.
Rotunda churches
Rotunda temples are round (rotunda in Latin means round) in terms of construction, similar to secular structures: a residential building, a pavilion, a hall, etc.
Vivid examples of temples of this type are the Church of Metropolitan Peter the Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery in Moscow, the Smolensk Church of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. In rotunda temples, such architectural elements as a porch with columns or columns along the walls in a circle are often found.
Church of Metropolitan Peter Vysoko-Petrovsky Monastery
Smolensk Church of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra
The most common in Ancient Russia were rotunda temples, round at the base, symbolizing eternal life in heaven, the main components of the external design of which were: a plinth, apses, a drum, a valance, a dome, sails and a cross.
Temples - "ships"
The cubic temple, connected to the bell tower by a rectangular building, outwardly resembles a ship.
That is why this type of church is called a "ship". This is an architectural metaphor: the temple is a ship on which you can set sail on the sea of \u200b\u200blife full of dangers and temptations. An example of such a temple is the Church of Dmitry on the Blood in Uglich.
Church of Dmitry on the Blood in Uglich
GLOSSARY OF ARCHITECTURAL TERMS
Temple interior
The inner space of the temple is organized by the so-called naves (nave in French means a ship) - the longitudinal parts of the temple premises. A building can have several naves: central or main (from the entrance door to the place of the singers in front of the iconostasis), side (they, like the central one, are longitudinal, but, unlike it, are less wide and high) and transverse. The naves are separated from each other by rows of columns, pillars or arches.
The center of the temple is a domed space illuminated by natural daylight penetrating through the windows of the drum.
According to its internal structure, any Orthodox church consists of three main parts: the altar, the middle part of the temple and the vestibule.
Altar(1) (translated from Latin - an altar) is located in the eastern (main) part of the temple and symbolizes the area of God's existence. The altar is separated from the rest of the interior by a high iconostasis(2). According to ancient tradition, only men can be in the altar. Over time, the presence in this part of the temple was limited only to the clergy and a select circle of people. In the altar is the holy throne (the table on which the Gospel and the cross lie) - the place of the invisible presence of God. It is near the holy altar that the most important church services are performed. The presence or absence of an altar distinguishes a church from a chapel. The latter has an iconostasis, but no altar.
The middle (central) part of the temple is its main volume. Here, during the service, parishioners gather for prayer. This part of the temple symbolizes the heavenly region, the angelic world, the refuge of the righteous.
The vestibule (pre-temple) is an extension on the western, less often on the northern or southern side of the temple. The vestibule is separated from the rest of the temple by a blank wall. The vestibule symbolizes the area of earthly existence. Otherwise, it is called a refectory, because feasts are held here on church holidays. During worship, persons who are going to accept the faith of Christ, as well as people of a different faith, are allowed into the narthex - "for listening and teaching." The outer part of the vestibule - the porch of the temple (3) - is called porch. Since ancient times, the poor and the poor have been gathering on the porch and asking for alms. On the porch above the entrance to the temple there is an icon with the face of that saint or with the image of that sacred event to which the temple is dedicated.
Solea(4) - elevated part of the floor in front of the iconostasis.
pulpit(5) - the central part of the salt, protruding in a semicircle into the center of the temple and located opposite the Royal Gates. Ambo serves for delivering sermons, reading the Gospel.
Choir(6) - a place in the temple, located at both ends of the salt and intended for the clergy (singers).
Sail(7) - elements of the dome structure in the form of spherical triangles. With the help of sails, a transition is provided from the circumference of the dome or its base - the drum to the rectangular in terms of dome space. They also take over the distribution of the load of the dome on the sub-dome pillars. In addition to vaults on sails, vaults with a carrier stripping are known - a recess in the vault (above a door or window opening) in the form of a spherical triangle with a vertex below the top point of the vault and stepped vaults.
Throne(18)
High place and throne for hierarchs (19)
Altar (20)
royal doors (21)
Deacon's Gate (22)
External decoration of the temple
apses(8) (translated from Greek - vault, arch) - semicircular protruding parts of the building, having their own ceiling.
Drum(9) - a cylindrical or multifaceted upper part of the building crowned with a dome.
Valance(10) - decoration under the roof eaves in the form of decorative wooden boards with blind or through carving, as well as metal (from perforated iron) strips with a slotted pattern.
The dome (11) is a vault with a hemispherical, and then (from the 16th century) onion-shaped surface. One dome is a symbol of the unity of God, three symbolize the Holy Trinity, five - Jesus Christ and four evangelists, seven - seven church sacraments.
