Why do believers build temples? Why are there so many scattered throughout Orthodox Land? The answer is simple: the goal of everyone is the salvation of the soul, and achieving it is impossible without visiting the church. She is a clinic where she comes from sinful falls, as well as her deification. The device of the temple, its decoration allow the believer to plunge into the divine atmosphere, to become closer to the Lord. Only a priest who is present in the temple can conduct the ceremony of baptism, wedding, forgive sins. Without services, prayers, a person cannot become a child of God.

Orthodox church

An Orthodox church is a place where God is served, where it is possible to unite with Him through such sacraments as baptism and communion. Believers gather here to make a joint prayer, the power of which everyone knows.

The first Christians had an illegal position, so they did not have their own temples. For prayers, believers gathered in the houses of the leaders of the communities, synagogues, and it happened that in the catacombs of Syracuse, Rome, Ephesus. This lasted for three centuries, until Constantine the Great came to power. In 323, he became full emperor of the Roman Empire. Christianity he made state religion. Since then, the active construction of temples, and later monasteries, began. It was his mother - Empress Helen of Constantinople - who was the initiator of the erection in Jerusalem.

Since then, the structure of the temple, its interior decoration, architecture have undergone significant changes. In Rus', it was customary to build cross-domed churches, this type is still relevant. An important detail of any temple are domes, which are crowned with a cross. Already from afar, you can notice the house of God from them. If the domes are decorated with gilding, then under the rays of the sun they blaze, symbolizing the fire burning in the believing hearts.

Internal organization

The internal structure of the temple necessarily symbolizes closeness to God, is endowed with certain symbols, decoration, and serves to satisfy the goals of Christian worship. As the Church teaches, our entire material world is nothing but a reflection of the spiritual world, invisible to the eye. The temple is an image of the presence of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, respectively, of the image of the King of Heaven. Device Orthodox church, its architecture, symbolism enable believers to perceive the temple as the beginning of the Kingdom of Heaven, its image (invisible, distant, divine).

Like any building, the temple must carry the functions for which it is intended, meet the needs and have the following premises:

• For clergy who conduct services.
• For all believers present in the church.
• For penitents and those who are preparing to be baptized.

Since ancient times, the temple is divided into three main parts:

• Altar.
• The middle part of the temple.
• Porch.

• Iconostasis.
• Altar.
• Throne.
• Sacristy.
• Mountain place.
• pulpit.
• Solea.
• Ponomark.
• Kliros.
• Papers.
• Candle boxes.
• Bell tower.
• Porch.

Altar

Considering the structure of the temple, Special attention it is necessary to devote the most important part of the church, intended only for the clergy, as well as for those persons who serve them during worship. The altar contains images of Paradise, the heavenly dwelling of the Lord. Denotes a mysterious side in the universe, part of the sky. Otherwise, the altar is called "heaven on Zele". Everyone knows that after the fall the Lord closed the Gates to the Kingdom of Heaven for ordinary laity, entry here is possible only. Having a special sacred meaning, the altar always inspires awe in believers. If a believer helping in the service, putting things in order or lighting candles, comes here, he must make a prostration. Laymen are forbidden to enter the altar for the simple reason that this place must always be clean, holy, it is here that the Holy Meal is located. Crowds and excesses are not allowed in this place, which, due to their sinful nature, mere mortals can allow. The place is for the concentration of prayer by the priest.

Iconostasis

Christians feel a sense of reverence when they enter an Orthodox church. Its structure and interior decoration, icons with the faces of Saints exalt the souls of believers, create an atmosphere of peace, awe before our Lord.

Already in the ancient catacomb temples, the altar began to be fenced off from the rest. Soleia already existed then, the altar barriers were made in the form of lowered bars. Much later, an iconostasis arose, which has royal and side gates. It serves as a dividing line that separates the middle temple and the altar. The iconostasis is arranged as follows.

In the center are the royal gates - specially decorated doors with two wings, located opposite the throne. Why are they called that? It is believed that Jesus Christ himself comes through them to give communion to people. To the left and to the right of the north and south gates are installed, which serve for the entrance and exit of the clergy at the statutory moments of worship. Each of the icons located on the iconostasis has its own special place and meaning, tells about some event from Scripture.

