Modern architecture of temples. Modern church architecture: features, meanings, tasks

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, it is “ new level 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 shapes, warrant, okay. 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 distinguishing feature style - 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, own form window.

Ryabushinsky Mansion

Actively use new materials - for example, metal, decorative plaster, tile ("Eclectic metal constructions bashfully covered," Bezzubtsev notes), a new understanding of the tree. 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 best traditions 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 rapid development of temple building in our time, in addition to its positive beginning, has also negative side. First of all, this concerns the architecture of the erected church buildings. There are frequent cases when architectural solutions depend on the taste of the donor or the rector of the temple, who do not have necessary knowledge in the field of temple architecture.

The state of modern church architecture

Opinions of professional architects on the problem of modern church architecture are very different. Some believe that the tradition interrupted after 1917 should now be started from the moment it was forced to stop - from the Art Nouveau style of the early twentieth century, in contrast to the modern cacophony of architectural styles of the past, chosen by architects or customers according to their personal taste. Others welcome innovation and experimentation in the spirit of modern architecture secular buildings and reject the tradition as outdated and out of touch with the spirit of modernity.

Thus, state of the art architecture of Orthodox churches in Russia cannot be considered satisfactory, as the correct guidelines for the search for architectural solutions have been lost modern temples and criteria for assessing past experience, which is often used under the guise of following tradition.

The necessary knowledge of the traditions of Orthodox church building is being replaced by many with thoughtless reproduction of “samples”, stylization, and tradition is understood as any period of domestic church building. National identity, as a rule, is expressed in copying traditional techniques, forms, elements of the external decoration of temples.

AT national history In the 19th-20th centuries there was already an attempt to return to the origins of Orthodox church building, which in the middle of the 19th century led to the emergence of the Russian-Byzantine style, and at the beginning of the 20th century, the neo-Russian style. But these were the same "styles", only based not on Western European, but on Byzantine and Old Russian samples. With the general positive direction of such a turn to historical roots, nevertheless, only “examples” as such, their stylistic characteristics and details served as a support. The result was imitative works, the architectural solution of which was determined by the level of knowledge of the "samples" and the degree of professionalism in their interpretation.

In modern practice, we observe the same picture of attempts to reproduce "samples" from the whole variety of diverse heritage without penetrating into the essence, into the "spirit" of the designed temple, to which the modern architect-temple builder, as a rule, has nothing to do, or he does not have enough for this. sufficient education.

Temple buildings, which in Orthodoxy, like icons, are sacred for believers, with a superficial approach of architects to their design, cannot possess the energy of grace, which, of course, we feel when contemplating many ancient Russian churches built by our spirit-bearing ancestors in a state of humility, prayers and reverence before the shrine of the temple. This humbly repentant feeling, combined with fervent prayer for the sending down of God's help in the creation of the temple - the house of God, attracted the grace of the Holy Spirit, with which the temple was built and which is present in it to this day.

The creation of each Orthodox church is a process of co-creation of man with God. An Orthodox church should be created with the help of God by people whose creativity, based on personal ascetic, prayerful and professional experience, is consistent with the spiritual tradition and experience of the Orthodox Church, and the created images and symbols are involved in the heavenly prototype - the Kingdom of God. But if the temple is not designed church people only with a glance at the photographs of temples in textbooks on the history of architecture, which in these textbooks are considered only as “monuments of architecture”, then no matter how “correctly” the temple was executed, conscientiously copied from a similar “sample” with the necessary corrections related to modern requirements to designing, then the believing heart that seeks true spiritual beauty will certainly feel the substitution.

It is extremely difficult to objectively assess what is being built today only on the basis of formal features. For many people who often come to the temple with a heart hardened during the years of atheism, perhaps they do not have sharp thoughts about the discrepancy between what is happening in the temple and what they see in front of them. People who are not yet fully included in church life, like people with an undeveloped ear for music, will not immediately feel these false notes. Familiar to the eye details and often an abundance of jewelry under the guise of splendor can overshadow the untrained spiritual sight and even to some extent to please the worldly eye, without raising the mind to grief. Spiritual beauty will be replaced by worldly beauty or even aestheticism.

