Device Orthodox church associated with symbolic traditions and the history of the development of worship.
The main parts of the cathedrals are called:
- altar is a holy place;
- naos – middle part;
- porch
Each of them symbolizes a certain area of existence and is a repetition of Divine, heavenly and earthly life.
Diagram of the internal structure of an Orthodox church
The altar shown on the plan, fenced off by the iconostasis from the entire temple - holiest place in the cathedral. Next comes the middle part of the temple, and then the porch and porch - the area in front of the entrance to the church.
The drawing shows the main parts of the structure of an Orthodox church.
Description of the internal structure of the temple
Let's take a closer look at the internal structure of a Christian church.
Narthex
This is the name of the pre-temple, symbolizing the sinful land.
The external porch includes a porch with a porch. According to ancient Russian custom, penitents say prayers at this place and people who consider themselves unworthy to be inside the temple stand begging.
At the monasteries, in the vestibules, there is a fraternal refectory, which is the second warm church.
A tower-shaped bell tower is built above the porch, symbolizing a candle.
Temple Sanctuary - Middle Section
The middle part of the building is considered a temple, symbolized by earthly existence, and is a part of the renewed human world. This place is called the naves, it is located from the porch to the holy place - the altar.
Here are icons displayed in large frames or on narrow special tables with inclined lids, called lecterns. In front of the holy images there are candlesticks where parishioners can place candles. A lamp made of many candles decorates the interior of this part of the cathedral; the chandelier is called a chandelier.
There is also a small table on which there are candlesticks and a crucifix, called a kanun or kanunnik. This is the place of funeral services or funeral services.
It is traditional to have an image of Golgotha in the temple, which is located in its middle part. This image is in the form of a wooden Cross as tall as a man, on it is the image of the crucified Savior.
On the lower part of the eight-pointed Cross, on the stand, there is an image symbolizing the skull and bones of Adam.
To the right of the Crucifixion is an icon with the image of the Mother of God, to the left is John the Evangelist, sometimes instead of him is the face of Mary Magdalene.
Solea in the temple
In front of the iconostasis and the altar there is an elevation protruding into the temple, called the solea; in the middle of it there is a protrusion - the pulpit, which means ascension.
On both edges of the elevation there are places where the choir is located. These areas are called kliros; the singing priests were called “kliroshans”.
Next to the choir are placed banners - icons made on silk fabrics, attached to long shafts. They are carried as church banners during religious processions.
On the semicircular sole there are sometimes choirs in the form of a balcony. They are usually located on the west side of the temple.
Altar in the church
Traditionally located on the eastern side, it faces the sunrise.
The altar is considered “heaven on earth.” It is associated with images of Paradise and is considered the heavenly dwelling of the Lord. Literally translated, the altar is called the “exalted altar.” Only God's anointed are allowed to enter it.
Inside the altar consists of:
- The main shrine, called the Throne for the performance of the Sacraments.
- The high platform located behind the throne, where the seven-branched candlestick and the cross are placed.
- The altar, where bread and wine are prepared for the Sacrament.
- Vessels and sacristies in which sacred vessels and vestments of priests for worship are located.
The iconostasis fences off “Heaven on Earth” from the rest of the cathedral, it is lined with icons, and there are gates in it. Only clergy are allowed to enter the central ones, called royal ones. The gates on the north and south sides are for deacons.
The image of the Savior is placed to the right of the central gate, and to the left is the icon of the Mother of God. After the image of the Savior there is a temple icon, which depicts the most revered saint, with whose name the lighting of the temple is associated.
Church chapel
According to the traditions of the Russian Orthodox Church, it is not allowed to celebrate more than one liturgy in one day on the same altar. Therefore, additional altars are installed in the temple, for which parts are either allocated in the main building, or extensions are made outside.
They are called chapels or pareclesia; they are located on the south or north side of the room. The presence of several church aisles sometimes not only complicates the structure of the temple, but also creates an entire complex.
Throne
It is a consecrated table, the lower clothing of which is white linen, the upper one is colored expensive fabric.
This is a place for sacred objects, the specificity of which is that only clergy are allowed to touch them.
Altar in an Orthodox church
Located on the left side of the throne. The height of the sacrificial table is the same as the throne.
