The variety of forms in Russian temple architecture is reflected in the number of domes crowning the temples. This number of domes is symbolic. One chapter symbolizes the One God, three domes - the Holy Trinity, five domes - Christ and the four evangelists, seven chapters - the seven sacraments of the Church, nine domes - according to the number of angelic ranks, thirteen - Christ and the twelve apostles. The number of chapters can reach up to thirty-three - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life. The shape of the dome also has a symbolic meaning. The helmet-like shape was reminiscent of the army, of the spiritual battle waged by the Church with the forces of evil and darkness. The shape of the onion is a symbol of the candle flame, turning us to the words of Christ: “You are the light of the world.” The intricate shape and bright colors of the domes on St. Basil's Cathedral speaks of the beauty of Heavenly Jerusalem. The color of the dome is also important in the symbolism of the temple. Gold is a symbol of heavenly glory. The main temples and the temples dedicated to Christ and the twelve feasts had golden domes. Blue domes with stars crown churches dedicated to the Mother of God, because the star recalls the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary. Trinity churches had green domes, because green is the color of the Holy Spirit. Temples dedicated to saints are also crowned with green or silver domes.

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In Moscow, on Red Square stands St. Basil's Cathedral. For many people around the world, the temple symbolizes Russia, just like in England - Big Ben or in China - the Chinese Wall.
The temple was built in the middle of the 16th century by order of Ivan the Terrible.
These were the years of the great Kazan campaign, which was given enormous importance: until now, all campaigns of Russian troops against Kazan had ended in failure. Ivan the Terrible, who personally led the army in 1552, vowed, if the campaign was successfully completed, to build a grandiose temple in Moscow on Red Square in memory of this.
During the campaigns against Kazan, Ivan the Terrible ordered the construction of a white stone temple in the name of Life-Giving Trinity votive wooden churches in honor of those saints, on whose memory days victories were won in battle with the enemy. So, on August 30, on the day of the three Patriarchs of Constantinople - Alexander, John and Paul - a detachment of the Tatar cavalry of Prince Epanchi was defeated. On September 30, on the day of memory of Gregory of Armenia, the fortress wall of Kazan was taken along with the Arsk Tower.
On October 1, the Feast of the Intercession, the assault on the city began, ending victoriously the next day, October 2, on the Feast of Cyprian and Ustinya. An old Moscow legend says that when in a camp church near Kazan at a lunch service the deacon proclaimed the Gospel verses: “Let there be one flock and one shepherd,” part of the fortress wall of the enemy city, under which a tunnel was made, flew into the air, and Russian troops entered to Kazan
Other churches were associated with the reigning dynasty or with local Moscow events: for example, Vasily III in December 1533, before his death, took monastic vows under the name Varlaam, the patron saint of the royal family. The Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem was founded, probably, in honor of the victorious return of Ivan the Terrible with his army to Moscow. And the Church of St. Nicholas of Velikoretsky is dedicated to the image of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
When the Russian army returned to Moscow in triumph, Ivan the Terrible made a decision on the site of the eight wooden churches put one large stone one - for centuries. All the altars were originally part of the nine chapter-churches of the Intercession Cathedral, when St. Metropolitan Macarius of Moscow advised the Tsar to build one cathedral here in stone. He was the author of the brilliant idea of ​​the new temple. At first it was planned to build seven churches around the central eighth, but during the construction process “for the sake of symmetry” a ninth southern aisle was added, later consecrated in honor of Nikola Velikoretsky. Two years later, in Moscow on Red Square, on the site of the Trinity Church, the Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary was founded.

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The Church of the Intercession was built in 1555-1561 by Russian architects Barma and Postnik Yakovlev (or perhaps it was the same master - Ivan Yakovlevich Barma). In fact, the name of the architect is still unknown. In chronicles and documents, modern construction temple, there is no mention of Barma and Fastnik. Their names appear only in later sources of the 16th-17th centuries: “The Life of Metropolitan Jonah”, “The Piskarevsky Chronicler” and “The Tale of the Velikoretsk Icon of the Wonderworker Nikola”. Before the construction of the bell tower of John the Great, the Church of the Intercession was considered the tallest building in Moscow, its height is 65 meters.