We need to realize that we should think not about how best to continue the “tradition”, understood from the point of view of architectural theorists, or how to create an earthly beautiful temple, but how to solve the tasks facing the Church, which do not change, despite what changes in architectural styles. Temple architecture is one of the types of church art, which is organically included in the life of the Church and is intended to serve its purposes.

Basics of Orthodox Church Architecture

1. traditional

Immutability Orthodox dogmas and the rite of worship determines the fundamental immutability of the architecture of an Orthodox church. The basis of Orthodoxy is the preservation of the teachings of Christianity, which was enshrined in the Ecumenical Councils. Accordingly, the architecture of an Orthodox church, reflecting this unchanging Christian doctrine, extremely stable and traditional at its core. At the same time, the variety of architectural solutions of temples is determined by the features of its functional use(cathedral, parish church, memorial church, etc.), capacity, as well as the variability of elements and details used depending on the preferences of the era. Some differences in temple architecture observed in different countries professing Orthodoxy are determined climatic conditions, historical conditions development, national preferences and national tradition associated with the peculiarities of the national character. However, all these differences do not affect the basis of the architectural formation of an Orthodox church, since in any country and in any era, the dogma of Orthodoxy and the worship for which the temple is built remain unchanged. Therefore, in Orthodox temple architecture, at its core, there should not be any “ architectural style” or “national direction”, except for “universal Orthodox”.

The convergence of temple architecture with the style of secular buildings, which took place during the New Age, was associated with the penetration of the secular principle into church art in connection with the negative processes of the state-imposed secularization of the Church. This affected the weakening of the figurative structure of church art in general, including the architecture of the temple, its sacred purpose to be an expression of heavenly prototypes. Temple architecture at that time largely lost its ability to be an expression of the innermost content of the temple, turning into pure art. Temples were perceived in this way until recently - as monuments of architecture, and not as the house of God, which is “not of this world”, and not as a shrine, which is natural for Orthodoxy.

Conservatism is an integral part of the traditional approach, and this phenomenon is not negative, but a very cautious spiritual approach to any innovation. Innovations are never denied by the Church, but very high demands are placed on them: they must be revealed by God. Therefore, there is a canonical tradition, that is, following the patterns accepted by the Church as corresponding to its dogmatic teaching. The samples used in the canonical tradition of temple building are necessary for architects to imagine what needs to be done and how, but they only have pedagogical value- teach and remind, leaving room for creativity.

Today, “canonicity” often means the mechanical implementation of some mandatory rules that constrain the creative activity of an architect, although there is no “canon” as a code mandatory requirements to temple architecture in the Church has never been. The artists of antiquity never perceived tradition as something fixed once and for all and subject only to literal repetition. The new that appeared in temple building did not radically change it, did not deny what was before, but developed the previous one. All new words in church art are not revolutionary, but successive.

1. Functionality

Functionality means:

The architectural organization of a meeting place for members of the Church for prayer, listening to the word of God, the celebration of the Eucharist and other sacraments, united in the rite of worship.

Availability of all necessary auxiliary premises associated with worship (panomarka, sacristy, church shop) and the stay of people (dressing room, etc.);

Compliance with technical requirements related to the stay of people in the temple and the operation of the temple building (microclimatic, acoustic, reliability and durability);

Cost-effective construction and operation of church buildings and structures, including construction in stages using optimal engineering and construction solutions, the necessary and sufficient use of external and internal decoration.

The architecture of the temple should organize the space of the temple to create conditions for worship, conciliar prayer, and also, through the symbolism of architectural forms, help to understand what a person hears in the word of God.

1. Symbolism

According to the church theory of the relationship of the image with the prototype, architectural images and the symbols of the temple, when performed within the framework of the canonical tradition, can reflect the prototypes of heavenly existence and attach to them. The symbolism of the temple explains to believers the essence of the temple as the beginning of the future Kingdom of Heaven, sets before them the image of this Kingdom, using visible architectural forms and means of pictorial decoration in order to make the image of the invisible, heavenly, Divine accessible to our senses.