Icons and frescoes

Considering the structure and decoration of an Orthodox church, it should be noted that icons and frescoes are a very important accessory. They depict the Savior, the Mother of God, angels, saints from biblical stories. Icons in colors convey to us what is described by words in Holy Scripture. Thanks to them, a prayerful mood is created in the temple. When praying, you need to remember that the prayer does not ascend to the picture, but to the image depicted on it. On the icons, the images are depicted in the form in which they condescended to the people, as the chosen ones saw them. Thus, the Trinity is depicted in the form as righteous Abraham saw it. Jesus is depicted in the human form in which he lived among us. It is customary to depict the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove, as it appeared during the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River, or in the form of fire, which the apostles saw on the day of Pentecost.

A newly painted icon is necessarily consecrated in the temple, sprinkled with holy water. Then it becomes sacred and has the ability to act with the Grace of the Holy Spirit.

A halo around the head means that the face depicted on the icon has the grace of God, is holy.

Middle part of the temple

The internal structure of an Orthodox church necessarily contains a middle part, sometimes it is called a nave. In this part of the temple there are pulpit, solea, iconostasis and kliros.

It is this part that is actually called the temple. Since ancient times, this part has been called the refectory, because the Eucharist is eaten here. The middle temple symbolizes earthly existence, the sensual human world, but justified, burned and already consecrated. If the altar symbolizes the Upper Heaven, then the middle temple is a particle of the renewed human world. These two parts must interact; under the guidance of Heaven, the disturbed order will be restored on Earth.

vestibule

The vestibule, which is part of the device of the Christian temple, is its threshold. Penitent persons or those who were preparing for Holy Baptism stopped in it at the origins of faith. In the vestibule, most often there is a church box for selling prosphora, candles, icons, crosses, for registering weddings and baptisms. Those who have received penance from the spiritual father can stand in the porch, and all people who, for some reason, consider themselves unworthy to enter the temple at the moment.

External device

The architecture of Orthodox churches is always recognizable, and although its types are different, the external structure of the temple has its main parts.

Apse - a ledge for the altar, attached to the temple, usually has a semicircular shape.

Drum - the upper part, which ends with a cross.

Light drum - a drum with slotted openings.

The head is a dome crowning the temple with a drum and a cross.

Zakomara - Russian architecture. Semi-circular completion of a part of the wall.

The onion is the head of an onion-shaped church.

The porch is a porch elevated above ground level (closed or open type).

Pilaster - a flat decorative protrusion on the surface of the wall.

Portal - entrance.

Refectory - an extension from the west of the building, serves as a place for sermons and meetings.

Tent - has several faces, covers towers, a temple or a bell tower. Distributed in architecture XVII century.

Pediment - completes the facade of the building.

An apple is a domed ball on which a cross is mounted.

Tier - a decrease in height of the volume of the entire building.

Types of temples

Orthodox churches have a different shape, they can be:

• In the form of a cross (symbol of the crucifixion).
• In the form of a circle (the personification of eternity).
• In the form of a quadrangle (sign of the Earth).
• In the form of an octagon (the guiding Star of Bethlehem).

Each church is dedicated to some holy, important Christian event. The day of their memory becomes a patronal temple holiday. If there are several aisles with an altar, then each is called separately. A chapel is a small structure that resembles a temple but does not have an altar.

At the time, the device of the Christian temple of Byzantium had a cross-domed type. It combined all the traditions of the Eastern temple architecture. Rus' adopted from Byzantium not only Orthodoxy, but also examples of architecture. While preserving traditions, Russian churches have a lot of originality and originality.

Buddhist temple arrangement

Many believers are interested in how the temples of the Buddha are arranged. Let's give brief information. Everything is also installed according to strict rules. All Buddhists revere the "Three Treasures" and it is in the temple that they seek refuge for themselves - from the Buddha, his teachings and from the community. The right place is where all the "Three Treasures" are collected, they must be reliably protected from any influence, from strangers. The temple is a closed territory, protected from all sides. Powerful gates are the main requirement in the construction of the temple. Buddhists do not distinguish between a monastery and a temple - for them it is one and the same concept.