Initially, the cathedral was not so colorful: judging by the descriptions, the walls of the church were white. St. Basil's Cathedral is a symmetrical ensemble of eight pillar-shaped churches surrounding the ninth, the tallest, crowned with a tent. The central church is dedicated to the Feast of the Intercession of Our Lady - it was on this day that Kazan was taken by storm.

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The design of the building has no analogues in Russian architecture, and nothing similar can be found in the history of the Byzantine traditions of cathedral construction. St. Basil's Cathedral contains 9 onion-shaped domes. This type soon became the predominant one for church domes in Russia.
Only in the 17th century. all domes were decorated with ceramic tiles. At the same time, asymmetrical buildings were added to the temple. Then tents appeared over the porches and intricate paintings on the walls and ceiling. During the same period, elegant paintings appeared on the walls and ceiling. In 1931, a monument to Minin and Pozharsky was erected in front of the temple.

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The temple was built taking into account the cardinal directions: focusing on them, they built four churches, and the same number were built diagonally. Four large churches are oriented to the cardinal points. The northern temple overlooks Red Square, the southern one overlooks the Moscow River, and the western one overlooks the Kremlin. Four large churches: the Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (western), the Church of Cyprian and Justina (northern), the Church of St. Nicholas Velikoretsky (south), the Church of the Holy Trinity (eastern).
The Intercession Cathedral has nine churches: in the center is the main Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God, surrounded by four large (from 20 to 30 m) and four small churches (about 15 m). All of these eight churches (four axial, four smaller ones between them) are crowned with onion-shaped chapters and grouped around the ninth pillar-shaped church towering above them in honor of the Intercession of the Mother of God, completed with a tent with a small dome. Near these churches there is a bell tower and the chapel of St. Basil, who is crowned with an onion dome

There are 11 domes in total. Nine domes over the temple (according to the number of thrones):

1.Protection of the Virgin Mary (central), 2.St. Trinity (east), 3. Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (west), 4. Gregory of Armenia (north-west), 5. Alexander of Svir (south-east), 6. Varlaam of Khutyn (south-west) , 7. John the Merciful (formerly John, Paul and Alexander of Constantinople) (north-east), 8. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Velikoretsky (south), 9. Adrian and Natalia (formerly Cyprian and Justina) (northern) 10 Dome over St. Basil's Church 11. Dome over the bell tower.

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Miniatures of the temple domes
01 Bell tower 02 Central Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary 03 Church of the Holy Trinity. 04 Church of the Three Patriarchs (John the Merciful) 05 Church of St. Basil

Onion-shaped domes of the Rostov-Suzdal (Russian) type. Already from the middle of the dome, its top is pulled back, the surface of the domes is uneven: ribbed or cellular

06 Church of Cyprian and Justina (Andrian and Nitalia) 07 Church of Gregory of Armenia 08 Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem 09 Varlaam Khutynsky 10 Church of St. Nicholas of Velikoretsky 11 Church of Alexander Svirsky

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Plan of the cathedral churches

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Proportions of St. Basil's Cathedral

The proportions of St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow are determined by eight members of the golden ratio series: 1, f, f2, f3, f4, f5, f6, f7. Many of the members of the series are repeatedly repeated in the proportions of the temple, but always, thanks to the property of the golden section, the parts will converge into a whole, i.e. f + f2 = 1, f2 + f3 = f, etc.

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The temple through the eyes of the artist Aristarkh Lentulov.
The artist helps to see the Temple from all sides at once. Reminds me of a kaleidoscope stopped for a moment

13 Aristarkh Lentulov “St. Basil’s Cathedral”, 1913

14 St. Basil's Cathedral. 1961-1962

15 Intercession Cathedral, 1895

16 Intercession Cathedral, 1870

Heads of the Intercession Cathedral

The top of churches, which we call a dome, is actually called a chapter. The dome is the roof of the church. It can be seen from inside the temple. Above the dome vault there is a sheathing on which metal sheathing is fixed.