Orthodox church - figurative incarnation dogmatic teaching Churches, a visual expression of the essence of Orthodoxy, gospel preaching in images, stones and colors, a school of spiritual wisdom; a symbolic image of the Divine Himself, an icon of the transfigured universe, the heavenly world, the Kingdom of God and paradise returned to man, the unity of the visible and invisible world, earth and sky, the earthly Church and the heavenly Church.

The form and arrangement of the temple are connected with its content, filled with Divine symbols, revealing the truths of the Church, leading to heavenly prototypes. Therefore, they cannot be arbitrarily changed.

1. the beauty

An Orthodox church is the center of all the most beautiful things on earth. It is magnificently decorated as a place worthy for the celebration of the Divine Eucharist and all the sacraments, in the image of the beauty and glory of God, the earthly house of God, His beauty and majesty Heavenly Kingdom. Grandeur is achieved by means of architectural composition in synthesis with all types of church art and the use of the best possible materials.

The main principles for constructing the architectural composition of an Orthodox church are:

The primacy of the internal space of the temple, its interior over the external appearance;

Construction of the internal space on the harmonious balance of two axes: horizontal (west - east) and vertical (earth - sky);

Hierarchical construction of the interior with the dominance of the under-dome space.

Spiritual beauty, which we call splendor, is a reflection, a reflection of the beauty of the heavenly world. Spiritual beauty that comes from God should be distinguished from worldly beauty. The vision of heavenly beauty and co-creation in "synergy" with God made it possible for our ancestors to create temples, the splendor and grandeur of which were worthy of heaven. In the architectural solutions of ancient Russian churches, the desire to reflect the ideal of the unearthly beauty of the Kingdom of Heaven is clearly expressed. Temple architecture was built mainly on the proportional correspondence of parts and the whole, and decorative elements played a secondary role.

The high purpose of the temple obliges the builders of the temple to treat the creation of the temple with the utmost responsibility, to use all the best that modern building practice has, all the best of the means artistic expressiveness, but this problem must be solved in each specific case in his own way, remembering the words of the Savior about the jewel and the two mites brought from the bottom of the heart. If works of ecclesiastical art are created in the Church, then they must be created by highest level, which is only conceivable under the given conditions.

1. In the field of architecture of a modern Orthodox church

The guideline for modern temple builders should be a return to the original criteria of church art - the solution of the problems of the Church with the help of specific means of temple architecture. The most important criterion evaluation of the architecture of the temple should be the extent to which its architecture serves to express the meaning that was laid in it by God. Temple architecture should not be regarded as an art, but, like other types of church creativity, as an ascetic discipline.

In the search for modern architectural solutions for a Russian Orthodox church, the entire Eastern Christian heritage in the field of church building should be used, not limited only to the national tradition. But these samples should not serve to copy, but to penetrate the essence of the Orthodox church.

During the construction of a temple, it is necessary to organize a full-fledged temple complex that provides all the modern multilateral activities of the Church: liturgical, social, educational, missionary.

Preference should be given to building materials based on natural origin, including brick and wood, which has a special theological justification. Artificial building materials that replace natural ones, as well as those that lack manual labor person, it is advisable not to use.

1. In the field of decisions made by the Church

Development of "exemplary" economical projects of temples and chapels of various capacities, meeting the modern requirements of the Church.

Involvement of professional temple architects in the work of diocesan structures for temple construction. Establishment of the post of diocesan architect. Interaction with local architectural authorities in order to prevent the construction of new churches that do not meet the modern requirements of the Church.

Publications in church publications of materials on issues of church building and church art, including new designs of churches with an analysis of their architectural and artistic advantages and disadvantages, as was the case in pre-revolutionary Russia.

