Temples of ancient Russia for children. The first temples of ancient Russia

Religious architecture was of particular importance in feudal Christian culture. The temple was the image of the universe, the "ship of salvation", the center of social life and the focus of all types of art. He embodied the philosophy, ethics and aesthetics of feudal society. Brilliant oratorical "words" and "teachings" were pronounced in it, majestic hymns were sung. His architecture, wall paintings and icons embodied ideas about the structure of the world, its history and its future. The very outward appearance of the "decorated" church buildings, with which even the princely palaces could not compete, made a special impression on the commoners.

The first Russian churches were mostly wooden and have not survived to our time, just as the grandiose stone church of the Holy Mother of God, built by Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich in 989-996, has not survived either. and called Tithe (the prince allocated a tenth of his income for its maintenance). True, excavations carried out by archaeologists and some written sources allow us to judge the appearance of the Tithe Church, which had three naves with apses in the east, a bypass gallery and, probably, many domes. Inside, it was decorated with frescoes.

The oldest "witness" of those times and the largest artistic monument of Kievan Rus is the St. Sophia Cathedral, built by the son of Vladimir Yaroslav the Wise (1037 - end of the 11th century). Kievskaya Sophia is a majestic five-nave structure of the cross-domed system, bounded in the east by five apses and crowned with thirteen domes (externally rebuilt in the 17th century in the Ukrainian Baroque style). A huge twelve-window drum flooded the central space of the temple with light. Four chapters illuminated the altar, eight - the most extensive choir ("rising platform", on which during the divine services the prince was with his entourage), which occupied the entire western part of the building. We do not find such a developed choir in Byzantine churches. The cathedral was surrounded by a one-story open gallery. Later, the original gallery was built on and merged with the main body of the church, and a new one-story gallery with stair towers was built around it. This is how the architectural appearance of the Kiev Sophia Cathedral was formed, which is distinguished by the clarity and consistency of the artistic concept. The cathedral is like a majestic pyramid, the measured step of the steps of which consistently and steadily ascends to the central point - the main dome shining with gilding. The appearance of the cathedral was festive and elegant. Like all stone buildings of this period, it was built of flat bricks - plinths with the use of "recessed" rows in the masonry, covered with pinkish cement stone. This is how the elegant two-color scheme, characteristic of plinthian buildings, arose.

The stepped-pyramidal architectural appearance of Sofia and its many domes distinguish this temple from the Byzantine churches of the same type and introduce it, as one might suppose, into the mainstream of the local wooden architecture tradition, which also influenced the Tithe Church. The thirteen-headed was the first wooden Sofia in Novgorod. In the interior of St. Sophia of Kiev, the idea of ​​a medieval synthesis of arts was fully realized. Before the eyes of the newcomer, various scenic perspectives were changing, which attracted him to the center - to the space under the dome. The entire interior of the cathedral shone with splendor of decoration. The floors were covered with mosaic smalt, inlaid with red slate slabs or laid in a binder mortar. The altar (completely open at that time to the eyes of the audience, since in front of it there was only a low marble barrier, and not a high iconostasis that appeared at a later time), the central dome, eastern pillars, sails and supporting arches were decorated with precious mosaics, and the rest of the walls - multicolored fresco painting. All these components formed the general artistic appearance of Kiev Sophia - the temple, the creation of which his contemporary, Metropolitan Hilarion considered the most important merit of Yaroslav the Wise: "As the church is marvelous and glorious to all the surrounding countries, as if it does not appear in all the midnight of the earth, from the east to the west."

Kievan Sophia remained not only an unsurpassed architectural masterpiece, but also had a significant impact on other outstanding works of ancient Russian stone architecture: the Sophia Cathedrals of Polotsk and Novgorod.

Under Yaroslav, not only cult, but also civil architecture achieved great success (which arose in the pre-Christian period; the stone princely tower is mentioned in the chronicle under 945), which was primarily due to the continued rapid growth of Kiev, which had long become cramped in the old borders. Therefore, Yaroslav "lay" a new "great city, his city is the essence of the Golden Gate." The Golden Gates of Kiev, named so in imitation of those of Constantinople, are the only partially survived monument of secular Kiev architecture of the era of Yaroslav (c. 1037). They were a huge arch, supported by powerful pylons, crowned with a gateway church of the Annunciation. At the same time, the Golden Gate, along with other towers of the fortress wall of Yaroslav's Kiev, played the role of an important defensive junction.