According to one version, in the old days the domes on the Intercession Cathedral were not bulbous, as they are now, but helmet-shaped. Other researchers argue that there could not be helmet-shaped domes on such thin drums as those of St. Basil's Cathedral. Therefore, based on the architecture of the cathedral, the domes were onion, although this is not known for certain.
Onion domes differ from each other in size, decoration and color. Their original form is also unknown to us, since the earliest images of the Intercession Cathedral on the miniatures of the Front Chronicle (1560s) are quite conventional. Ancient chronicles report the appearance of figured domes made of tinned iron after the devastating fire of 1595: “in the days of the pious Tsar Fyodor Ioannovich, the tops of the Trinity and the Intercession on the Moat were made with pink samples and upholstered with German iron.” But it has been absolutely established that initially the domes were smooth and monochrome. In the 17th century they were briefly painted in different colors.

17 Church of the Holy Trinity, Church of Cyprian and Justina (Andrian and Nitalia), Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary, Church of Gregory of Armenia, Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem

The chapters were covered with iron, painted blue or green. Such iron, if there were no fires, could withstand 10 years. Green or blue paints were obtained based on copper oxides. If the heads were covered with German tinned iron, then they could be silver in color. German iron lived for 20 years, but no more.

In the 17th century, the life of Metropolitan Jonah mentions “figured chapters of various types.” However, they were all monochrome. They became variegated in the 19th century, maybe a little earlier. Foreign travelers with admiration emphasized the unique beauty of the cathedral’s domes, seeing in them “scales of cedar cones, pineapples and artichokes.” Judging by their notes, the chapters were colored already in the first half of the 17th century (as mentioned above, for a short time). Why are the chapters multi-colored and different shapes Now no one can say on what principle they were painted; this is one of the mysteries of the cathedral.

18 Church of the Intercession of the Virgin.

In the 60s of the twentieth century, during a large-scale restoration, they wanted to return the cathedral to its original appearance and make the chapters monochrome, but Kremlin officials ordered them to be left in color. The cathedral is recognizable primarily by its polychrome domes.

During the war, Red Square was guarded by a continuous field of balloons to protect it from bombing. When anti-aircraft shells exploded, fragments falling down damaged the casing of the domes. The damaged domes were immediately repaired, because if the holes were left, a strong wind could completely “undress” the dome in 20 minutes.

In 1967-1969. A major restoration of the domes of the cathedral took place: instead of iron, the metal frames were covered with a more durable and weather-resistant material - copper. If the iron domes required repairs every 10-20 years, then the new coatings are still preserved. The craftsmen spent about 32 tons of copper sheet 1 mm thick on the domes. They manually gave the sheet the required shape, exactly repeating the previous one. It was truly a piece of jewelry. Total area sheets, not counting the small dome of the central church, is about 1900 square meters.

During a recent restoration it was discovered that the chapters were in perfect condition. They just had to be repainted. The central head of the Church of the Intercession has always been gilded.

Each chapter, even the central one, can be entered. A special staircase leads to the central chapter. The side chapters can be entered through external hatches. Between the ceiling and the sheathing there is a space the height of a man, where you can walk freely.

The lush variety of fancy domes makes the Intercession Cathedral unique and recognizable all over the world.

19 Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary

The Feast of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary owes its appearance to a miraculous event that occurred in 910 in Constantinople, during the reign of Emperor Leo Vl the Philosopher, who received his nickname for his love of book wisdom.
The capital was besieged by hordes of enemies, capable of breaking into the city at any moment, destroying it, and burning it. The only refuge for the inhabitants of the besieged city was the temple, where people in prayer asked God for salvation from the barbarians. At that time, the holy fool Andrew and his disciple Epiphanius were in the church. And now Saint Andrew sees the Mother of God Herself kneeling before the Lord for the salvation of the people. After which He approaches the Throne and, having prayed again, takes off the veil from His head and extends it over the people praying in the temple, protecting them from enemies visible and invisible. The cover in the hands of the Most Pure Mother, surrounded by angels and a host of saints, shone “more than the rays of the sun,” and nearby stood the holy Baptist of the Lord John and the holy Apostle John the Theologian. Then Saint Andrew asks his disciple Epiphanius: “Do you see, brother, the Queen and Lady of all, praying for the whole world?” “I see, holy father, and I am horrified,” Epiphanius answered him. Thus, the Mother of God saved Constantinople from ruin and loss of life.