Every Buddhist temple has an image of the Buddha, whether embroidered, painted or sculpture. This image should be placed in the "golden hall", facing east. The main figure is huge, all the rest depict scenes from the life of the saint. The temple has other images - these are all creatures revered by Buddhists. The altar in the temple is decorated with figures of famous monks, they are located just below the Buddha.

Visiting a Buddhist temple

Those who want to visit a Buddhist temple must adhere to certain requirements. Legs, shoulders must be covered with opaque clothing. Like other religions, Buddhism believes that not keeping up appearances in clothes is a disrespect for the faith.

Buddhist feet are considered the dirtiest part of the body because they are in contact with the ground. Therefore, when entering the temple, you must take off your shoes. It is believed that this way the legs become cleaner.

Be sure to know the rule by which believers sit down. In no case should the legs point towards the Buddha or any saint, so Buddhists prefer to remain neutral - to sit in the lotus position. You can simply bend your legs under you.

,middle temple And vestibule

ALTAR

The altar is the most important part of the temple, it means the Kingdom of Heaven. Christian temples built with an altar to the east - in the direction where the sun rises. If there are several altars in the temple, then each of them is consecrated in memory of a special event or saint. All altars in this case, except for the main one, are called aisles.

The device of the Orthodox Church

The altar is higher than other parts of the temple. The very word "altar" means an elevated altar.
Divine service is performed in the altar and the most Holy place in the whole temple - a saint throne, which is made either in the form of stone monoliths about a meter high, or from wood, in the form of a frame with a lid on top. The throne is dressed in two clothes: the lower one is linen, called katasarkiy or srachica (symbolically represents the burial shrouds of Jesus Christ - the shroud), entwined with a rope (rope), and the upper one is made of brocade, called inditia (indition), symbolizing the solemn attire of Jesus Christ as King of glory.

THRONE

The Sacrament of Holy Communion is performed on the throne. It is believed that Christ is invisibly present on the throne, and therefore only clergy can touch it. Always rely on the throne antimension, altar gospel, altarpiece cross , tabernacle , monstranceAndlampada . Particles of holy relics are placed on the altar in a special reliquary.
in cathedrals and large temples a canopy in the form of a dome with a cross (civorium) is installed over the throne, which symbolizes heaven, and the throne itself is the land on which Jesus Christ suffered. In the center of the ciborium, above the throne, a dove figurine is placed, which symbolizes the descent of the Holy Spirit.
The place behind the throne near the eastern wall is considered the holiest place even on the altar, it is specially made a little elevated and is called “ mountain place". It traditionally has a large menorah and a large altar cross.

ALTAR

At the northern wall of the altar, behind the iconostasis, there is a special table - altar . The height of the altar is always equal to the height of the throne. On the altar, a rite of solemn preparation of bread and wine for communion or proskomidia takes place, the first part Divine Liturgy, where the bread in the form of prosphora and wine offered for the sacred service are prepared in a special way for the subsequent sacrament of the Bloodless Sacrifice of the Body and Blood of Christ. On the altar is chalice (the holy cup into which wine and water is poured, a symbol of the blood of Jesus Christ); paten (a dish on a stand for sacramental bread, a symbol of the body of Jesus Christ); asterisk (two arcs connected crosswise, installed on the diskos so that the cover does not touch the prosphora particles; the star is a symbol of the star of Bethlehem); copy (a sharp stick for removing particles from prosphora, a symbol of the spear that pierced Christ on the cross); liar - a spoon for communion of believers; sponge for wiping vessels. The prepared communion bread is covered with a veil. Small covers of a cruciform shape are called patrons , and the largest air . In parish churches that do not have a special vessel storage, sacred liturgical vessels are constantly on the altar, which are covered with shrouds during off-duty hours. On altar necessarily there is a lamp, a Cross with a Crucifixion.
At the southern wall of the altar is arranged sacristy - room for storing rice, i.e. liturgical clothes, as well as church vessels and liturgical books.

