Temples have always been a symbol of the Orthodox culture of ancient Russia. The beauty and greatness of religion begins with the center of church life - Orthodox churches.
From wood to stone
The abundance of forests in Russia influenced the predominance of wooden construction. Wood was considered cheap material, and the difficulty in extracting building stone also affected its value.
The history of Ancient Russia describes that almost all buildings were wooden: towers, palaces, houses of peasants, as well as churches. The log was the main element of any design. Creative designs were limited. Few people ventured into desperate experiments to spend money on finding alternative material. The classic designs of the peasant's hut were quadrangular log cabins. More complex compositions were princely towers, tent churches.
It was because of the fragility of the building material that much of Old Russian architecture was lost.
Stone building
Stone construction is associated with the Baptism of Russia. The first stone temple of Ancient Russia is the one that was laid in Kiev by Constantinople architects. Historians consider the date of this event to be the 989th year. Before that, there were also temples, but of wooden construction.
According to the chronicles, the construction of the temple was completed in 996, then there was a solemn consecration.
Symbol of Faith and Tradition
The attitude of believers to churches has always been special in Orthodoxy. Often the construction of a new temple took place on donations.
Tradition is rooted in the Old Testament. According to the chronicles, the first stone church of Ancient Russia is the Church of the Holy Virgin, or in another way - the Church of the Tithes. After the Baptism of Russia, in the early years, the construction of church splendor began according to the traditions of Byzantine and Bulgarian architecture. Prince Vladimir, who gave a tenth of the proceeds, became the founder of the noble cause.
To this day, it was not possible to save the first stone temple of Ancient Russia in its original form. It was destroyed by the Mongol-Tatars during the capture of Kiev. Restoration work began in the 19th century. However, the design of this church significantly affected the architecture of temples throughout Russia.
About the first stone temple
The first stone temple of ancient Russia got its name from tithes donated by the prince for construction. And so its definition was fixed in history - the Church of the Tithes.
Undoubtedly, the first stone temple of Ancient Russia is a structure that can be considered a palace church. Based on the remains of the brick foundation, historians concluded that palace buildings were erected nearby. Significant destruction does not allow to restore their original architectural appearance, but according to experts, these were ceremonial rooms.
Residential palace premises were the wooden part of the second floors of stone palaces, or were located next to the first stone church of Ancient Russia. It is a historical fact that Kiev stood out among other cities with stone-brick architecture. The capital of the state was distinguished by monumental construction.
The influence of Greek masters in the architectural design of the Transfiguration Cathedral is well traced.
During the princedom of Mstislav and Yaroslav, the country was divided. Then the next stage of construction began. In the capital city of Chernihiv, construction began earlier. Mstislav laid the foundation for the Spassky Cathedral.
The exact date of commencement of construction is not traced in written sources. It is known that in 1036 the walls of the cathedral became, by definition, "as if standing upon horses standing with their hands”, which means "very high." In history, the date is marked by the death of Prince Mstislav.
In Kiev, St. Sophia Cathedral was erected later than the Chernihiv Spassky Cathedral. Analyzing the political situation and some historical data, the period when the stone temple was erected can be considered 1037. Hagia Sophia reflects the desire to repeat Byzantine patterns. This largest temple of Kievan Rus was taken as a model as a cross-domed structure during the construction of cathedrals in Novgorod and Polotsk.
In 1073, the Assumption Cathedral of Kiev Pechersky Monastery was founded. This temple played a significant role in the development of Russian architecture. In the “Pechersky Pateryka” there is an entry: “... the masters of the church are 4 men,” is the arrival of architects for the construction of this building from Constantinople. The composition of the church structure of the Kiev-Pechersky Monastery was also influenced by Kiev Sofia. The difficult history of the Assumption Cathedral convinces the Orthodox of the power of faith - the cathedral, blown up in 1942, was restored in the 1990s.
At the end of the XI century, the large ancient Russian city of Pereyaslavl acquired military-political significance. Beyond its walls, Kiev land and the entire Middle Dnieper region found cover from the Polovtsian invasion. On the land of this glorious city, the construction of the "stone city" - the church of Michael began. At the initiative of Prince Vladimir Monomakh and Bishop Ephraim, gates appeared with the gate church of Fedor. In 1098, the construction of the Church of the Virgin began in the princely court.