Despite the fact that this event took place on Byzantine soil, this holiday was not included in the Greek calendar, but it was accepted and approved in Rus', thanks to the holy Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, the son of Yuri Dolgoruky. This holiday is of great missionary significance. He says that unity in faith is above any human conflicts, any national stereotypes and antipathies. It was the understanding of this truth that allowed the Russian people to subsequently accept this holiday and make it part of their Orthodox tradition.

20 Church of the Intercession of the Virgin.

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23 Church of Cyprian and Justina (Andrian and Nitalia)

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27 Church of Gregory of Armenia

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30 Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem

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33 Church of Varlaam Khutynsky

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37 Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker of Velikoretsky

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41 Church of Alexander in Svirsky

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47 Church of the Holy Trinity

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St. Basil's Church

The cathedral consists of nine churches on a single foundation. However, ten multi-colored domes rise above the temple, not counting the onion above the bell tower. The tenth green chapter with red spikes is located below the level of the heads of all other churches and crowns the north-eastern corner of the temple. This church was added to the cathedral after construction was completed in 1588. It was erected over the grave of a very famous and revered holy fool of that time, St. Basil the Blessed.

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The cathedral was initially more of a memorial: it was not heated, services were not held in winter. St. Basil's Church turned out to be the only winter one of the entire temple, it was open to parishioners and pilgrims all year round, even at night. Thus, the name of St. Basil's Church became the “popular” name of the entire cathedral.

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54 Church of the Three Patriarchs (John the Merciful)

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The tented bell tower was built in the 1670s.

58 Bell tower

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The tops of the Kremlin towers were built in the 17th century; they were built with an eye on the Intercession Cathedral

61 Fragment of the Spasskaya Tower of the Kremlin. View from the Church of Cyprian and Justina

62 The temple seems to be floating in the air!

Sources

www.pravoslavie.ru Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God / Orthodoxy.Ru Elena Lebedeva
globeofrussia.ru St. Basil's Cathedral: 9 churches on one foundation - Globe of Russia

Publications in the Architecture section

What do the domes of Orthodox churches mean?

From early times, the Christian religion was filled with special signs - they were embodied in the architecture of temples. What meaning do believers put into the shape, color and number of domes? Orthodox Church- we’ll figure it out together with the portal “Culture.RF”.

Color: Gold to Black

Gold. The most common color of Orthodox domes represents eternity and heavenly glory. Temples with golden domes were dedicated to Christ and the great church holidays- Christmas, Presentation, Annunciation. Such chapters crown the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior and the Kremlin cathedrals - Assumption, Annunciation, Arkhangelsk.

Today, domes are not lined with gold, but in the past the metal was dissolved in mercury, and then the resulting amalgam was applied to a hot copper sheet. The gilding process was very expensive and labor intensive. For example, it took 100 kilograms of gold to cover the dome of St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Blue with stars. Temples with such domes are most often dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Blue symbolizes the purity and purity of the Virgin Mary, and the stars refer to the Star of Bethlehem, which marked the Nativity of Jesus Christ. The Suzdal Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, built under Vladimir Monomakh, is crowned with such domes. This was the first stone temple in the Vladimir-Suzdal land.

But there are also cathedrals with blue domes that are not associated with the name of the Virgin Mary. Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg was built in 1838 for the Izmailovsky Regiment Imperial Guard. His officers wore blue uniforms, which is why they chose that color for the domes.

Green. This color is considered a sign of the Holy Spirit. Most often it can be found in churches dedicated to the Holy Trinity. One of these buildings is the Church of the Holy Trinity “Kulich and Easter”. The idea of ​​giving the temple the shape of traditional Easter dishes belonged to the customer of the construction - Prince Alexander Vyazemsky. At his request, architect Nikolai Lvov built a pyramidal bell tower and a rotunda church with a low green dome.

Similar domes crown churches built in honor of Orthodox saints. For example, the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Yaroslavl is one of the key monuments of the local school of the 17th century.

Silver. This color in Orthodoxy is associated with purity and holiness. Temples dedicated to saints are crowned with silver domes, for example, the Church of St. Nicholas on Lipna near Veliky Novgorod and St. Sophia Cathedral in Vologda. The temple in honor of St. Sophia was erected in 1570 by order of Ivan the Terrible. The Tsar ordered it to be built on the model of the Assumption Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin.