The cross (12) is the main symbol of Christianity, associated with the crucifixion (expiatory sacrifice) of Christ.
Zakomary (13) - semicircular or keeled completions of the upper part of the wall, covering the spans of the vault.
Arcature (14) - a series of small false arches on the facade or a belt that covers the walls along the perimeter.
Pilasters are decorative elements that divide the facade and are flat vertical protrusions on the surface of the wall.
Blades (15), or lisen, a kind of pilasters, were used in Russian medieval architecture as the main means of rhythmic articulation of the wall. The presence of shoulder blades is typical for temples of the pre-Mongolian period.
Spindle (16) - part of the wall between two shoulder blades, the semicircular end of which turns into a zakomara.
Plinth (17) - the lower part of the outer wall of the building, lying on the foundation, usually thickened and protruding outward in relation to the upper part (church plinths are both simple in the form of a slope - at the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir, and developed profiled - at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin in Bogolyubov).
Based on the book by Vl. Solovyov "The Golden Book of Russian Culture"
At the lecture “How to be surprised in Moscow: architecture in details”, organized by Level One, the architectural historian spoke about the significant stages in the development of Moscow architecture of the 14th-20th centuries, and also taught how to accurately determine the style and time of construction by “talking” details.
Temples of Moscow in the XII-XIV centuries: the time of the first metropolitan ambitions
For the first time Moscow is mentioned in chronicles in 1147. But stone buildings on the territory of the Moscow Principality appear only a century and a half later, and not in the city itself, but on the outskirts.
St. Nicholas Church in the village of Kamenskoye, Naro-Fominsk district
Reached our days St. Nicholas Church in the village of Kamenskoye, Naro-Fominsk district. This church is architecturally very simple, even primitive. From the decor - a promising portal with a keel-shaped arch (such an arc with a "tongue of flame" will become a purely Moscow architectural feature for centuries).
Church of the Dormition on Gorodok in Zvenigorod
Built at the end of the 14th century Church of the Dormition on Gorodok in Zvenigorod. It is only a few decades older than Nikolsky, but we have before us a much more mature work. We see the same perspective portal and keeled arch, but columns and an ornamental belt appear, as well as narrow windows and tiers.
Where did the columns come from? Of course, from antiquity. Did Moscow architects go on a business trip to the Peloponnese? Obviously not. They were inspired by the architecture of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, which was the center of pre-Mongol Rus. Vladimir-Suzdal architects during the heyday of the principality managed to achieve perfection in understanding the ancient heritage.
One of the peaks of the white stone architecture of that time has come down to our days - this Church of the Intercession on the Nerl. Here we see rethought ancient elements - columns, an ornamental belt, a plinth, a cornice in a very harmonious design.
At the end of the 14th century, Moscow masters were guided by the architecture of the Vladimir land (especially since Moscow was supposed to become its successor in terms of statehood), but so far not very skillfully.
XV-XVI centuries: Italians in Russia
Assumption Cathedral
The main buildings of this time are the cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin. Assumption Cathedral- the last, built in the "old Moscow" style with its inherent asceticism. It was built by an Italian who was instructed to “make it like in Vladimir,” explains Dmitry Bezzubtsev.
Cathedral of the Archangel
And here Cathedral of the Archangel, decorated with Venetian shells, reminiscent of the European Renaissance. It is richly decorated, and this decor is very skillfully done - you can feel the hand of an Italian. In general, according to Dmitry, this is a “new level of awareness” for the architecture of Moscow.
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khoroshevo
Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khoroshevo, built once in the estate of Boris Godunov - is another monument of this time. Presumably, it was built according to the design of the Russian architect Fyodor Kon, but the Italian influence is felt - the laws of symmetry are perfectly observed here.
17th century: irrational patterning
In the 17th century, Italians in Russia no longer build. Domestic masters completely renew the architectural language. The main distinguishing features of the new style, which is called patterned, are irrationality and picturesqueness. This is “the juiciest thing that has been created by Moscow architecture,” comments Dmitry Bezzubtsev.
Examples of such buildings can be found in the very center of Moscow - this is a bright Church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki And Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Putinki(it became white in our time, but was originally painted).
If you look closely at these temples, you can see a huge variety of architectural details scattered around the volume of the building whimsically and asymmetrically. See, for example, how the windows of the St. Nicholas Church are made: all the architraves are of different shapes (but almost everyone has a reference to the Moscow keeled shape), the windows are located at different distances relative to the edge of the walls and each other (this is called “windows apart”), in some places there is a casing " creeps" onto the eaves. The structure as a whole is also asymmetrical: the refectory is attached to the main volume of the temple in a random way, the bell tower is shifted from the central axis.
Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Putinki
We see the same in Church of the Nativity of the Virgin in Putinki. Here it is interesting to pay attention to the joints of different parts of the building, which literally "crash" into each other, to the fact that the external architecture does not reflect the internal structure of the building.
Resurrection (Iberian) gates
An example of a more aristocratic, orderly pattern can be found on Red Square - these are recreated in the 90s of the XX century Resurrection (Iberian) gates. Forms and decor typical of the 17th century are arranged neatly and symmetrically.
Verkhospassky Cathedral in the Kremlin
One more example - Verkhospassky Cathedral in the Kremlin. Its elegant cupolas are clearly visible from the Alexander Garden.
XVIII century: Naryshkin and just baroque
In the 18th century, Moscow architecture again looks to the West. The connecting link between the architecture of the old patriarchal Moscow and the new style of St. Petersburg being built in the Western European spirit - the Petrine baroque - was the Naryshkin style.
Church of the Intercession of the Virgin in Fili
The most famous examples of the Naryshkin baroque are Church of the Intercession of the Virgin in Fili, Spassky Church in the village of Ubory, Odintsovo District.
Church of the Savior in the village Ubory, Odintsovo district
A feature of the Naryshkin style is a mixture of conflicting trends and trends. On the one hand, we see the features of European Baroque and Mannerism, echoes of Gothic, Renaissance, Romanticism, on the other hand, the traditions of Russian wooden architecture and ancient Russian stone architecture.
In Bolshoy Kharitonievsky Lane there is an interesting monument of civil architecture of the Naryshkin baroque. It has recently become available to the public as a museum.
But there is almost no genuine, high-class baroque, similar to what can be found in St. Petersburg, in Moscow. It is felt that at this time Moscow is a province. However, on Red Square itself, we can admire home of the provincial government, on Staraya Basmannaya - Church of the Martyr Nikita.
In general, baroque is “an excellent student who tries to look like a loser,” Dmitry Bezzubtsev jokes. This style is based on the order, that is, the laws of symmetry and order, but its distinguishing features are “torn” arches and pediments, free curves, whimsical, excessive decor.
XVIII-XIX centuries: the era of urban estates and the imperial Empire
First city hospital
Classicism flourished in Moscow and lasted a long time - about 800 architectural monuments in this style are still preserved. Especially often, the nobility built classicist city estates. Classicism is based on simple geometric forms, order, order. He “ceases to complex about empty space,” says Dmitry Bezzubtsev, showing the building First city hospital.
Indeed, only the central portal is decorated here, the rest of the walls are practically empty. Temples were also built in the style of classicism; example - .
Arena
The most “smart” version of classicism is Empire. Empire buildings were created by Napoleon Bonaparte for his empire. After the victory over Napoleon, Russia "won" his style. To achieve the impression of elation, solemnity, the upper part of the building was enlarged. For example, at the building Arena the pediment is greatly enlarged. Also, a distinctive feature of the style is military, primarily antique, symbols in the decor.
The end of the 19th century: the time of eclecticism
From the 19th century, styles begin to blur - this becomes especially noticeable towards the end of the century. For example, - a real "collection of quotes." We can see keeled arches, Romanesque "hanging" columns, a composition echoing St. Isaac's Cathedral (large central dome and four belfries), and so on.
Or a building Historical Museum: there are many quotes from the era of patterning, but the symmetry of the building and just the size indicate that this is not the 17th century.
Marfo-Mariinsky Convent
BUT Marfo-Mariinsky Convent- a combination of neo-archaic with the motives of Novgorod architecture and modernity.
- neoclassicism: we see a portal typical of classicism, but the colonnade runs along the entire facade, the size of the building testifies to the technical possibilities unimaginable in the period of true classicism.
Early 20th century: cozy modern
Many mansions were built in the Art Nouveau style in Moscow. By the way, in the construction of private houses, the “from the inside out” principle, characteristic of Art Nouveau, turned out to be very useful: first they planned the number and location of rooms, then they came up with the outer shell. An architect becomes an artist: he can draw, for example, his own window shape.
Ryabushinsky Mansion
New materials are actively used - for example, metal, decorative plaster, tiles (“Eclecticism bashfully covered metal structures,” Bezzubtsev notes), a new understanding of wood. Great example of modern Ryabushinsky's mansion.