In the second half of the 11th century, under the Yaroslavichi, new elements were outlined and developed in Kiev architecture. Christianity is gaining more and more solid ground. The influence of Christian asceticism, almost unknown under Vladimir and Yaroslav, is growing. The expression of these new trends in architecture is the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersky Monastery (during the Great Patriotic War, it was destroyed by the Nazis and is in ruins). It was built by Prince Svyatoslav Yaroslavich in 1073-1078. and was a vast and high three-nave temple, crowned with a single dome. Powerful and austere pylons divided the interior space. Light from the drum and wall windows illuminated the building's central cube evenly. The interior as a whole has become much stricter in comparison with the interiors of the early Kiev churches. The architectural appearance of the cathedral was typical of the monastery architecture of the second half of the 11th century. The earlier church of the Mikhailovsky (Dmitrievsky) monastery (mid-11th century), the cathedral of the Vydubitsky monastery (1070-1088) and a number of later cathedrals in other principalities were built on the same type of six-pillar, one-domed, three-nave church.

Among the cities neighboring Kiev, the largest cultural center was Chernigov, which belonged to the first third of the 11th century. the warlike brother of Yaroslav the Wise - Mstislav Tmutarakansky. He built here a Detinets with a princely palace and laid the Savior Transfiguration Cathedral, in which he was buried (1036). The main temple of Chernigov, completed by Yaroslav the Wise, was close in its plan to the Kiev Tithe Church. A huge three-aisled building with three apses in the east was distinguished by a calm and imposing structure of stone masses.

The 11th century is the time of flourishing of art on the distant shores of the Volkhov - in Veliky Novgorod. The second most important city of the Kiev state, the constant political rival of the capital, Novgorod in the XI century. was the residence of the heirs of the Kiev throne, who often showed "disobedience" towards the Kiev princes.

The oldest monument of Novgorod architecture, a symbol of all Novgorod culture and statehood, is the St. Sophia Cathedral, built by Prince Vladimir Yaroslavich in 1045-1050. in the center of Novgorod Detinets. A veche gathered around this church, state and church affairs were carried out. "Where is St. Sophia, that and Novgorod!" - this chased formula reflects the enormous significance of the St. Sophia Church for the public life of the city.

In terms of plan, Sofia is a huge five-aisled building with a powerful central and small side apses and a belt of galleries. The architectural appearance of the temple differs in Novgorodian laconic expressiveness. The walls were made mostly of roughly hewn, irregularly shaped stones, and only vaults and arches were made of plinth. The cathedral was crowned with a solemn five-domed dome with a well-defined central drum. Around the main massif of the temple were two-story galleries with side-chapels. A staircase tower, also crowned with a dome, was added to the southwest corner. This was the original appearance of Novgorod Sofia. Numerous later alterations, plastered walls could not distort her epic image, which significantly differs from the image of Kiev Sophia.

In the Novgorod architecture of the beginning of the XII century. First of all, such monumental structures as the Church of St. Nicholas on the Yaroslav's Court (1113) and the cathedral churches of Antoniev (1117) and St. George's (1119) monasteries stand out. In the chronicle record of the construction of the St. George's Cathedral in the Yuryev Monastery, the name of the architect is named ("And the master worked Peter").

The main advantage of the architecture of the St. George Church is the extraordinary integrity of the artistic image. No less brightly than in Sofia, but with slightly different facets, the Novgorod aesthetic ideal shines in it. Architect Peter fulfilled here the order of the last (before the formation of the feudal republic) Novgorod princes Mstislav and Vsevolod, who, being forced to cede Detinets to the bishop, strove to erect architectural structures that could compete with the recognized shrine of Novgorod. But the master managed to rise above princely vanity, creating a monument of all-Russian significance. St. George's Cathedral rises like a stern and majestic colossus among the calm Russian plain. Epic power emanates from its monolithic facades. Flat shoulder blades ending in soft semicircles, narrow slits of windows and two-step niches form a simple and expressive pattern, as if increasing the height of the architectural composition. Unusual for those times, the asymmetrical completion of the top, noted by contemporaries ("and the master made Peter the church with three tops"), not only introduced a dynamic element into the design, but also created a multifaceted artistic image. From the western facade, he opened up to the viewer in a solemn and elegant stillness. The integrity of the western wall, which absorbed the tower structure, and the extension almost to the very edge of the facade of two slender ones, crowned with high ones, played a decisive role. The considerable remoteness of the central dome concealed its asymmetrical position in relation to the lateral ones. In the north and south, the asymmetry, on the contrary, first of all, was striking, striking the viewer precisely by the possibility of "movement" of these seemingly unshakable cyclopean masses.