Used for the ritual of preparing wine and prosfir, which are needed for communion.
Pulpit
This is a place in the form of a semicircular protrusion in the center of the solea, from which the priest delivers speeches and sermons.
Architectural elements of the temple
The appearance of an Orthodox church determines its purpose. It can be in the form:
- The cross is a symbol of salvation.
- A circle symbolizing eternity.
- The square associated with the earth and spiritual fortress.
- An octagon representing the Star of Bethlehem.
- A ship that replicates Noah's Ark.
The decoration of the temple includes:
- images on icons and frescoes;
- lamps that are lit depending on the significance of the service;
- lamps.
If you look at the photos of the temples, you will notice something common in their structure - the presence of domes, which are crowned with a head with a cross. For example, the tripling of the domes symbolizes the Holy Trinity.
For parishioners, both children and adults, an Orthodox church is perceived as the Kingdom of Heaven. It is useful for everyone to know what the main parts of the church are called; a drawing or picture with captions is helpful for this purpose.
A temple (house) is a building that has a religious purpose; services to God are performed in it, as well as religious ceremonies. In addition to the main religious functions, the temple carries a certain idea of people about the universe. Temples also had another purpose (before Christianity), they served as a refuge, or a place for decision important issues and trade.
A Christian church is considered only a building that has an altar in which the Eucharist (thanksgiving) is celebrated - a great sacrament.
Christian churches have big story. Since the time when Christianity was not one of the main religions, and was subject to persecution by the authorities and other religions. Christians gathered for service only in the catacombs (dungeons where burials were held), where, according to the laws of that time, gatherings of people who professed their religion were not prohibited.
Thus, underground churches, they are called “crypts,” already had an altar (most often a tomb) on which the sacrament of the Eucharist was performed. Since those times, the tradition of placing holy relics on the altar and decorating the walls of temples with images from the holy book has remained.
Only in the 4th century did they begin to build above-ground Christian churches, when religion was recognized as dominant (Edict of Milan 313). This happened thanks to Emperor Constantine.
The main types of temples are the basilica and the cross-domed temple.
Basilica- a structure that has a rectangular and elongated shape, divided from the inside by several rows (from 2) of pillars or columns that create naves (an architectural space of a longitudinal shape). Often the central nave was higher than the side ones. It also had a protrusion - an apse (the protruding part where the altar is located), where the presbytery (place for the clergy) was located.
A special feature of the basilica is also that the entrance is located on the western side of the temple, and the altar is on the eastern side. This placement symbolizes the coming of Christians to God (repentance). In Christianity, the west is associated with sinfulness, and the east with divinity. Near the part where the altar is located, the temple is intersected by transverse naves, which gave it the shape of a cross.
The most common are three-nave basilicas. They are created using two internal rows of columns; in the side naves there are often choirs (an oblong-shaped room for the clergy or church choir), as well as “matroneums” (special galleries for women, because it was adopted from the Jews, the separate presence of men and women in temple).
Often, in especially large temples, in front of the main room there were open courtyards with columns placed along the entire perimeter; they are called atriums.
Great importance was given to decorating the interior of the basilica. The temple was decorated mainly from the inside. For this they used marble, beautiful wall frescoes, and mosaics that were laid out both on the walls and on the floor. But special attention was paid to decorating the main and sacred part of the temple - the altar. The façade of the basilica was often not decorated.
This model of the temple remained unchanged for a long time.
Starting from the 12th-13th century, other types of temples appeared - gothic cathedral. They differed from the early Christian ones in that they were covered with stone vaults.
The Gothic temple began to rise high, thanks to the fact that new technologies and architectural elements were used in construction, among them a flying buttress. The weight of the vault was transferred to the walls, this relieved the temple from the internal columns and made it possible to create large windows, which made it spacious and bright.
The altar was also separated from the main volume of the temple by a partition. The restriction on the presence of men and women together in churches has disappeared.
Now not only the internal walls of the temple were decorated, but also its façade. Thus, they tried to convey the “word of God” beyond the walls of the temple.
After the division of the United christian church, the Eastern (Orthodox) Church developed the cross-domed Byzantine type of temple.