1. In the field of creativity of architects-temple builders

The architect-temple-builder must:

To understand the requirements of the Church, that is, to express the sacred content of the temple by means of architecture, to know functional basis temple, Orthodox worship to develop a planning organization in accordance with the specifics of the purpose of the temple (parish, memorial, cathedral, etc.);

To have a conscious attitude towards the creation of a shrine temple as a sacral act close to church sacraments, like everything that is done in the environment of the Church. This understanding should be consistent with the way of life and work of the architect-temple builder, his involvement in the life of the Orthodox Church;

Possess deep knowledge of the fullness of the traditions of universal Orthodoxy, the heritage of all the best that was created by our predecessors, whose spirit was close to the spirit of the Church, as a result of which temples being created corresponded to the requirements of the Church, were conductors of her spirit;

Possess the highest professionalism, combine traditional solutions with modern construction technologies in their work.

Mikhail KESLER

The history of religious architecture in Russia and Ukraine is well known and studied. In the works of I. E. Grabar, N. I. Voronin, P. A. Rappoport, Yu.

A generalized scheme of the development of the architecture of Russian churches of the 10th–17th centuries is shown in fig. thirteen.

Rice. 13. Scheme of the development of the architecture of Russian churches in the X-XVII centuries.

The first churches of Russia ( tithe church, St. Sophia Cathedrals in Kyiv, Polotsk and Novgorod) had a complex multi-nave composition of the cross-domed church. Later in Russia, this composition gradually changed in the direction of simplification. The number of chapters, the size of the envelope galleries, the number of apses was limited to three, the staircase to the choir stalls was placed in the thickness of the wall, and not in a separate tower, etc. general proportions: the sprawling temple is assembled into a compact volume, the church, as it were, grows upwards.

Assumption Cathedral became a model for many churches Kiev-Pechersk Lavra(1073–1078) - religious and cultural center Ancient Russia. A single-domed three-nave temple, it had six internal pillars. The choirs were located only above the natex, thanks to which the main part of the cathedral was perceived more holistically. According to the planned and volumetric structure, the Assumption Cathedral was almost completely repeated in several large cathedral six-pillar churches of the 12th century: the Cathedral of the Mikhailovsky Golden-Domed Monastery in Kyiv, the Borisoglebsky Cathedral in Chernigov, the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir-Volynsky, the cathedral in Staraya Ryazan, etc.

The basis of the interior of temples of the XII century of smaller size and significance was formed by a four-pillared cross-domed space. Sometimes there were somewhat more complex solutions, when the church outside had a vestibule in front of the entrance or a gallery that went around on three sides classic examples four-pillar temple of the XII century are the Church of Peter and Paul in Smolensk and the Church of the Savior on Nereditsa in Novgorod. The architects of the Vladimir-Suzdal Principality brought the previously existing type of temple to refined perfection, creating such a temple as the Intercession on the Nerl.

Byzantine, ancient Russian churches of the X-XV centuries were somewhat different from modern churches in their structure. So, the altar was not in the altar, as it is now, but to the left of the altar in a special room. The iconostasis was formed only to XVI century. The temple was separated from the altar by a low marble barrier, which did not cover the altar apse.

By the end of the twelfth century there was new trend rethinking the cross-dome system. arose new type temple with a tower-like raised central part. The high dome and elongated proportions created the impression of a dynamic aspiration of the temple upwards. Striving upward was achieved:

By variation on the existing constructive system (St. Michael the Archangel in Smolensk);

By changing the structural system of the floor (Pyatnitsy church in Chernihiv).

The arches of the Pyatnitsa Church in Chernihiv, connecting the domed pillars and supporting the drum ring, are not lower than the adjacent barrel vaults (as was always done in the 11th-12th centuries), but higher. The stepped-raised arch system made it possible to raise the drum high and create a gradual transition to it.

The development of Novgorod churches, which continued to be built during Tatar-Mongol invasion, led to the approval of a small four-pillar one-apse church with a simplified covering - a flat eight-slope one (the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior on Ilyina Street).

The churches of Pskov of the XIV-XVI centuries are small four-pillar temples with one dome and three apses. The drum rests on stepped arches. A characteristic feature of the Pskov churches are belfries placed on the wall of the church, above the porch or standing separately.

Moscow architecture continued the interrupted tradition of aspiring temples upwards. A new type of temple was developed: the drum stood on stepped arches, the outside transition to the chapter was formed by three tiers of zakomar, the church was located on the basement, in addition, the temple was surrounded on three sides by an open gallery - a grove. The Nativity Cathedral of the Ferapontov Monastery is a typical example of such a pyramidal composition.