The first monumental buildings of Kievan Rus were carried out under the guidance of Greek architects, who brought with them high professional skills and ready-made architectural forms. However, in a new cultural environment, they erected buildings with more and more pronounced features of Russian national art. The latter were multiplied and consolidated in the independent experiments of the first generations of Russian architects. Thus, in the Kiev era, the foundation of the Russian architectural school was laid, which became the basis for the future schools of the ancient Russian principalities.

Who built these temples? According to legend, the temple of the prophet Elijah was built by the Kiev princes Askold and Dir. They, being pagans, during the Byzantine campaign became eyewitnesses of the Divine miracle, under the impression of which they were baptized, and upon returning to Kiev they built the Church of St. Elijah. There is an opinion that the baptism of the Kievites in 988 took place near the temple of Elijah the Prophet, located on the banks of the Dnieper and Pochayna rivers. Princes Askold and Dir

There is no information about how the church looked from the beginning. It is believed that the temple was made of wood. Much later, in 1692, a stone building of the temple was built with donations from the bourgeoisie Petr Gudyma. The temple of that period is a relatively small structure, which is characterized by laconicism and clarity of forms, emphasized by a restrained external decor. In the lower step, the temple is decorated with graceful semi-columns, on which light triangular pediments rest. What did this temple look like?

The building is crowned with a cornice, on the frieze of which there are stucco rosettes. The same cornice adorns the dome drum. The dome is crowned with a small decorative lantern with icons. St. Elias Church is the first Orthodox church in Kievan Rus. In 2005 the church celebrated the 1060th anniversary of the mention of it by the Monk Nestor the Chronicler in the Tale of Bygone Years. From the story it follows that by the middle of the 10th century, the Elias Church was quite famous.

Temples at St. Princess Olga, the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Olga was the wife of the Grand Duke of Kiev Igor. The struggle between Christianity and paganism under Igor and Olga, who reigned after Oleg (912), entered a new period. The Church of Christ in the last years of Igor's reign (945) becomes a significant spiritual and state power in the Russian state. This is evidenced by the preserved text of Igor's treaty with the Greeks in 944, which was included by the chronicler in the "Tale of Bygone Years", in an article describing the events of 6453 (945). The peace treaty with Constantinople was to be approved by both religious communities of Kiev: "Baptized Rus", that is, Christians, were sworn in in the cathedral church of the holy prophet of God Elijah; "Unbaptized Rus", pagans, swore on weapons in the sanctuary of Perun the Thunderer. The fact that Christians are placed in the first place in the document speaks of their predominant spiritual significance in the life of Kievan Rus.

Temples at St. Princess Olga The active formation of the city of Pskov began at the beginning of the 10th century at the intersection of two rivers Pskova and Velikaya. The site for the construction of the temple, which was supposed to become the center of the settlement, was chosen by the Grand Duchess Olga, who was born here, visiting the Pskov land in 957. As the chronicle says, when she was standing on the bank of the river, she had a vision in the form of three rays pointing to this place, which is why they decided to dedicate the temple to the Primordial Trinity.

Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich, who ruled at that time, allocated a tenth of his income for the maintenance of the church and the metropolis, which is where its name came from. At the time of its construction, it was the largest Kiev church. In 1240, the hordes of Khan Batu, taking Kiev, destroyed the Tithe Church, the last stronghold of the Kievites. According to legend, the Church of the Tithes collapsed under the weight of the people who climbed onto the vaults, trying to escape from the Mongols, but Yu. S. Aseev suggested that the building collapsed after the use of battering guns by the besiegers. Second Temple () In 1824, Metropolitan Eugene (Bolkhovitinov) ordered to clear the foundation of the Tithe Church. The temple was built in the Byzantine-Moscow style and did not repeat the original architecture of the ancient Tithe Church. November 26 On November 26, 1996, the National Bank of Ukraine introduced into circulation two commemorative coins "Church of the Tithes" made of silver and copper-nickel alloy, dedicated to the millennium of the construction of the Church of the Tithes in Kiev. 1996, the Silver Nickel Church under Soviet rule, in 1928, the second Church of the Tithes, as well as many other monuments of culture and art were demolished. In 1936, the church was finally dismantled into bricks in 1928