* * *
Moscow has much to be proud of. After the Italian influence, Russian architecture was able to come up with a new full-fledged language - patterned. Catch up with world architecture and create buildings in the best traditions of European classicism. Then renounce traditions and offer cozy modernity. Finally, open the avant-garde and influence the face of cities around the world. But this will be a separate discussion.
Have you read the article Temples of Moscow: 7 details of architecture. Read also.
The temple as a building of worship occupies a special place in any culture. Usually, one way or another, all the main events of people's lives are associated with him - birth, funeral, wedding, baptism, etc. For Russian culture, temples are such iconic structures, we will analyze their history, significance and role for the country in this article.
The history of the temple as a structure
Ancient cultures and ancient times defined the temple as the home of their deity. Such structures were built on the principle of a human house. In it, the main place was occupied by one or another figure of a god, there was a separate place for gifts brought to this deity. The entrance to such a temple for a person was forbidden, it was possible to look at it from the outside and only occasionally look inside to see its divine statue.
On the contrary, in Christianity, the temple was not originally positioned as the House of God, but only as a place for the prayer of believers. This idea came from the Old Testament tradition of the “mobile” tabernacle, i.e. portable building, in which the Jews kept the most sacred - the Ark of the Covenant. In addition, the Christian God was conceived as an image above the world, standing outside its boundaries.
How could a house be built for such a God? If the whole world cannot contain Him, then how can a man-made house?
For the early Christians, God lived in the heart of man.
However, over time, Christianity also acquires "state" features, becoming. Then the question of determining the place for universal prayers is raised, i.e. question of building a temple.
For the first places of worship, Christians begin to use secular buildings - late antique basilicas. So in the 4th-5th centuries. AD the first Christian churches appear. It must be remembered that religious buildings were not erected for these purposes, but only adapted.
Description of the first Christian church
The ancient basilicas were quite spacious rooms, which, in fact, was required of them. These structures were rectangular structures with a high central nave (defined as two lights) and two lower lateral ones. In the basilica, respectively, the symbols of the Christian society are placed, consisting of:
catechumens
Faithful
Shepherds
By the same principle, the entire ensemble of the temple unfolds:
Yard (atrium)
Room at the entrance (narthex)
Main room (naos)
Holy place (altar, apse)
This arrangement symbolized the sacred movement of the believer towards God, going from the entrance (west) to the altar (east). This direction was preserved in other types of churches, especially Orthodox ones.
Thus, the first Christian churches revealed to believers not the "statics of veneration" of a pagan deity, but the "dynamics" of movement towards God, expressed in the plasticity of spatial forms.
We can summarize:
The temple in a religiously oriented culture (theocentric) becomes the central structure and the embodiment of its basic ideas of world outlook. In other words, the temple reproduces a certain of this culture.
For example, by the type of residential building and its internal surroundings, the interior, we can imagine a person living in it.
So the temple "personified" characteristic of Christian culture:
- theological (religious doctrines),
- cosmogonic (origin of the world) ideas.
The idea of an Orthodox church and its history
However, it was precisely the “inconsistency” of such ideas of worldview in Christian culture with the appearance of the first basilicas that led, among other things, to the further development of the idea of an Orthodox church. (). It must be said that this idea has been carefully developed since the 5th century and appears one of the first in the new church doctrines of Christianity.
This "inconsistency" had the following problem. According to the Lord, His throne is heaven, i.e. striving for God, believers turn their eyes upward. This means that the main direction of movement should not be horizontal (as in a basilica), but vertical! In the temples of that time, the roof was flat and seemed to block the sky itself from the gaze of the believer.
The question of a dome appears, which would symbolize the idea of God's heavenly throne. The idea of the dome was not completely new at that time; it had already been embodied in the ancient Pantheon of Rome.
In addition, the dualism of the Christian worldview could be visually resolved in this way, which divided time and space in the human mind into two main parts of the world:
Dolnaya (terrestrial)
mountainous (heavenly)
This division was originally hierarchical, i.e. expressed precisely along the vertical: the main thing is there, and not here - on the ground. That time and space transcends this age of man. This axiom expressed the main chronotope of the entire culture of Christianity in the Middle Ages.
Temple of Sophia of Constantinople
It found expression in the first fundamental religious building of that period - Sophia of Constantinople. It was still a basilica, but already of a domed type. The temple has a dome 36 meters in diameter, located at a height of 55 meters, which visibly expresses the idea of heaven and the heavenly throne of God.
By the way, this temple remained unique in its typical design of a domed basilica; this was no longer built.
And although we have and, but this is already a different type of temple building.