In the same period, the six-pillar five-domed church established itself as the main scheme for the cathedral churches of Russia (the Assumption and Archangel Cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin, the Assumption Cathedral in Rostov, Saint Sophia Cathedral in Vologda).

The hipped-roof Church of the Ascension in Kolomenskoye, as it were, embodied the centuries-old desire of Russian architecture to assemble the temple into a single volume directed upwards. The sixteenth century created unique, exceptional even for Russia, compositions - the Church of John the Baptist in Dyakovo and St. Basil's Cathedral. Hip architecture became widespread, but such complex and impressive compositions were never repeated.

AT late XVI century, a new type of temple appeared - a pillarless church, covered with a closed vault. The temple had one light dome or none at all. Outside, the church received a decorative finish, consisting of kokoshniks, false domes and tents. The multi-altar churches of the 17th century had a complex composition: a church with numerous chapels, a refectory and a bell tower was erected on a vast basement. All buildings were connected by galleries, the entrance was decorated with a large porch.

Single-altar churches, which also stood on the basement, had a three-part structure clearly expressed in volume - an altar, a middle part and a vestibule, which could be crowned with a bell tower. The high tiered buildings of the "Naryshkinsky Baroque" (the temple to the chimes of the Intercession in Fili), the huge pillarless cathedrals of the "Stroganov Baroque" (Vvedensky Cathedral in Solvychegodsk) complete the development of Russian closed national architecture.

The main forms listed here only represent entire eras of temple architecture. The variety of forms of the main path of Russian architecture is complemented by local schools and traditions.

1. Handbook of clergy: in 6 volumes - Moscow Patriarchate, 1977-1988. - T. 4.

2. Ushakov, Yu. S. History of Russian architecture / Yu. S. Ushakov, T. A. Slavina. - St. Petersburg: Stroyizdat, 1994.

3. Antonov, V. V. Shrines of St. Petersburg / V. V. Antonov, A. V. Kobak. - St. Petersburg: Chernyshov Publishing House, 1994. - T. 1–3.

4. Kryukovskikh, A.P. Petersburg churches / A.P. Kryukovskikh. - St. Petersburg: Parity, 2008.

5. Sultanov, N. Description of the new court church of St. Apostles Peter and Paul in Novo-Peterhof / N. Sultanov. - St. Petersburg, 1905.

From study guide E. R. Voznyak, V. S. Goryunov, S. V. Sementsov "Architecture of Orthodox churches on the example of churches in St. Petersburg" St. Petersburg, 2010

TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

Temple architecture occupies an exceptional place in architecture. Based on the same principles and methods of construction, church buildings are strikingly different from civil buildings.

Even the best examples of secular buildings - luxurious palaces, cannot compete in beauty and grandeur with grandiose temples, which in any culture were considered the apogee of the development of building art.

One cannot but agree with this, admiring the architecture, for example, of the majestic St. Isaac's Cathedral in St. Petersburg or the almost fabulous St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow. The best aspirations of the human spirit are embodied in temple architecture.

Many temples, due to their beauty, elegance and monumentality, are not only the main attractions of cities, but can also claim to be their historical symbol. For example, the most ancient Russian city of Vladimir is inconceivable without the Assumption Cathedral, and Sergiev Posad near Moscow - without the temple complex of the Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra.

The architecture of the temple expresses an unusual desire to organize residential and comfortable space(what we see in civil architecture), but an attempt by a person to express his path to God through monumental architecture. Temple construction is saturated with symbolism, as an expression of that faith that inspires a person to dedicate his best creation to his Creator.

Temples in Russia were built in different styles: from wooden architecture to majestic Empire style. But an invariable feature of Orthodox churches is its symbolic correspondence Orthodox faith. In architecture, this was expressed in the form of church buildings, which, as a rule, at the base of the foundation have either a Cross as a symbol of salvation, or a circle as a symbol of eternity, or resemble a ship as ancient symbol The Church saving her children in the raging sea of ​​worldly passions.