Since that time, in all directions from Kiev, new churches begin to be built, the Orthodox faith will spread: where peacefully, and where not without the help of heroes fighting with nightingales robbers - pagan priests who went into the forests, even during the Tatar-Mongol yoke on the outskirts of Russia, pagan tribes ... The spread of Christianity S. Ivanov. Christians and pagans.

St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod The restored Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra with decoration in the Ukrainian Baroque style. Fragments of 11th century masonry are visible in the lower part of the apses. Chernigov. Borisoglebsky Cathedral. In the background are the domes of the Transfiguration Cathedral. ... Since then, the number of churches in Russia (including stone ones) has grown ...

Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir-Volynsky year. St. George's Cathedral of the Yuriev Monastery near Veliky Novgorod. Laid down in 1119. Nikolo-Dvorishchensky Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod. Laid down in 1113.

... Since then, the number of churches in Russia (including stone ones) has grown ... Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir Reconstruction of S. V. Zagraevsky Cathedral of the Assumption in Vladimir. Modern look.
Today, all over the country, after the persecutions of the twentieth century, new Orthodox churches are being built, and some of them are in the Old Russian style ... ... and our temple of the New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, that on the left bank of the city of Khimki is one of them, it was erected in the style of Russian churches north

In today's lesson, you will get acquainted with the architectural monuments of Ancient Russia.

A new stage in the history of architecture of Kievan Rus is associated with the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. Between 1017 and 1037 on his instructions, the most majestic and famous of all Russian churches was erected - the Cathedral of St. Sophia (the Wisdom of God) in Kiev. Its architecture is characterized by triumph and festivity associated with the assertion of the authority of the prince and the power of the young state.

The huge cathedral corresponded to the Byzantine design of the cross-domed church. In the middle of the temple there is a cruciform free space topped with a dome. The vast choirs rested on powerful pillars that divided the temple into five parts (naves) from west to east. In the XI century. St. Sophia Cathedral was thirteen-domed, but later it underwent a major reconstruction, and the number of domes decreased. Ancient frescoes are barely visible on the walls of the cathedral, but the mosaics are as vivid as they were centuries ago. They are used to decorate the main parts of the temple: the dome is a symbol of the Heavenly Church and the altar is a symbol of the Earthly Church.

Rice. 2. St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev (reconstruction) ()

Another monument of the era of Yaroslav the Wise was the Golden Gate. The gate was made of stone due to the fact that this structure was given special importance. They were built using the mixed masonry technique, known since the times of Ancient Rome: layers of stones were interspersed with leveling rows of plinths. The Gate was crowned by the gateway Church of the Annunciation, so that every traveler approaching Kiev could see that this is a Christian city. During the archaeological research of the Golden Gate, smalt cubes, fragments of fresco plaster were discovered, which indicates that the ancient church was decorated with fresco paintings and mosaics. The gates were intended for ceremonial entry into the capital and were located in the southern part of the city. This is the main gate of the city, one of the three large city gates built during the reign of Yaroslav the Wise. From the side of the field, in front of the gate, there was a ditch 15 meters wide and 8 meters deep. The traces of this ditch are now read in the level drop of the Zolotovorotsky passage. The construction of the gate, together with the St. Sophia Cathedral, is mentioned in the annals under the year 1037. In 1240, the gate was badly damaged during the siege and capture of the city by the hordes of Batu.

Rice. 3. Golden Gate in Kiev ()

In the XII century, the construction of temples began in Polotsk, Chernigov, Vyshgorod and Novgorod. The most remarkable is the Saint Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod. This temple is stricter than the Kiev one, there are only five domes, arranged in a clear symmetrical order. The massive walls are made of limestone. There are no bright mosaics inside the temple, only severe and calm frescoes. St. Sophia Cathedral has become a symbol of Veliky Novgorod.

Rice. 4. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod ()

In ancient Russian art, the cultural achievements of Byzantium and other countries were creatively reworked, and their own distinctive cultural traditions were formed.