Black. Domes of this color are rare and decorate monastery churches. Black domes crown the cathedrals of the Marfo-Mariinsky monastery in Moscow - convent in the Art Nouveau style, built according to the design of Alexey Shchusev. Funds for its construction were donated by Grand Duchess Elizaveta Feodorovna, the widow of the Moscow Governor-General, Grand Duke Sergei Alexandrovich. Domes symbolizing monasticism can also be seen on the cathedrals of the Transfiguration Monastery in Murom.

Multicolored domes in the Orthodox tradition remind believers of the beauty of Heavenly Jerusalem. This is what the heads of the Church of the Savior on Blood in St. Petersburg and St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow look like. Foreign travelers admired the colorful patterns of the domes and compared them with the scales of a pine cone, pineapple and artichoke. The domes acquired this appearance after the fire of 1595 - then the temple was restored and rebuilt.

Shape: not just bulbs

The spherical dome in the Orthodox tradition symbolizes eternity. The Romans began to build churches with similar domes: in the 2nd century they learned to build large-area ceilings without supports. The Roman pantheon built in this way from 128 AD has survived to this day. e. In Russia, spherical domes crown Moscow's Yelokhov Cathedral, the baptismal site of Alexander Pushkin.

The helmet-shaped dome refers to the words of the Apostle Paul: “Put on the whole armor of God...and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God.”. Such domes are typical of Russian pre-Mongol architecture: they decorate, for example, the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir and the Church of Peter and Paul in Smolensk.

The onion dome in Orthodox architecture is the embodiment of prayer, the desire for heaven. According to researcher Evgeny Trubetskoy, such a dome on the base of the drum resembles a candle flame. Onion-shaped domes are characteristic of Russian architecture of the 16th–17th centuries. Examples of churches with similar domes are the Church of the Nativity of John the Baptist in Uglich and the churches of the Rostov Kremlin.

A tent, instead of a traditional dome, is interpreted in Christianity as an image of the Virgin Mary or the Light of Heaven. Tent churches were common in the 16th century, although similar churches were built earlier. They were usually built from wood: it was very difficult to replicate the structure of a tent in stone. The most famous example of hipped architecture is the Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye. It was built by order of Prince Vasily III in honor of the birth of the long-awaited heir to the throne, the future Tsar Ivan IV the Terrible.

Quantity: from one to thirty-three

One dome reminds believers of the unity of God. Single-domed temples were especially popular in pre-Mongol times. The most famous of them are the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl and St. Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir. Both temples were built in the 12th century - they survived the devastating Mongol-Tatar invasions and have survived to this day.

The two domes are rare and commemorate the divine and human nature of Jesus Christ. In Moscow, the Church of Cosmas and Damian in Starye Panekh is crowned with two domes. This is one of the oldest churches in the capital: its wooden predecessor was built back in 1468.

The three domes are associated with the Holy Trinity. Three chapters crown the St. George Cathedral of the Yuryev Monastery - the oldest monastery in Veliky Novgorod. The cathedral was erected in 1130 by order of Prince Mstislav Vladimirovich. The name of the architect is preserved in the chronicle - Peter. It is believed that he also built the St. Nicholas Cathedral and the Church of the Annunciation on Gorodishche

The five domes are a symbol of Jesus Christ and the four evangelists: John, Mark, Luke and Matthew. Five-domed churches are more common in Russia than others. The most famous of them are the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir and the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin, built in its image.

The seven domes represent for the Orthodox the seven sacraments of the Church, the seven Ecumenical Councils (meetings at which the basic Christian dogmas were adopted) and the seven cardinal Orthodox virtues. Seven-domed cathedrals are not as common as three- or five-domed ones. These include the Ascension Church in Novocherkassk - the main cathedral of the Don Cossacks - and the Holy Cross Cathedral

Temple of God in its own way appearance different from other buildings. Very often the temple of God has the shape of a cross at its base, for by the Cross the Savior delivered us from the power of the devil. Often it is arranged in the form of a ship, symbolizing that the Church, like a ship, like Noah’s Ark, leads us across the sea of ​​life to a quiet harbor in the Kingdom of Heaven. Sometimes at the base there is a circle - a sign of eternity or an octagonal star, symbolizing that the Church, like a guiding star, shines in this world.