ROYAL DOORS

In ancient Christian churches, the altar was always separated from the rest of the temple by a special partition. Behind the altar partition is stored censer , dikyrium (double candlestick), trikirium (three-candlestick) and ripids (metal circles-fans on the handles, with which the deacons blow over the gifts during their consecration).
After the great split christian church(1054) the altar partition was preserved only in the Orthodox Church. Over time, the partition turned into an iconostasis, and its middle, largest doors became the Royal Doors, because through them Jesus Christ Himself, the King of Glory, invisibly enters in the Holy Gifts. Only clergymen can pass through the Royal Doors, and only during worship. Outside of worship and without vestments, enter through royal doors only the bishop has the right to enter the altar and leave the altar.
Inside the altar behind the Royal Doors hangs a special veil - catapetasma, which in the course of the Divine service is opened in whole or in part at the moments of the divine service established by the charter.
Like the vestments of the clergy catapetasma different colors depending on the day of the year and holiday.
The Royal Doors depict the four evangelists (Matthew, Mark, Luke and John) and the Annunciation Holy Mother of God. Above the royal doors is placed the icon of the Last Supper.
To the right of the Royal Doors is an icon Savior, left - icon Mother of God . To the right of the icon of the Savior is located south door, and to the left of the icon of the Mother of God - north door. On these side doors are depicted Archangels Michael And Gabriel, or the first deacons Stephen and Philip, or the high priest Aaron and the prophet Moses. I call the north and south side doors deacon's gates, since deacons most often pass through them.
Next are icons of especially revered saints. The first icon to the right of the icon of the Savior (not counting the south door) is called temple icon, i.e. it depicts a feast or a saint in whose honor the temple is consecrated.
If the iconostasis consists of several tiers, then icons are usually located in the second tier. twelfth holidays, in third icons of the apostles, in the fourth - icons prophets, at the very top - a cross is always placed with the image of the crucified Lord Jesus Christ on it.

MIDDLE TEMPLE

Icons are also placed on the walls of the temple in large icon cases, i.e. in special large frames, as well as on lecterns, those. on special high narrow tables with an inclined lid.
Before the icons and lecterns stand candlesticks on which believers place candles.
The elevation in front of the iconostasis, on which the altar and the iconostasis are built, protrudes forward into the middle part of the temple and is called saline.
The semicircular ledge in front of the Royal Doors in the middle of the salt is called pulpit, i.e. climb. On the ambo, the deacon pronounces litanies and reads the Gospel, from here the priest preaches and Holy Communion is administered.
Along the edges of the salt, near the walls of the temple, they arrange kliros for reciters and singers.
The kliros have banners.
The low table, on which stands the image of the crucifixion and rows of candlesticks, is called eve or eve. Before the eve, memorial services are served - requiems.

LIGHTS

A special place among church utensils is occupied by lamps.
Even in the Byzantine Empire, church utensils for lighting churches were born, which are still being made today: lampadas, khoros, chandeliers, church candlesticks and church chandeliers.
The most ancient lamps are lampadas (or lompads), the dim light of which illuminated the ancient cave temples early Christians.
The lampada is a portable lamp (candlestick), which, during the small and large exits to the liturgy, is carried in front of the priest and deacon. Such an icon lamp is given by a special lamp-maker (Greek primikirius) to the bishop at his entrance to the temple.
Even the ancient Greeks hung lampadas from wooden or metal hoops to illuminate temples, or hung them on chains stretched through the temple. The development of this method of suspension with a lamp led to the appearance of hanging lamps of more complex shapes: horos, chandeliers and church chandeliers.
Earlier than the chandelier, church lamps are khoros, which occupy an intermediate step in the evolution of church lamps between the lampada and the chandelier.
Horos has the form of a horizontally located metal or wooden wheel, suspended on chains from the ceiling of the temple. Lampadas or candles were attached around the entire circumference of the wheel. Sometimes a hemispherical bowl was installed in the center of the wheel, in which a lamp was also placed.
Later khoros evolved into bulky chandeliers, which over time were transformed into more elegant chandeliers. However, the chandelier is practically a chandelier, which, like a horos, consists of numerous tiers of concentric rings. In the center of the chandelier is a characteristic spherical "apple" made of gilded bronze.
Another type of lamps that are used in temples is multi-candle floor candlestick, which often contains many tiers or levels. A standing or skinny candle is also used as a lamp.
One of the main candlesticks installed in the altar is the menorah, which symbolizes the Seven Sacraments of the Church and the Seven Gifts of the Holy Spirit granted to believers in the name of the feat of Christ, who atoned for their sins at the cost of his life.