1. V. V. Mavrodin Where did the Russian land come from? M., 1986.
2. Rybakov B.A. The world of history. The early centuries of Russian history. M., 1984

1. History of architecture ().
2. Sophia Cathedral ().

1. How did the architecture of Ancient Russia change after the adoption of Christianity?
2. What architectural monuments were built in Kiev and Novgorod?
3. What traditions of Byzantine architecture were used in Russian architecture?

The architecture of the Old Russian state (X - XII centuries).

Before the adoption of Christianity, buildings in Russia were built mainly of wood. It served as a material both for the construction of dwellings and for the construction of fortress walls. For this reason, old Russian houses and fortifications, and even more so their decorative elements, have not survived.

Consequently, it is necessary to fully study the history of Russian architecture of the pre-Mongol period almost exclusively using stone-brick buildings, which began to be erected in Russia from the end of the 10th century with the adoption of Christianity (988). Christianity gave Rus access to the source of the highest culture of the then world, and at the same time to the source of the most perfect architecture.

Major monuments

The earliest monument of stone architecture was Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin(989-996). Prince Vladimir Svyatoslavich gave the church a "tithe" of his income, which is why they began to call it the Mother of God of the Tithe. The church collapsed during the storming of Kiev by the Mongols in 1240. It turned out to be impossible to unambiguously reconstruct the plan of the destroyed church. Various options for reconstruction were proposed, but this issue is still debatable. However, some basic planning characteristics of the building can be established. So, there is no doubt that the Church of the Tithes was a three-aisled temple characteristic of Byzantine architecture with three apses and three pairs of pillars, that is, a six-pillar version of a cross-domed church. Excavations of the Church of the Tithes showed that the building was erected from flat bricks of the Byzantine type (plinths) in a masonry manner with a hidden row.

The next stage of monumental construction began in Russia in the 30s of the 11th century. The country was at that time divided into two parts between the sons of Prince Vladimir - Mstislav and Yaroslav. In the capital city of Mstislav - Chernigov - there was a wives Transfiguration Cathedral(c. 1036). The Savior Cathedral has survived to this day almost entirely. In terms of the plan, it is a three-nave building, similar in design to the Church of the Tithes, but in the eastern part, that is, in front of the apses, additional division (the so-called vima), which is typical of the monuments of Constantinople architecture.

Soon after the Chernigov Spassky Cathedral, it would have been erected Sophia Cathedral in Kiev(1037). The construction techniques and architectural forms of the Sophia Cathedral leave no doubt that the builders arrived from Constantinople and reflected here the traditions of the capital Byzantine architecture. St. Sophia Cathedral is a large five-aisled church with a cross-domed system of vaults. It has five apses on the east side, and galleries on the other three. In total, the cathedral has 13 chapters, not counting the end of the towers. The building has a clearly defined pyramidal composition, which gives the monument grandeur and integrity.

The multi-domed Kiev Sophia Cathedral, uncharacteristic for the Byzantine tradition, has a direct functional meaning. Of course, the architects also used the multi-dome as an artistic device, creating a solemn and magnificent composition thanks to it, but the concept was still based on a functional task - the expansion of the western part of the temple, since it was necessary to place baptisms here.

At present, the Sophia Cathedral is decorated on the outside in the Ukrainian Baroque style, the ancient surface of its walls can be seen only in a few areas where the plaster has been specially removed. The interior of St. Sophia Cathedral has been less distorted and retained a significant part of its original decoration. The central part of the building - the dome space and the main apse - is covered with magnificent mosaic paintings, while the side parts are decorated with frescoes.

There is no doubt that St. Sophia Cathedral was created as the central monument of architecture of Kievan Rus, as a monument that was supposed to strengthen the influence of the new religion and state power, reflect the power and greatness of the young state.

After completing the construction of St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, the builders began construction Sophia Cathedrals in Novgorod and Polotsk. Novgorod Cathedral was started in 1045, finished in 1050; Polotsk was erected, apparently, in the 50s of the XI century. The fact that these cathedrals were built by the same artel of Kiev craftsmen is evidenced by their typological proximity, construction and technical techniques, a system of proportional constructions, and even many details. Experienced builders did not repeat their old solutions, but did a lot in a new way, based on other conditions of the order and the situation. For example, in Novgorod, in order to speed up and reduce the cost of construction, craftsmen made extensive use of a local building material - limestone slabs.