Church architecture is an integral part of Russian culture. However, remarkable examples of temple architecture are presented not only in Russia. For example, the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad has temples of amazing beauty: this is the majestic St. Alexander Church in Paris, which Russian writers abroad so loved to visit, and the Cathedral of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia in Munich, which is strict in its brevity, and the Holy Trinity Monastery in Jordanville.

The temple differs from secular buildings not only in rich symbolism and elegance of architectural forms, a church building is, first of all, a place where the soul meets God, a place of a special state of mind - prayer. Visiting the temple not only in your native land, but also being on tourist trips abroad, you join the richest spiritual culture of Orthodoxy.

Temple architecture, of course, is a special area of ​​architecture, in which there is an invisible soul of the masters who decorate the temple inside. At all times, the most important stage in the construction of temples was the internal wall and ceiling painting. The subtle artistic taste of the fresco masters, multiplied by a reverent attitude to the theme of the work, eventually created real masterpieces of church painting, which to this day serve as the standard of human spirituality and self-awareness.

FORMATION OF TEMPLE ARCHITECTURE

The Lord, who created man from the dust of the earth, gave him the opportunity to know Himself in the entire universe surrounding man. According to the words of the Apostle Paul, “His invisible things, His eternal power and Divinity… are visible through looking at the creatures” (Rom. 1:20). The wise Creator introduces man into the world He created as into a beautiful temple, in which “everything that breathes glorifies the Lord” (Ps. 150:6).
In the pagan sense, the temple was in the narrow sense the dwelling of some "deity". This manifested the limitations of paganism, which did not comprehend that God, being above all material things, simultaneously abides in the whole world.

Christianity, which became the dominant worldview in the Byzantine Empire from the 4th century, did not follow the path of destroying the architectural achievements of antiquity: the Church only processed the experience accumulated over the centuries in the light of Christ's Truth. Christianity was preached as far as possible without violating the established local traditions and way of life. The first buildings in which prayer meetings and services of ancient Christians took place after gaining freedom of religion were basilicas.

The basilica is a typically Roman type of building. These structures were erected in the centers public life ancient cities and were the places of its concentration. Here decisions of the city authorities were announced, legal proceedings were carried out, exchange operations were carried out, trade deals were concluded, business meetings were arranged. The fact that Christian services were transferred to buildings with these functions suggests that the Church, after being legalized on a national scale, is entering the very center of public life. The ancient Christians began to prefer the basilica also because the buildings of this type never used for ritual pagan purposes.

The layout of the basilica is fully consistent with the rank of Christian worship: the interior of the building is usually divided by two rows of columns into three parts (naves); the western apse, unlike similar structures of pre-Christian times, is usually absent, and a transverse nave (transept) is attached to the eastern apse to expand the chancel; the central nave is much higher and wider than the lateral ones, in addition, it has additional lighting due to two rows of windows in the upper part. The right nave is reserved for men, the left for women, as required by the ancient charter of the Church; the bishop is given a central position, and in pre-Christian times the same position was usually occupied by a judge. These observations point to the social structure of the Church. In contrast to the pagan understanding of the temple as the house of the "deity", the Christian temple is a place of worship, "domus ecclesia" - the house of the Church as an organization of believers. Great importance acquires interior decoration Christian temple: the walls protect believers from the outside world, opening the spiritual world through frescoes and mosaic images, and all attention is directed to the holy altar, where the Sacrament of the Eucharist is celebrated. In the 4th century, the construction of basilica churches took place mainly in the East.

Along with basilicas, an important place in ancient Christian architecture was occupied by structures of the centric type: mausoleums, baptisteries, and temples. The ancient Christian mausoleums were a direct continuation and development under new conditions of the architecture of late antique mausoleums of the beginning of the 4th century. The upper volume of these structures was initially divided by deep niches, and later by windows, due to which a new architectural element- light drum, which served as the supporting basis for the dome.

From the first centuries of its existence, the Church of Christ established the custom of celebrating the Sacrament of the Eucharist at the places of suffering of the holy martyrs. In the III-IV centuries, over the burial places of the holy martyrs, Christians began to build temples (martyriums), outwardly resembling ancient mausoleums; at the same time, there was a tendency to turn the burial structures of pre-Christian times into Christian churches.