Cross-dome
Its characteristic features are that the temple had a cruciform shape (close to a square) and a high dome that housed windows.
The naves (both longitudinal and transverse) are now of equal length, and when crossing they create a Greek (equal-ended) cross. Hence the name itself - Cross-dome. At the same time, rotundas (round temples) appeared.
Orthodox church
Starting from the 15-16th century, iconostases began to appear in Orthodox churches; they separated the altar part of the temple from its middle part. The iconostasis is a wall with rows of icons.
The narthex (a place for people who could not enter the middle of the temple) began to be called the narthex, and its outer part - the porch (a platform with stairs to enter the temple).
In order to be able to conduct simultaneous services by several priests (on major holidays and events), extensions to the temple were introduced.
Baptistery
A separate building, often round in shape, near the temple, it is intended for the baptismal ceremony. In its center there is a font that can fit an adult. Nowadays a baptistery is rarely built.
Orthodox church. Photo:www.spiritualfragranceinc.com
Temple forms. In ancient times, Orthodox houses of worship were different. They had different shapes. Ancient temples had a round and eight-pointed shape. Today, the most common are oblong and cruciform temples.
Temple domes. Every church must have at least one dome. There are churches with three, five, seven and thirteen domes. The dome symbolizes the burning flame of a candle, the flame of prayer and the Christian’s desire for God.
Church bells. An Orthodox house of prayer must have a bell. Church bells notify believers about the beginning of worship, about the most important points church service and so on.
Cross on the temple. There is a cross on the dome of every church. The cross comes in a quadrangular shape - this is a traditional cross with one vertical and one horizontal beam. The bottom of the vertical beam that intersects the horizontal beam is longer than the top.
External structure of the church. Photo:www.nesterov-cerkov.ru
Hexagonal cross - it is similar to a quadrangular cross. But on the lower vertical part there is another inclined beam, its left end is raised, and its right end is lowered down. This inclined beam symbolizes the footrest on the Cross of the Lord. Eight-pointed cross - It looks like a hexagonal cross, but on the top vertical beam there is another small plaque placed at the time of the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. On the tablet, in three languages in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, are the following words: “Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.” Also, we can see an eight-pointed cross with a crescent at the bottom of the vertical beam. According to the church interpretation, the crescent is an anchor, which in the era of early Christianity symbolized the spiritual salvation of man.
Porch. External porch. Photo:www.nesterov-cerkov.ru
External porch.Above the entrance to God's house, as a rule, there is an icon or wall image of the patron whose name it bears. There is an external area in front of the entrance to each church. This platform is also called the outer vestibule. The entrance itself in front of the temple is called the porch.
Churchyard. Cathedral of the Archangel Michael in Sochi. Photo:www.fotokto.ru
Churchyard. Each Orthodox house of worship has its own church yard. On its territory there may be a church cemetery where clergy, ktitors, famous believers who contributed to the life and affairs of the temple are buried. In addition, in the courtyard of the church there may be a library, Sunday school, outbuildings, etc.
Parts of an Orthodox church. Photo:www.nesterov-cerkov.ru
Internal structure of the church
Each temple is divided into three parts: the vestibule, the middle part and the altar.
The porch of the temple. Photo:www.prihod.org.ua
Narthex: The first part of the temple is called the inner porch. In ancient times, in the first part of the church there were catechumens, that is, those people who were preparing to receive Holy Baptism and those Christians who committed great sins were excommunicated from prayer participation and receiving Holy Communion. The walls of the narthex are covered with church frescoes and icons.
The middle part of the temple (naos). Photo:www.hram-feodosy.kiev.ua
Middle part of the temple : The middle part of the church is intended for believers. It is also called naos or ship. Here they pray during the service, offer prayers to God, light candles, kiss icons, and so on.
Patronal and festive icons in the church. Photo:www.nesterov-cerkov.ru
In the naos there are lecterns (stands for icons) with icons of the Son of God, the Virgin Mary, the Holy Trinity, saints, etc. Also, in the middle part of the temple there are two lecterns with a throne icon and a holiday icon or the so-called icon of the day.
Throne icon- this is an icon on which is written the image of a saint and the event of the holiday, whose name this Orthodox house of God bears. Icon of the day is an icon depicting a holiday or someone whose memory is celebrated on this day. Usually, the lectern with this image is located in the middle of the naos.