The Novgorod and Polotsk Sophia Cathedrals in general outline repeat the planned scheme of Kiev Sophia, but in a somewhat simplified form. These are five-aisled churches, but if in Kiev there are two rows of galleries adjacent to the cathedral, then in Novgorod there is only one row, and in Polotsk there are none at all. The Kiev cathedral has five apses and two stair towers, the Novgorod and Polotsk ones have three apses and one tower each. Kiev Sophia has thirteen chapters, Novgorod - only five, and in Polotsk, judging by the mention in the chronicle, there were seven of them.

In addition to the three Sophia Cathedrals in the 40-50s, several more buildings were constructed in Kiev: Golden Gate, churches of Irina and George.

Thus, in the middle of the 11th century, intensive construction activity unfolded in Russia. But by the 60s, construction in all Russian cities, except Kiev, had stopped - all construction activities were concentrated there. During the period from the 60s of the XI century to the beginning of the XII century, seven large churches and somewhat more modest ones were built in Kiev and its immediate environs.

Features of the architecture of Ancient Russia

How independent was the architecture of Ancient Russia? For historians of architecture of pre-revolutionary times, such a question did not even arise. In their opinion, since the most ancient monuments of Kiev were built by Greek masters, the architecture of Kievan Rus is also a provincial version of Byzantine architecture. But it was possible to think so only as long as the monuments of Russian architecture and, even worse, Byzantine architecture were poorly studied. Their study led to the conclusion that the monuments of Kievan Rus are not at all identical to the Byzantine ones, that temples were built in Kiev that had no analogues in Byzantium.

Byzantine architects had a vast traditional experience behind them both in the construction craft and in the creation of religious buildings - churches. But, having arrived in Russia, they were faced with the need to solve completely new problems here. First of all, this was due to the task they received. So, in a number of cases, it was required to erect temples with very extensive choirs, which was not typical for Byzantine churches of that time. In a country that relatively recently adopted Christianity, baptismal premises were to play a much greater role than in Byzantium. All this forced the Byzantine architects to accept a new, uncharacteristic of Byzantium, the planning scheme of the building. In addition, the architects encountered unusual building materials.

Thus, the originality of the task, the presence or absence of certain building materials, local conditions already at the very first stages caused other architectural solutions, led to the creation of buildings that were unlike those that the architects built in their homeland. To this it should be added that they had to reckon with the tastes of customers brought up in the traditions and aesthetic ideas of wooden construction. In the future, it was these features of the monuments that became the starting points that the builders of the next generation were guided by.

This is how the architecture of Ancient Rus took shape and developed. And although this architecture arose on the basis of Byzantine architecture, even at the earliest stage it had a very peculiar character and already in the second half of the 11th century developed its own traditions, received its own, Old Russian, and not Byzantine path of development.

The temple on the Russian land has long been the concentration of church life and Orthodox culture. Many churches have survived on the territory of Russia, some were built in ancient times. Today we will talk about how the temples were built.

Wooden temples

In 988, under Prince Vladimir, the Baptism of Rus took place, and the very next year Greek architects arrived from Constantinople to Kiev, who laid the foundation for the first stone church. It was the holy prince Vladimir who became the first Russian Christian prince who issued a decree that, after the baptism of the people and the Russian land, architects would begin to chop down churches along Russian cities.

So wooden temples began to appear. But the oldest chronicle sources claim that wooden churches in Russia were built long before Epiphany. Wooden temples have always been easier to build than stone ones, since the material for construction was more readily available. Moreover, wooden architecture has long flourished in Russia, and Slavic craftsmen erected temples almost by sight, without using precise measurements and complex architectural plans.

Stone temples

However, after Epiphany, the first stone temples began to appear in Russia. In 989, the next year after the Baptism of Rus, Greek architects who came from Constantinople in Kiev laid the first stone church of the Old Russian state - the Church of the Tithes.

This church was erected by the holy prince Vladimir equal to the apostles at the place of the death of the first martyrs Theodore and his son John. During the construction of the Tithe Church, it was the largest Kiev church. From the chronicles, information has come down to our days that the Tithe Church was called "marble", since the interior of the temple was abundantly decorated with marble.

In 996, the construction of the Church of the Tithes was completed and the temple was solemnly consecrated. The long tradition of donating to the temple convinced Prince Vladimir to donate the tithe to the erected church, after which it was remembered in the annals as the tithe.