This is how it came to us device And decoration Orthodox church.

See also " Types of temple utensils", " church vestments", "Types of church vestments.

By the beginning of the XIV century. The Byzantine system of church decoration has received significant development. The scheme, somewhat restrained in scale, that took shape immediately after the victory of icon veneration, inevitably had to give way to a more relaxed one. The growth in the scale of icon-painting decoration was largely facilitated by changes both in the architecture of temples and in the technique and material of decor. Byzantine iconography of the middle period was made in the mosaic technique and occupied only certain areas of the interior, and the bottoms of the walls were usually faced with marble. By the XIV century. mosaics almost completely gave way to less costly frescoes. Instead of marble and separate mosaic panels, almost all the internal surfaces of the temples were now covered with plaster and recorded with frescoes. The limited range of themes used in the 10th and 11th centuries expanded - after all, now more voluminous material was required to fill all the internal surfaces of the temple. The revival of the basilica style led to the fact that large wall surfaces appeared in the temples, which had to be recorded. It was not possible to reproduce the hierarchical, sacramental scheme of the Byzantine mosaic of the middle period in such temples. Again, as in pre-iconoclastic times, narrative scenes began to appear.

Temple decor not only expanded in scale, not only included new material, but also experienced considerable influence from the liturgy and its interpretation, as well as from the calendar that ordered the church year. The main themes of previous periods were preserved, but now they were supplemented by a variety of narrative themes; they were used all over the inner surface of the temple, without too much consideration for dividing it into belts, each of which had a special function.

The apse almost invariably bore the image of the Mother of God on its vault. His connection with the liturgy, which was served under him, in the altar, was fully realized. Through Mary, the Word became flesh and appeared into the world, and through the liturgy of the Church, the incarnation and appearances of Christ are given. Below was an image of the communion of the apostles, the earliest example of which, Kiev, dates back to the 11th century. In Hagia Sophia, Christ is depicted in this scene twice, each time on the other side of the throne under the canopy; on one side the apostles receive bread from him, on the other - a cup. This is one of the innovations in iconography, which marks a departure from the strict rules of icon-worshipping theology - after all, not historical event; Christ administers the sacrament to the apostles as a bishop to the people. However, this scene perfectly reflects the teaching set out in the commentaries that the liturgy celebrated on earth is a type of the Last Supper and the heavenly worship, and the bishop is a symbol of Christ. In a word, the communion of the apostles combines historical, liturgical and spiritual reality in one image.

Even lower are the figures of liturgists in the guise of bishops in liturgical robes. The main places, of course, are reserved for St. Basil the Great and St. John Chrysostom, and often St. Gregory the Great, to whom the Liturgy of the Presanctified Gifts is attributed. They may be accompanied by deacons - say, Stefan or Lawrence. Sometimes they face the real throne; sometimes one of them is depicted in the center of the apse wall. Holding liturgical texts in their hands, the holy bishops of the past appear, as it were, as heavenly accomplices of those who stand at the earthly altar.

On the walls separating the altar from the nave, Old Testament prototypes of the Eucharist were often presented, such as those we saw in the church of St. Vitalius in Ravenna: the sacrifice of Abel, mentioned in the prayer of the proskomedia of the liturgy of St. Basil; Melchizedek bringing bread and wine; Abraham sacrificing Isaac; hospitality of Abraham. The latter image has not only a eucharistic, but also a trinitarian meaning: a table around which three angels sit is often depicted as a throne, and on it stands a bowl or dish with a lamb. Participation in the Eucharist brings the worshiper into the center of the Trinity, the very nature of which is sacrificial love.

Liturgical themes appear with particular clarity in the decor of the sacristy. On the half-dome of the apse, St. John the Baptist in accordance with the interpretation of Nicholas of Andides: the rite of proskomedia symbolizes the Incarnation and prophetic predictions about it. The symbolism of passions was very peculiar. Sometimes Christ was depicted as a baby lying on a paten, whose ribs are pierced with a spear (liturgical) by the bishop: this is an illustration of Germanov's interpretation of the proskomedia in the version of Anastasius. Sometimes Christ is shown dead and ready for burial. However, he could be depicted as a baby without any symbolism of passions: then the symbolism of Christmas came to the fore.