A panic attack.www.nesterov-cerkov.ru
And also, in the middle of the ceiling there is a large hanging candlestick with many candles. It is lit during important moments of the service. This candlestick is called a chandelier. In Bulgarian churches it is called by the Greek word polyeleos. Usually in churches in Bulgaria there are two chandeliers - a large one and a smaller one. For convenience, in modern Orthodox churches, candles are replaced with special electric bulbs. They have the shape of a burning candle flame or the shape of a church dome.
Eve. Photo:www.nesterov-cerkov.ru
Eve. In an Orthodox prayer house there is a place where a lay person can light a candle and pray for their deceased loved ones. This place is called the eve. In Russian churches, the eve represents a small presentation with a cross depicting the crucified Jesus with many indentations for candles. In Bulgaria, the church eve rearranges a large vessel resembling a deep paten filled with fine sand.
Iconostasis in the temple. Photo:www.nesterov-cerkov.ru
Iconostasis. Altar and middle part The church is separated by an iconostasis. The word “iconostasis” comes from Greek language and is translated as “image stand,” which is usually a wooden partition with icons, beautiful carved ornaments, and on top, in the center of the iconostasis, there is a cross with a human skull. The cross on the iconostasis has a double meaning. It really represents the place of the Savior’s death and symbolizes heaven.
Northern and southern gates of the iconastasis.Photo:www.nesterov-cerkov.ru
Sometimes the iconostasis can only represent a delivery with an icon. For the first nine centuries, the Holy of Holies in an Orthodox church was never covered, but there was only a low wooden partition with icons. The “raising” of the image stand began after the 10th century, and over the centuries it acquired its current form. This is how the medieval Greek church bishop, famous Orthodox liturgist and teacher of the Church St. Simeon of Thessalonica interprets the meaning of the iconostasis and its purpose: “From an anthropological point of view, the altar symbolizes the soul, naos - the body, and the iconostasis, in fact, separates two parts of the temple and makes one visible and another part invisible to the human eye.
Royal Doors.Photo:www.nesterov-cerkov.ru
From a cosmological point of view, the iconostasis separates heaven and earth, since the temple symbolizes the world. In this sense, the iconostasis represents a partition between the visible and invisible world, and the saints on it are intermediaries to the invisible world, since they are the connecting link between the two worlds.”
The iconostasis has three entrances with doors. Through two small entrances, clergy and their assistants enter and exit during certain moments of the Liturgy, for example, during the Small and Great Entrance. And the central, larger entrance, between the altar and the middle part of the church is called the Royal Doors. In addition to the Royal Doors, the middle entrance on the iconostasis also has a fabric curtain. Usually it is red. The icons of the iconostasis are identical in all Orthodox churches. On the Royal Doors there is always an icon depicting a scene telling how an Angel informs the Virgin Mary that She has been chosen by God and that she will conceive a child from the Holy Spirit who will become the Savior of the world. On right side The iconostasis contains icons of the Son of God and St. John the Baptist; on the other side there is an icon of the Virgin Mary and Child and the image of the one whose name the church is named. For the remaining icons, there is no exact definition of what images will be there and what location they will occupy on the iconostasis.
Singer, choir (klyros).Photo:www.nesterov-cerkov.ru
Kliros, klylos, tsevnitsa. In front of the iconostasis, on the left and right there are places where the church choir sings. These places are called choirs or singers. In Russian vernacular, singers are called krylos.
Banners. Usually in Bulgarian churches there are banners next to the choirs. These are special church banners with icons on long wooden poles. They are used during church processions. Banners began to be used in the Holy Orthodox Church from the 4th century and symbolize the victory of Christianity over paganism.
Banner. Photo:www.yapokrov.ru
Solea and pulpit. The space raised by one or more steps between the pendants and the altar is called the solea, and its central part in the center in front of the altar is called the pulpit. Here the priests offer prayers, deliver sermons, etc.
Solea. Pulpit. Church shop.
Photo:www.nesterov-cerkov.ru
In the Orthodox House of God there is a place for selling candles, Orthodox literature, icons, crosses, etc. Also here, notes on health and repose are given, and orders to serve any church service. It is located in the vestibule or middle part of the temple. This place is called the church shop.