At the same time, the formation of the architecture of the temples of the cross-centric type took place. The earliest of the buildings of this kind is the temple of San Lorenzo, which has survived to this day, built in the 70s of the 4th century in Milan. This building is square in plan, on each side of which semicircular apses are attached, which gives it a peculiar shape of a cross. Although some architectural analogies can be traced in some structures of the late Roman period (for example, separate rooms palace complexes and thermae), however, in the appearance of this type of temples one cannot fail to see the desire of Christian architects to apparently glorify the Honest and Life-Giving Cross of Christ - an instrument of human salvation and a symbol of eternal victory over death and the devil.

The idea of ​​a Christian church as a reflection of the Kingdom of God, where everything comes from Christ and returns to Christ, was subsequently fully embodied in the unsurpassed masterpiece of the 6th century - the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople, which became the basis for the formation of the Christian architectural canon for many centuries. The achievement of this ideal was preceded by many years of creative search by church architects, evidence of which is centric churches, in which the main idea of ​​the Cross of the Lord is clearly visible as the center and foundation of the entire Christian worldview.

Middle Ages and temple architecture

The life of a medieval person is closely connected with the earth. The aesthetic moment is widely developed in its culture. This type of person is self-sufficient, whole. AT heroic epic, in epics, we have before us strong natures, in which the word does not disagree with the deed, they are direct, sincere; with what more people has power, the more he bears responsibility. The culture of the Middle Ages is not based on the individual. People live by the norms intended for the whole team. Freedom is a negative category, it is understood as willfulness. These features of thinking were reflected in architecture, primarily temple architecture.

In the Russian Middle Ages, processes are taking place that are in many respects similar to European ones. In Europe, the Middle Ages begins with the destruction of the monuments of Antiquity - in Russia, pagan art is anathematized. The Latin language remains the language of worship in the Catholic Church - Orthodox worship is conducted in Church Slavonic (a modified Old Church Slavonic) language (this is important, since the cultural values ​​of previous eras are available primarily to people close to the church). Christianity is gradually becoming the dominant ideology, and both in Europe and in Russia, this process goes from south to north.

It is not purely our national peculiarity that Russian art The Middle Ages was formed in the clash of two ways - patriarchal and feudal, and two religions - paganism and Christianity. The same thing is happening in Europe: dual faith, especially in the north and west, the gradual transition of pagan deities into the category of lower, demonic ones (and in our country, the functions of the old gods were often attributed to the saints).

The Russian Middle Ages begins with the christening of Russia. It is difficult to overestimate the significance of this event. Together with Christianity, Russia adopted certain foundations of culture from Byzantium. In particular, stone architecture began to meet the new state and ideological tasks, samples of which were taken from Byzantium. A type of cross-domed church was created there, the basis of which is a rectangular room with four or more pillars in the middle, dividing the interior into nine parts. The center of the temple is the domed space, where light enters through the windows in the drum. Cells covered with cylindrical vaults adjoin the domed space, forming a cruciform basis of the plan. The corner parts are covered with domes or barrel vaults. The entire central space in the plan forms a cross. The dome appears in Byzantium in the Justinian period, even before the cross dome (Sophia of Constantinople).

In the same place, a dome system on sails is formed. Three faceted or semicircular apses adjoin the building on the eastern side. An altar is placed in the middle. In the western part there is a room of the second tier - the choirs. The transverse space in the western part is called the vestibule, the narthex.

However, relying on the traditions of Byzantine art, Russian masters created their own national art, their own forms of temples, wall paintings and iconography, which cannot be confused with Byzantine, despite the common iconography.

An analysis of the historical evolution of Russian Orthodox church building and an assessment of contemporary issues in this area of ​​architecture are given. The issues of shaping are considered in connection with the dogma, with the state of piety in a particular era. Special sections are devoted to the interaction of the architecture of the temple and its environment.