The temple building is usually topped with a dome representing the sky. The dome is crowned by a head on which a cross is placed - to the glory of the Head of the Church of Jesus Christ. Often, not one, but several chapters are placed on the temple: two chapters mean the two natures (Divine and human) in Jesus Christ, three chapters - the three Persons of the Holy Trinity, five chapters - Jesus Christ and the four Evangelists, seven chapters - the seven sacraments and seven Ecumenical Councils, nine chapters - nine ranks of angels, thirteen chapters - Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles, sometimes more chapters are built.

Above the entrance to the temple, and sometimes next to the temple, a bell tower or belfry is built, that is, a tower on which bells hang, used to call believers to prayer and to announce the most important parts of the service performed in the temple.

Orthodox church by internal structure is divided into three parts: the altar, the middle temple and the vestibule. The altar symbolizes the Kingdom of Heaven. All the believers stand in the middle part. In the first centuries of Christianity, the catechumens stood in the narthex, who were just preparing for the sacrament of Baptism. Nowadays, people who have sinned grievously are sometimes sent to stand in the vestibule for correction. Also in the narthex you can buy candles, submit notes for remembrance, order a prayer service and memorial service, etc. In front of the entrance to the narthex there is an elevated area called the porch.

Christian churches are built with the altar facing the east - in the direction where the sun rises: the Lord Jesus Christ, from Whom the invisible Divine light shone for us, we call the “Sun of Truth”, who came “from the heights of the East”.

Each temple is dedicated to God, bearing a name in memory of one or another sacred event or saint of God. If there are several altars in it, then each of them is consecrated in memory of a special holiday or saint. Then all the altars, except the main one, are called chapels.

The most important part of the temple is the altar. The word “altar” itself means “exalted altar.” He usually settles on a hill. Here the clergy perform services and the main shrine is located - the throne on which the Lord Himself is mysteriously present and the sacrament of Communion of the Body and Blood of the Lord is performed. The throne is a specially consecrated table, dressed in two clothes: the lower one is made of white linen and the upper one is made of expensive colored fabric. There are sacred objects on the throne; only clergy can touch it.

The place behind the throne at the very eastern wall of the altar is called the mountain (elevated) place; it is usually made elevated.

To the left of the throne, in the northern part of the altar, there is another small table, also decorated on all sides with clothes. This is the altar on which gifts are prepared for the sacrament of Communion.

The altar is separated from the middle church by a special partition, which is lined with icons and is called an iconostasis. It has three gates. The middle ones, the largest, are called the royal doors, because through them the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, the King of Glory, invisibly passes in the chalice with the Holy Gifts. No one is allowed to pass through these doors except clergy. The side doors - north and south - are also called deacon doors: most often deacons pass through them.

To the right of the royal doors is an icon of the Savior, to the left - the Mother of God, then - images of especially revered saints, and to the right of the Savior is usually a temple icon: it depicts a holiday or a saint in whose honor the temple was consecrated.

Icons are also placed along the walls of the temple in frames - icon cases, and lie on lecterns - special tables with an inclined lid.

The elevation in front of the iconostasis is called the solea, the middle of which - a semicircular protrusion in front of the royal doors - is called the pulpit. Here the deacon pronounces litanies and reads the Gospel, and the priest preaches from here. On the pulpit, Holy Communion is also given to believers.

Along the edges of the solea, near the walls, choirs are arranged for readers and choirs. Near the choirs, banners or icons on silk cloth are placed, hung on gilded poles and looking like banners. As church banners, they are carried out by believers during religious processions. IN cathedrals, and also for the bishop’s service, a bishop’s pulpit is placed in the middle of the church, on which the bishops vest and stand at the beginning of the liturgy, during prayers and during some other church services.

SYMBOLICS OF DOMES IN ORTHODOX CHURCHES

HISTORY OF THE APPEARANCE OF DOMES

Dome (Italian Cupola - domes, vault, from Latin cupula, diminutive of cupa - barrel) is a spatial, load-bearing structure of the covering, in shape close to a hemisphere or other surface of rotation of a curve.