The ending follows.
Master of Divinity
The most unusual churches in Russia.
Church of the Icons Mother of God "Burning bush"in the city of Dyatkovo
This temple was called the eighth wonder of the world, because nowhere in the world there are iconostases like those in the Neopalimov church in the city of Dyatkovo, Bryansk region. The entire iconostasis of this temple is made of crystal. In 1810, it was built by the owner of the local crystal factory, Maltsov. Not only the heavy, elegantly crafted crystal iconostasis, “as if floating in the air,” but also crystal chandeliers and chandeliers, unique candlesticks made of multi-layered and multi-colored glass, human height, adorned the church until 1929. The amazing temple was destroyed, but some parts of its decoration took refuge in the Dyatkovo museum.
In 1990, the destroyed temple was rebuilt, and local glassblowers, using surviving drawings from 200 years ago, more than a year thousands of parts were made for its decoration. Restoring the iconostasis required several tons of crystal, and not just crystal, but fused with lead - such an alloy is used to make the most expensive tableware.
The interior of the Neopalimov temple seems both icy and rainbow-colored: mirrors are placed under the crystal plates on the walls, which gives the effect of a rainbow glow.
Arkhyz churches
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Arkhyz temples are the most ancient or one of the most ancient in Russia. They date back to the end of the 9th - beginning of the 10th centuries. Scientists believe that it was here, in the area of the ancient settlement of Magas, that there was the capital of the patriarchate of ancient Alania. The Alans finally became familiar with Christianity in the first quarter of the 10th century, but its penetration here began much earlier. Written sources mention this since the second half of the 7th century.
Three medieval temples have been preserved on the territory of the settlement - Northern, Middle and Southern. During excavations by archaeologist V.A. Kuznetsov even found the only ancient baptismal church in the North Caucasus, built from flat stone slabs. The walls of the temple were covered with frescoes skillfully executed by Byzantine masters - this is evidenced by the drawings of the artist and archaeologist D.M. Strukov, made in late XIX century.
In the Middle Church, even the acoustics are thought out: it has a system of voice boxes - through and blind holes in the walls of the temple.
The southern church of this settlement is now the oldest functioning Orthodox church in Russia. In a rock grotto not far from this temple, the face of Christ was discovered, manifested on a stone.
Temple in honor of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker on the Blue Stones in Yekaterinburg
On an ordinary Ekaterinburg Khrushchev building, a bell tower and a boy on it are drawn by a child’s hand. Along the wall stretches the “Hymn of Love” written in Slavic script by the Apostle Paul. Chapter 13, Epistle to the Corinthians... You will come closer, led by words of love, and read the inscription: “Heaven on earth.” This is how easy it is for even children to begin to comprehend Christian wisdom. This temple does not have high ceilings with rotundas or domes; a narrow corridor leads inside, and bookshelves line the church walls. But here it is always full of children and there are many traditions of its own: for example, holding role-playing games, drink tea with the whole parish after Sunday liturgy, sing with the choir or draw “good graffiti”. A Epiphany water here they sometimes “sell” for knowledge of the first commandment or immediate study of it. The parish publishes the newspaper “Living Stones,” and the temple website lives a life filled with creativity.
Church of the Sign Holy Mother of God in Dubrovitsy
Mysterious church with mysterious story, the only temple in Russia that is crowned not with a dome, but with a golden crown. The construction of the Znamenskaya Church dates back to the time when the Dubrovitsy estate was owned by the tutor of Peter I, Prince Boris Alekseevich Golitsyn. By the way, Peter I himself and his son Tsarevich Alexei were present at the consecration of this temple. This church does not look like a Russian one; it is built in a rococo style, rare for our lands, and is very richly decorated with round sculptures from white stone and stucco. They say it looks especially impressive in winter, when the landscape around is distinctly Russian.
In 1812, the temple was occupied by Napoleonic troops, without, however, causing any damage to it. But in the 20th century this temple was closed too
In 1929, the temple was closed for worship; in September 1931, the bell tower and the Church of Adrian and Natalia located in it were blown up.