Christ the Pantocrator still looked down from the central dome, except, of course, for the basilic churches, where he moved to the next most holy place - the apse half-dome. It has become a tradition to depict the Heavenly Liturgy along the lower edge of the dome or along the perimeter of the drum supporting it. Like the communion of the apostles, from which this scene may have originated, it also does not quite correspond to the theology of icon veneration. It presents the Great Entrance, transformed into heavenly realities: angels-priests and angels-deacons with candles, ripids and sacred vessels process to the holy throne. The great entrance, like a shorthand badge, could designate the entire liturgy, which clearly shows how prominent a place it occupied in the rite itself and in the system of Byzantine liturgical piety. Sometimes this procession moves from one throne - from the altar - to another. Sometimes Christ in episcopal robes is depicted at the throne, waiting for the procession. He can also stand at the altar, seeing off the procession.

On the tops of the walls and temple vaults, as before, there was a circle of great holidays - the main events in the life of Christ. Now other scenes have been added to them - not holidays in the strict sense of the word, but events celebrated on certain days of the church year, for example, Christ in the temple among the teachers or the unbelief of Thomas. In the symbolic interpretation of the liturgy, more and more new details of the earthly life of Christ began to be noted, and the iconography began to reflect more and more events and scenes illustrating the same mystery of the Incarnation.

By the XIV century. other iconographic cycles were added to the decoration of the temples. They were narrative in nature and were not directly related to the main outline of the life of Christ. They were located in different parts of the temple. In the side naves, aisles, vestibules or narthex, the life of the Virgin Mary could be depicted. Her Assumption was usually placed on the western wall of the nave. This cycle partly corresponds to the feasts of the Theotokos and such paraliturgical practices as the Akathist to the Theotokos.

Another cycle of a secondary nature, found in the side aisles, aisles and narthex, and sometimes in the main nave, is the teaching and miracles of Christ. Nicholas Cabasilas, in his interpretation of the Divine Liturgy, emphasizes that this is, first of all, a commemoration of the passions, death and resurrection of Christ, and not his miracles. Sometimes the passions themselves were depicted in detail, regardless of the fact that the celebratory cycle already contains the image of the Crucifixion.

To the images of the saints that still adorned the lower parts of the nave walls in a hierarchical order, cycles were now added depicting the life of an individual saint - perhaps the one to whom this church is dedicated, or the most revered in the area, or even in the church in general.

Starting from the XIV century. in the vestibules, narthex or on the porch, seven Ecumenical Councils began to be depicted. All of them were already memorable events of the calendar, and the Seventh was celebrated on the first Sunday of Great Lent as the Triumph of Orthodoxy - the victory of the Church over all heresies. Their inclusion in the system of temple decoration reflected a dispute with the Church of the West about exactly how many cathedrals should be considered ecumenical, and their position near the entrance emphasized that the Church is the pillar and affirmation of the true faith in the incarnation of Christ, as evidenced by the entire temple.

And another image first appears in the XIV century. - The Last Judgment. This is also connected with the calendar: the penultimate Sunday before Great Lent is marked in it as the Sunday of the Last Judgment. In the liturgy, it is tied to the commemoration of the dead at the proskomedia, and also recalls the prayer "let communion be not for judgment and not for condemnation, but for the healing of soul and body." The image of the Last Judgment was sometimes located in the narthex, sometimes on one of the walls of the chapel used for memorial or funeral services. In Voronet (Romania), it occupies the entire outer surface of the western wall of one of the five painted churches there.

A clearly expressed connection of the extended icon-painting scheme of the XIV century. With church calendar can be observed in the painting of the narthex - on the entire surface of its walls, scenes of the main holidays of each month are often located in the appropriate order.