According to the annals, there are traces of a small church on the Lte River outside the city. Unfortunately for Orthodox people and historians, Pereyaslavl monuments have not survived to the present.
The importance of the church - from study to the royal title
Temples of Ancient Russia influenced the definition of surnames, streets, roads, cities. All the objects that were associated with the holy place quickly took over the name of the temple, church.
In the period of Ancient Rus, temples were a place of association. The new settlement began with the construction of the temple - the center of life for every person. Divine services of that time gathered almost all the inhabitants of the village. Important events of each family were ceremonies: weddings, baptisms, funeral services, blessings.
The temple played a large role in the Orthodox cult. The decoration of rooms, rituals, icons gave the believer hope for the salvation of his soul. In addition, everyone could enjoy the beauty of the temple.
Orthodoxy gave a considerable impetus to the formation of the arts. Their development took place inside the temples. For the believer, the church was the primary factor in all culture and worship. That is why some important events that are not related to church life took place under the dome of the shrine. These include: the anointing of kings to the throne, unification, the announcement of the royal decree. Do not forget about the importance of temples in educating people about literacy.
Acting as a social phenomenon in the life of people of Ancient Russia, monasteries and temples were the place where training was organized, archives, workshops, libraries were located. A little later, from the 19th century, the first colleges and parish schools began to be established.
Beautiful decoration for the benefit of posterity
A single interior in the architecture of the church building of Ancient Russia is a distinctive feature of that time. The classic design was the low altar partitions, allowing you to see the upper part of the altar zone of the temple.
Each worshiper visually approached the center of worship. For an Orthodox person, it was important to see the divine space that united the earthly and heavenly church.
The interior decoration of the temples under the mosaic style came from the Byzantine tradition. The decoration of bright and light design symbolizes the unity of the earthly and heavenly.
The temples of Ancient Russia carried the function of museums, where the relics of saints, icons, relics with historical value were transferred. Ancient manuscripts and important documents were transferred here for preservation. Thanks to the work of priests and ministers of the church, the history of Ancient Russia can be traced literally over the years, and many historical events were revealed to contemporaries in the form of undeniable evidence collected in the church.
Blessing to protect the Russian land
The church escorted soldiers to service or battle. Sometimes the reason for the construction was the reverence for those who died in battles. Such churches were erected on the battlefields, in gratitude to the soldiers for the victory.
In peacetime, churches and temples were erected in honor of the great holidays, saints. For example, Ascension, Christ the Savior.
The venerable holy is for the good of oneself
For a believer, the church has always been important in life. Therefore, only high-class masters and architects were allowed to build. Bazaar territories, gatherings and meetings of citizens were held near churches, as evidenced by the map of Ancient Russia.
Construction could not do without investing large sums of money. Only the best was donated to the creation: materials, land. Given the fact that the church was built on a hill or, as the ancestors said, "in a red place", it served as a point of reference on which a map of Ancient Russia was compiled, a plan of the area.
Architect's eye
Building techniques for the design of the roof give the stone architecture a touch of wooden architecture. This is especially expressed in examples with temple buildings. Roofs continued to make gable and gable.
In small villages where modest temples were built, the masonry was carried out like a peasant's hut, when a crown (four logs) lay on the basis. Connecting, they formed a square or rectangle. The result was a structure of a certain number of crowns - a blockhouse.
More complex construction, but on a given principle, churches were built. The quadrangular log house was changed to an octagonal log house. The principle of combining the fours and eights has passed into the stone architecture of Russia and has survived to this day.
Tent temples are widespread in Russia as two-and multi-tier structures. To connect the individual log cabins, they were connected to each other by a system of transitions (galleries, porches).
Putting church buildings on stone plinths, builders placed basements, cellars, and underground passages relevant for that time under the ceilings that went into the ground.
The destruction and rebirth of temples
For half a century, the development of ancient Russian architecture stopped after the invasion of the Mongol-Tatars. For various reasons, masters, icon painters and builders moved to the Horde, and some churches and temples were destroyed.
Departing from Byzantine models, the most ancient temples of Russia in the 12th century acquired distinctive features, determining the development of Russian architecture.
All that a schoolboy needs to know about the life of Ancient Russia is set out in educational materials for grade 6. Ancient Russia is the history of our ancestors, the formation, battles, victories of our state, which every Russian should know about.