The history of the inscriptions inside the temple is interesting. They were originally made on Latin, later, at the request of Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov), they were replaced by Church Slavonic ones. And in 2004, during restoration, the temple “speaked” in Latin again.
Temple-carriage in Nizhny Novgorod
An Orthodox church almost opposite in its idea arose in Nizhny Novgorod in 2005. The temple surprises without trying to surprise, because it is located in... a railway carriage. This is a temporary structure: parishioners are waiting for the construction of a stone church. It all started with a gift: the railway workers gave the Nizhny Novgorod diocese a carriage. And the diocese decided to equip it as a church: they fixed the carriage, made steps with a porch, installed a dome, a cross, and consecrated it on December 19, 2005, the day of remembrance of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. People call the unusual temple “ blue carriage"based on the children's song of the same name, and "Soul train" on English manner. The symbolism of a train, a carriage, and therefore a path, has been inherent in the Christian church since ancient times. From early times, temples were built in the image of ships - in this sense, the Nizhny Novgorod temple continues the Byzantine traditions! It is worth noting that this is not the only, but the most famous carriage temple in Russia.
Kostomarovsky Spassky Convent
The oldest cave monastery in Russia with “divas” - chalk pillars, inside of which monastic cloisters are built. The bell tower of the Spassky Church was built between two such divas and literally floats in the air. Inside, in the thickness of the chalk mountain, the temple is so large that it can accommodate two thousand people. It is here that the “cave of repentance”, famous throughout Russia, is located - a corridor stretching underground for 220 meters and gradually narrowing. It is known that before the revolution, the most ossified sinners were sent here for “correction of the mind.” The very movement through the cave sets the mood for confession: the penitent does long haul in the dark, holding a lit candle, the vault of the cave becomes lower and lower, and the man bends in bow. Pilgrims say they feel as if someone's hand is gradually bowing their head, humbling human pride. Even today, those visiting the “cave of repentance” are not accompanied to the end: the person is left to walk part of the path alone.
Trinity Church "Kulich and Easter" in St. Petersburg
This nickname for the church was not invented by witty St. Petersburg residents - the customer of the construction himself, Prosecutor General A.A. Vyazemsky asked the architect to build the temple in the shape of traditional Easter dishes. Both buildings are crowned with “apples” with a cross. Due to the fact that there is no drum on the dome of the “Kulich”, it becomes dark in the altar part of the church. The play of light and the blue “heavenly” dome change the feeling of volume, so the inside of the temple seems much more spacious than the outside.
At the bottom of the “Easter” bell tower there is a baptistery, which has only two small windows at the top of the walls. But right above the person being baptized are bells, the sound of which spreads through arches cut into the wall. The thickness of the walls increases downwards as the wall slopes. On the outside of the belfry, above the bells, there are dials painted, each of which “shows” different time. By the way, A.V. was baptized in this church. Kolchak, future admiral.
Despite the fact that all Orthodox churches differ in size, distinctive features, as well as the types of materials that were used to build them - they all have the same internal structure.
Therefore, no matter where an Orthodox church is located, it consists of the same functional parts. Each part of the internal structure of the temple has its own special, clearly thought-out practical purpose. Also, all parts have their own names, taking their origins from time immemorial.
In addition, along with its functional purpose, each part in the internal structure of the temple carries an important symbolic meaning, which should be clear to every believer who comes to pray. In this article we will look at the main parts of the internal structure of an Orthodox church, and also learn the meaning of some words from church terminology.
At the entrance to the Orthodox church we are greeted by porch- this is a porch or a small open terrace covered with a roof on top. Above entrance doors There must be an icon depicting a saint, a specific event or holiday in honor of which this temple was erected.
An interesting fact is that there are three doors leading to the temple. And this custom dates back to the ancient times of early Christianity, when men and women could not yet enter the temple through the same door. This long-standing tradition in the architectural architecture of churches has been preserved to this day.
Parts of the internal structure of the temple.
The internal structure of each Orthodox church is divided into three main parts, each of which carries its own specific functional and semantic load. Among them are the following:
- porch;
- the middle part is, in fact, the very premises of the temple, the significance of which is emphasized by the corresponding design;
- altar.