The iconography of the 14th century, which expanded in volume, included elements of the classical Byzantine scheme of the middle period, also contained rich material of a narrative nature, less closely related to the initial principles of icon painting. Scenes appeared in which historical elements are intertwined with non-historical ones, and invisible realities are presented in symbolic images. This, perhaps, is quite natural in an age when Gregory Palamas defended the hesychasm of the Athonite monks and argued that during the liturgy one can see Christ with the eyes of faith:

This house of God is a true symbol of the Holy Sepulcher... After all, behind the veil is a room where the Body of Christ will be laid, as well as the holy throne. And therefore, the one who jealously approaches the divine mystery and the place where it is located, and persists in this to the end ... will undoubtedly see the Lord with spiritual, I will say more with bodily eyes. Whoever sees in faith the mystical meal and the bread of life that is offered in it, sees the divine Word itself under the external forms, made flesh for us and living in us as in a temple.

One of the features of St. Isaac's Cathedral is the style of its interior decoration. In comparison with other Russian churches of the 19th century, it differs not only in its program and artistic execution of the interior decoration, but also in the structure of the iconostasis, the location of the icons, and the color scheme.

If, in accordance with these descriptions, we imagine the iconostasis of the first St. Isaac's Church, then its dominant colors will be yellow-gold and green with two blue vertical stripes along the royal doors. By virtue of architectural features of the drawing barn, rebuilt into the first St. Isaac's Church, its iconostasis up to 4 m high and more than 6 m wide did not need horizontal load-bearing structures, and for the visual effect of greater height was divided by vertical green stripes starting from the floor.

It is known that their icons for the arrangement of the first St. the temple was given by Emperor Peter I, they were also transferred to the iconostasis of the second St. Isaac's Cathedral.

Despite the fact that the iconostasis of the second St. Isaac's Church, about 8 meters wide and more than 12 meters high, made it possible to place additional tiers of icons, this did not happen. The structure of the iconostasis remained the same, as vertical as in the first church. The design of the iconostasis provided for several groups of columns, the height of which exceeded half the height of the iconostasis itself.

The same trends in the design of the iconostasis were also preserved in the third St. Isaac's Cathedral (designed by architect A. Rinaldi).

Its iconostasis consisted mainly of vertical structures, the color solution was white, gold and green colors. Unfortunately, the main altar of this cathedral has not been preserved, but, most likely, it did not violate the vertical articulation. The iconostasis contained no more than 10 - 12 icons of considerable size. The previously mentioned icons of a small size, transferred from the first to the subsequent St. Isaac's churches, were located in the interior.

It is interesting to note that when Montferrand began to build the fourth cathedral, a special extension was made next to the third temple being dismantled for its icons, and divine services were held in it. After 1828, due to intensive construction work, by Imperial decree and the request of parishioners, the most revered icons of St. Isaac's Cathedral were moved to a room on the second floor of the western wing of the Admiralty, where the temporary aisles of St. Isaac of Dalmatia, St. Alexander Nevsky and St. Andrew the First-Called.

K. P. Bryullov. The Mother of God surrounded by saints. Plafond of the main dome. The figures of the 12 apostles in the drum of the dome were painted by P. A. Basin on the cardboards of Bryullov

Resurrection of Christ. 1841-1843. Stained glass window of the main altar.

Appearance.

North facade.

The relief of the pediment of the northern portico is "The Resurrection of Christ" (1839-1843, sculptor F. Lemaire). In the center of the composition is Christ rising from the tomb, to the right and left of him are angels, and behind them are frightened guards and shocked women.

The statues located on the corners and tops of the pediments represent the 12 holy apostles (sculptor Vitali) - the closest disciples of Jesus Christ - and the tops are crowned with statues of the evangelists, that is, the authors of the Gospels - the first 4 books of the New Testament, telling about the teachings and life of Jesus.

North pediment. "The Resurrection of Christ"

Apostle Peter Apostle Paul Apostle John

Right niche "Position in the coffin" Northern door of the cathedral

West facade

On the pediment of the western portico there is a bas-relief "The Meeting of Isaac of Dalmatia with Emperor Theodosius", made in 1842-1845 by the sculptor I.P. Vitali. Its plot is the unity of two branches of power - royal and spiritual (it is no coincidence that the portico is turned towards the Senate and the Synod).