The main thing in the temple is the domes. To them special attention and attitude. The dome can be of different shapes, colors, and have a different number of chapters. All characteristics have their own symbolic meaning.

The history of domes dates back to prehistoric times. Domes began to be built during the Roman architectural revolution, when they began to be used in the construction of temples and large public buildings. It is believed that the oldest dome currently in existence is located in the Roman Pantheon, erected around 128 AD. Later, the tradition of dome building was adopted by Byzantine religious and cult architecture.

Russian art, starting from the 10th century. and until the end of the seventeenth century it was inextricably linked with the Church and the Christian faith. The first city in Rus' to be baptized was Kyiv. The service in the great Orthodox church of Byzantium - the Church of Hagia Sophia in the city of Constantinople influenced the ambassadors of Prince Vladimir of Kyiv. “We don’t know whether we were in heaven or on earth, for there is no such view and such beauty on earth... » It was this experience of beauty as holiness that formed the basis of new art on Russian soil. Byzantine craftsmen erected many temples in the traditions of Byzantine architecture.

DOME SHAPE

It is known that domes, or rather, domes over temples, are helmet-shaped, onion-shaped, pear-shaped and cone-shaped.

Helmet-like coverings most often they call a specific form of dome coverings, close to the shape of an ancient Russian helmet. The helmet shape is a symbol of warfare, the spiritual battle waged by the Church against the forces of evil and darkness.

The Byzantine Empire gave Rus' the ability to build temples. But young Christian Rus' did not at all feel like a timid student. Russian architecture, created by Russian masters, introduced its own finds into construction practice, original ideas and became a new embodiment of Christian art. Having analyzed the drawings of the temples, you can see that the shape of the dome is also changing. Already in the 11th century. the domes resemble a military helmet.

Onion dome has a convex shape, smoothly tapering at the top, similar to an onion. Most often, such domes are used in Russia, Turkey, India and the Middle East. The shape of the onion is a symbol of the candle flame, the victory of the forces of light. An Orthodox church, symbolizing the earth, with a dome symbolizing heaven, is interpreted as a model of the universe, which, according to religious views, is the creation of God. Believers direct their thoughts towards heaven and God. Therefore, the “onion” shape of the dome was not chosen by chance. It resembles a flame pointing upward, a burning candle that is lit during prayer addressed to God. This dome shape symbolizes spiritual uplift and the desire for perfection. The shape of the onion is a symbol of the candle flame, turning us to the words of Christ: “You are the light of the world.” IN textbook A. V. Borodina “Fundamentals Orthodox culture“It is written that the domes of the temples are shaped like a candle or a helmet. This is also not accidental, this form seems to connect the meanings: the burning of Orthodox hearts and military protection

“Our domestic onion embodies the idea of ​​deep prayerful burning to heaven, through which our earthly world becomes involved in otherworldly wealth. This is the completion of the Russian temple - like a fiery tongue, crowned with a cross and pointed towards the cross.”

E.N. Trubetskoy

It is this idea of ​​fiery, burning that is emphasized by the gilding of domes, so widespread in Russia.

Oval domes are part of Baroque architecture. The first Baroque oval dome was built by Giacomo da Vignola for the church of Sant'Andrea in Via Flamida in 1553. The largest oval dome was built in Vicoforte by the architect Francesco Gallo.

Umbrella domes divided into segments by ribs radiating from the center to the base of the dome.

Horizontal sections polygonal domes are polygons. One of the most famous examples Such domes are the octagonal dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, erected by Filippo Brunelleschi.

Tent. In architecture, a tent is the end of towers and temples in the form of a tetrahedral or octagonal pyramid. New page in the history of medieval Russian architecture Liberation from the Horde yoke stimulated a new upsurge in architecture. By this time, another national type of temple had emerged. The dome system characteristic of Byzantium was transformed into a pointed top of the tower. This shows the undoubted influence of defensive architecture, a typical example of which is given by Pskov with its powerful towers, devoid of any decorations and serving as protection from enemy attacks. With the particularly obvious power of the walls, masonry, narrow loopholes, windows, the harmony of the forms emphasizes their harmony and grace. The geometric shape of the octagonal tent, which in plan resembles the eight-pointed star of Bethlehem, allows one to interpret such churches as the image of the Mother of God, to whom the numbers 8 and 9 symbolically correspond. BUT tent coverings are prohibited, but this form was preserved in the construction of bell towers. And this is no coincidence. The tent on the bell tower is preserved as a symbol of the Good News and, of course, the Annunciation Holy Mother of God. Bell towers of a tiered structure were also built (the bell tower of the Moscow Novodevichy Convent).