Introduction (A.S. Shchenkov)

Section I Historical sketch of Russian Orthodox church building

Chapter 1. Some General Trends in Forming the Image of an Orthodox Church(L.S. Shchenkov)

Chapter 2 Temple of the pre-Mongol era(T.N. Vyatchanina)
The cultural situation in Russia at the beginning of temple construction
Sofia Cathedrals
Temples of the Vladimir-Suzdal land and the Russian temple-building paradigm of the 12th century.

Chapter 3 Early Moscow architecture and hesychasm(T.N. Vyatchanina)
culture of time. Hesychasm
Culture-forming potential of hesychast teaching
Typology and figurative concept of the interior space of the early Moscow church
Light in the architecture of the early Moscow church
High iconostasis
Tectonics and plasticity of the early Moscow church

Chapter 4 Spiritual and religious life of Russia in the second half of the XV-XVI centuries. and its architectural reflection in the tradition of temple building(T.N. Vyatchanshsh)
"Josephites" and "non-possessors". Ways of the Russian architectural and iconographic tradition of the XV - the first half of the XVI century. in the light of these spiritual currents
The main trends of Russian religious life in the XV - the first half of the XVI century.
Some "projections" of new trends in piety on the artistic thinking of the era
Forms of interaction of spiritual and architectural processes in temple building in the 15th - first half of the 16th centuries.
"Russian Sovereign Orthodoxy" and Its Reflection in the National Temple Tradition of the 16th Century
sovereign ideology
The influence of the "sovereign" consciousness on the artistic thinking of the era
Mechanism and stages of addition of elements national language in the official temple architecture of the XVI century.

Chapter 5 Church building in the 17th century(T.N. Vyatchanina)
Cultural and religious consciousness and temple building of the first half and mid-seventeenth in.
Some features of the cultural and religious consciousness of the era
Posad parish church of the first half - the middle of the 17th century. and Russian social and religious consciousness
Architectural Enterprises of Patriarch Nikon
"Spiritual restructuring" of the second half and the end of the 17th century and its "projection" on temple architecture
Features of the cultural and religious consciousness of time
Architectural Imaging of New Features of Spiritual Consciousness in the Second Half of the 17th Century
Decorativism II half of XVII century and its speculative foundations

Chapter 6 Temples in the XVIII - the first third of the XIX century.(A.S. Shchenkov)
The nature of synodal church piety epoch XVIII- first third of the 19th century
Characteristic features of temple building

Chapter 7 Architecture of temples of the 1830-1910s(A.S. Shchenkov)
General cultural and ecclesiastical prerequisites for changes in the direction of temple building in the second quarter of the 19th century.
The search for a new architectural expressiveness in the middle of the century
Church building and views on church art in the 1870-1890s
Changes in artistic culture and in the church's view of temple building in the late 19th - early 20th centuries.
Church building in the late 19th - early 20th centuries.
Some results of the historical review of Russian temple building

Chapter 8 Temple in the Russian city of the XI-XX centuries(A.S. Shchenkov)
Pre-Petrine period
City of classicism
The city of the middle of the 19th - beginning of the 20th century

Section II. Orthodox church in Russia at the turn of the XX-XXI centuries

Chapter 9 Modern temple building in Russia
General cultural situation and some features of church consciousness at the end of the 20th century. (A.S. Shchenkov)
Methodological problems of the analysis of modern Orthodox church building (A.S. Shchenkov)
The practice of domestic temple building (A.S. Shchenkov)
Iconography and tectonics of temples
Volumetric-spatial structure of temples
The nature of the interiors
Foreign practice of Orthodox church building (K.V. Rytsarev)

Chapter 10 Temples in new residential areas of the late XX - early XXI in.(N.E. Antonova)
Temples and urban verticals in Russian cities of the 20th century
Temples in the construction structure of new districts
Temple and its immediate architectural environment

Chapter 11 Temples in reconstructed historical quarters(N.E. Antonova)
Temples as compositional dominants in the historical part of the city
Architectural-spatial interaction of temples and surroundings in historic urban areas
Using the features of temple architecture in the image of modern urban planning dominants

Conclusion (A.S. Shchenkov)