Apostle Thomas (sculptor Vitali) Apostle Bartholomew (sculptor Vitali) Apostle Mark (sculptor Vitali)

Bas-relief depicting Montferrand "Meeting of Isaac of Dalmatia with Emperor Theodosius" Western doors

South facade

On the pediment of the southern portico there is a bas-relief "The Adoration of the Magi" made in 1839-1844 by the sculptor I.P. Vitali. In the center is depicted Mary with a baby sitting on a throne. She is surrounded by the magi who came to worship, among them the figures of the Mesopotamian and Ethiopian kings stand out.

Apostle Andrew Apostle Philip Apostle Matthew

Left niche. "Annunciation" Right niche. "Massacre of the Innocents" South Doors

Photos are clickable, with reference to the Yandex map, 02.2014.

The cost of visiting St. Isaac's Cathedral is 250 rubles (you need a passport with you), children - 50 rubles.
A visit to the colonnade is paid separately.
Excursions are held in St. Isaac's Cathedral (included in the ticket price), approximately every 15-20 minutes a group gathers a guide and leads around the cathedral. The tour is a sightseeing tour, so one should not expect revelations from it, but they talk in detail about the materials (stones) used in the construction of the cathedral and various other interesting things. I do not remember the duration of the tour, but approximately half an hour or a little more. In any case, it is better to listen to the guide than to hang around the cathedral.

Doors in St. Isaac's Cathedral

Scheme of St. Isaac's Cathedral

Resurrection of Christ. 1841-1843, stained-glass window of the main altar of St. Isaac's Cathedral
At the suggestion of L. Klenze, a stained-glass window was included in the interior of the Orthodox church - originally an element of decoration Catholic churches. The image of the Resurrected Savior in the window of the main altar was approved by the Holy Synod and personally by Emperor Nicholas I. The sketch of the stained-glass window for St. Isaac's Cathedral was created by the German artist Heinrich Maria von Hess, the production in glass was supervised by M.E. porcelain manufactory in Munich. The area of ​​the stained-glass window is 28.5 square meters, the details are fastened with lead solders. By 1843, a stained-glass window was installed in the window of the cathedral in St. Petersburg. It is a key monument in the history of stained glass art in Russia.

St. Peter, mosaic, mosaic workshop of the Academy of Arts, from the original by P.V. Basin, early 20th century

Floor of St. Isaac's Cathedral

High reliefs on interior doors

The Mother of God surrounded by saints, Bryullov, Plafond of the main dome. The figures of the 12 apostles in the drum of the dome were painted by P. A. Basin on the cardboards of Bryullov

Panorama of the interior with a view of the main iconostasis with the Royal Doors

Panorama of the interior decoration with a view of the main iconostasis with the Royal Doors and the main dome

The main iconostasis (columns lined with green marble) and the Royal Doors with columns of Badakhshan lapis lazuli

The main iconostasis (columns lined with green marble) and the royal doors with columns of Badakhshan lapis lazuli

Columns of green malachite

Columns of green malachite

Columns of green malachite

Column of green malachite. The photo shows malachite plates.
The facing of the columns was carried out using the "Russian mosaic" method, which was used due to the fragility of this stone in the manufacture of large items from malachite. The stone was sawn into thin, several millimeters thick, plates. Then, according to the pattern of the stone, they were cut out and adjusted so as to make a beautiful pattern, and so that the seams between the individual plates were invisible. The set was glued onto a mold made of metal or stone using hot wax and rosin mastic, the irregularities were ground and polished.

Column of Badakhshan lapis lazuli at the Royal Doors
The columns framing the royal gates are lined with dark blue Badakhshan lapis lazuli with golden sparks. These works, as well as small decorative details made of lapis lazuli, were made by the craftsmen of the Peterhof Lapidary Factory. Badakhshan lapis lazuli is considered the best in the world in terms of quality. Afghan lapis lazuli is not only very beautiful, its color is unusually strong, it does not lose its color even when heated above 1000 degrees Celsius. In the old days, painters used this stone to make ultramarine - a paint that did not fade with time. On such a scale, as in St. Isaac's Cathedral, lapis lazuli was not used anywhere else. The height of the lapis lazuli columns is about 5 m, the diameter is 0.5 m.

Gate to the limit of St. Alexander Nevsky with green malachite columns

Facing the walls of St. Isaac's Cathedral

The prophet Ezekiel's vision of dry bones, Fedor Bruni

Arch over the Royal Doors