Saucer dome lower than other types of domes. Such a dome, it turns out, is not visible from the outside, but inside it creates a feeling of increased space. These domes were used in the construction of Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques.

NUMBER OF DOMES

According to church symbolism, the dome indicates to Christians the need to strive from the earthly to the heavenly. Orthodox churches are built with an odd number of domes. The number of heads of the temple reveals in numerical symbolism the hierarchy of the structure of the heavenly church. Various quantities The design of the domes, or domes, of a temple building is determined by those to whom they are dedicated.

Single-domed temple the dome symbolizes the unity of God, the perfection of creation. Single-domed churches were most often built in the pre-Mongol era and were a symbol of the One God and the perfection of creation (Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, Church of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir, Kazan Church). Sometimes bell towers or chapels and two domes were attached to them, then they symbolized the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ - Divine and human (Church of St. John the Climacus in the Moscow Kremlin).

Double-domed temple the two domes symbolize the two natures of the God-man Jesus Christ, the two areas of creation (angelic and human).

Three Domed Temple three domes symbolize the Holy Trinity, they may not always be Trinity (for example, St. George's Cathedral of the Yuryev Monastery in Velikiy

Four-domed temple. the four domes symbolize the Four Gospels, the four cardinal directions.

Five-domed temple five domes, one of which rises above the rest, symbolize Christ as the Head of the Church and the four evangelists. Five-domed churches became widespread in Rus', and their construction was carried out both in ancient times and in our days. One of the domes, as a rule, rises above the others, which symbolizes Jesus Christ and the four evangelists. Sometimes an initially five-domed cathedral after restructuring could turn into a six-domed one (St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod), however, just as it appeared from a previously three-domed cathedral. The reasons for such reconstructions were, as a rule, dilapidation and fire. Five-domed churches have also been built recently, such as, for example, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, recently revived in Moscow.

Seven Domed Temple seven domes symbolize the seven Sacraments of the church, seven Ecumenical Councils, seven virtues.

Nine Domed Temple nine domes are associated with the image of the heavenly Church, consisting of nine orders of angels and nine orders of righteous people.

Thirteen-domed temple

thirteen domes symbolize Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles.

Twenty-five chapters may be a sign of an apocalyptic vision of the throne of the Holy Trinity and the twenty-four elders (Rev. 11, 15-18) or denote praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary, depending on the dedication of the temple.

Thirty-three chapters- the number of earthly years of the Savior.

The number of heads of temples is associated with the dedication of the main altar of the temple, and also often with the number of altars connected in one volume.

DOME COLOR

The color of the dome is also important in the symbolism of the temple.

Gold is a symbol of heavenly glory. The main temples and the temples dedicated to Christ and the twelve feasts had golden domes.

Gilding of the domes - clean Orthodox tradition, which is not found in other faiths. This apparent extravagance has its own unbreakable logic. For an Orthodox person, gold is primarily a symbol of eternity, incorruptibility, royalty and heavenly glory. It is not for nothing that one of the gifts brought by the Magi to the baby Jesus was gold. In Rus', the heads of the main temples, as well as temples dedicated to the Savior, were covered with gold.

The use of gold foil in the decoration of churches began during the Byzantine Empire, which did not spare precious metal for the splendor of temples. Subsequently, the tradition of decoration was adopted by baptized Russia. The Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary on the Nerl River became one of the first whose dome, by order of Saint Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, was covered with gold leaf.

Domes are blue with the stars crowned churches dedicated to the Mother of God, because the star recalls the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary.

Trinity churches had green domes, because green is the color of the Holy Spirit.

Temples dedicated to saints are also crowned green or silver domes

Meet in monasteries black domes- this is the color of monasticism.