After the construction of the first stone church, other stone temples began to be erected. It is important that it was in the image of the Church of the Tithes that the subsequent main churches of Russian cities and monasteries were erected.

Where temples were built

Together with the Baptism of Rus and the beginning of the construction of churches, a new life began on the Russian land. For a long time, on the site of the future settlement, and first of all the city, the architects were looking for a special place for the construction of the temple - not every land was suitable for this. First of all, the builders were looking for land that was not swampy and not too dry for construction.

Moreover, the temple had to be built in a prominent place, in the main part of the settlement, so that every inhabitant could reach it. The temple was built necessarily on an elevated, "red" place, which meant - on the most beautiful.

So, first of all, a temple was erected, and after that a settlement began to grow around it. The Church played a major role in the life of the Russian people, who lived both in cities and in villages and villages.

People gathered in church for services on Sundays and other days, the Russian people were sure to go to church on great church holidays. In the same place, in churches, children were baptized, newlyweds were crowned and dead relatives were buried.

Moreover, thanksgiving and supplicatory prayers were served in the temples, and popular gatherings gathered around the temple.

Architecture and construction of temples of Ancient Russia

The main type of construction of an Orthodox church is a cross-domed one. It was this type of temple that dominated the architecture of Ancient Rus. It was of this type that the first stone church was erected - the Tithe Church.

From the most ancient times to the present day, in Russia and in modern Russia, churches and cathedrals have been built and restored according to the construction projects of the cruciform-domed churches. The technique of building stone cross-domed temples was borrowed by the architects of Ancient Rus from Byzantium.

Since the first temples after Epiphany were erected by invited masters, their work marked the beginning of the tradition of building temples under the influence of Byzantine architecture. However, soon, when Russian architects began to erect stone churches themselves, their traditional Russian local style was added to the Byzantine style, which remained forever in Orthodox churches.

Since churches in Russia played an important role for Orthodox people, all the best was collected to decorate churches. Temples were decorated with gold and precious stones. Icons painted by talented icon painters were one of the most valuable elements of each church.

Churches in Russia were also built of bricks, but before that, in most cases, plinth was used for construction.

From the Byzantine builders, Russian craftsmen adopted the plinth masonry. And until the 15th century, plinth was mainly used in the construction of temples in Russia.

Plinth is a fired brick, with approximately equal sides. Its size was usually 40x40 cm long and wide. The brick was 2.5-4 cm thick, and the brick itself was light pink. Plinths were usually held together with a thick layer of mortar, which made the building look striped.

The mortars that were used to build the temple, connecting the rows of plinths, were a mixture of lime, sand and crushed bricks. It is known that plinths were used to build more in the south of Russia, and in the north, closer to Kiev, they preferred stone.

Later, at the end of the 15th century, a new material appeared in Russia - brick. These are molding bricks reminiscent of modern ones. Since such a brick was cheaper and much more accessible than stone, it was widely used for the construction of temples.

The bricks were fired by the builders, a special sign was put on it, indicating the classification of bricks for laying in a certain place of construction.

Meanwhile, wooden temples also did not stop building. However, the architecture of wooden temples has also changed. Throughout Russia, they began to build single-domed temples, which were being erected by builders on a powerful, massive square.

Each temple was built for a different amount of time. The simplest temple could take about a year to build, while more complex ones could take more than six years. Everything depended on the number of craftsmen building the temple.

Wooden churches in Russia were built faster, since wooden architecture had long been developed in Russia. The construction of stone and brick churches took more time, for example, the Church of the Tithes was built for about seven years. Other temples with more complex structures and expensive materials could have been built for more than ten years.

A small temple was erected by builders and craftsmen, of whom there were at least 10-12 people. Many more craftsmen were invited to build large temples, about thirty.

To whom the temples were dedicated

Temples in Ancient Russia were dedicated to the Life-Giving Trinity, Christ the Savior, the Mother of God, and also to numerous saints. Moreover, many churches were dedicated to great church holidays - the Protection and Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos, the Ascension of the Lord and many others.

Soon, in Ancient Russia, a tradition arose to erect temples-monuments in places where especially important, memorable events took place - military victories, great battles or the deaths of those who laid down their lives for their faith and the Fatherland.

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Video: Vladimir Budko