Let us consider in more detail what features characterize each of these structural parts and what functional purpose she fulfills. In Christian religious tradition little has changed since ancient times, and therefore we can safely say that Orthodox churches built several centuries ago had the same structure.
The role of the vestibule in the temple.
In ancient times in narthex there could be those visitors who had not yet accepted the Christian religion. They could simply come and watch the service, but they did not have access to the middle of the temple. This was a precaution to ensure that dark, unknown forces did not penetrate into the temple and it was not desecrated. But at the same time, it was necessary to attract people and instruct them on the path of the Christian faith.
It was in the narthex that it was previously located font- a special vessel intended for the baptism ceremony. And only after the rite of baptism had been performed on him, a newly-made Christian could enter the temple to attend the service as a full-fledged parishioner. After this, he was given access to the middle part of the temple, where he could go up and venerate the icons, and also listen to the sermon of the priest, an Orthodox priest.
For the baptism of infants, small fonts were used, but for the baptism of adult parishioners, quite spacious fonts were subsequently made, which were skillfully decorated with images from mosaics on religious themes. And today, the fonts in some churches have become real works of art.
Nowadays, the porch has largely lost its original purpose, and is an ordinary vestibule through which anyone can get into the middle part of the temple. IN holidays When there are a lot of visitors in the temple, the narthex is crowded with those people who arrived later than others and therefore did not have time to go inside the temple.
Previously, the Orthodox church was conventionally divided into three parts by small wooden bars - partitions, because it was believed that men and women could not be together during worship and prayer.
Nowadays, the temple is a single, spacious room, in which the central place is occupied by iconostasis. It is an almost solid wall, decorated with many icons of Orthodox saints, which are placed in a clearly established order.
Salt device.
In front of the iconostasis is salty, which is a part of the temple raised by one step, which is designed so that believers have the opportunity to better see and hear the service.
The middle part of the sole protrudes forward and is called pulpit- from him Orthodox priest preaches a sermon, and the deacon reads the Gospel. This protruding part acts as a kind of stage from which parishioners can better see all the actions of the priest and hear his words.
Also on the salt there are fenced off places called “choirs” - this is where the choir is located during services. Choirs located on the right and left sides. This is done because some church chants must be performed by two choirs at the same time.
Purpose of church lamps.
Also on the salt is a large number of a wide variety of lamps, each of which has its own name and functional purpose. Ordinary candlesticks are placed on the floor, and chandelier suspended from the ceiling.
At first glance, the design of the chandelier resembles a very beautiful one, having several tiers, on each of which lit candles are burning. However, these days they are often replaced with light bulbs.
They hang in front of the icons lamps- small lamps filled with oil. When candles burn in them, their flame, fluctuating from the slightest movement of air, creates in the temple an atmosphere of unreality and mystery of everything that happens. This feeling is greatly enhanced by the play of light and shadow on the numerous brilliant details of the iconostasis.
From point of view Christian religion, fire expresses the fiery love of believers for God and specifically for that saint in front of whose face the candle is placed. That is why it is customary to place candles in front of the image of the saint to whom believers turn with a request for help or assistance in solving life issues.
During the service, the priest uses another lamp, which he carries in his hands and illuminates the believers with it. It consists of two crossed candles and is called dikiriem. When a service is conducted by a priest of a higher rank - a bishop or patriarch, a lamp with three candles is used - it is called trikirium.
An important part of the service is the ritual of using the censer. Since ancient times, special aromatic substances have been burned in censers. This custom has been preserved to this day in the Orthodox church tradition.
IN censer, which is a small vessel with slits designed for the passage of air, smoldering coals and pieces of aromatic resin - incense, which has long been used in Orthodox services, are inserted. During the service, the priest swings the censer and fumigates the believers, icons and holy gifts with fragrant smoke of incense. Rising clouds of fragrant smoke are a symbol of the holy spirit.
Construction of the iconostasis.
The iconostasis is a wall that separates the main room of the temple from the altar. This is one of the most beautiful parts in the interior decoration of an Orthodox church, because the entire wall of the iconostasis is decorated with icons of numerous Christian saints. Each depicts a specific saint or martyr, and they are all placed in a strict order.
There are three doors in the iconostasis. Two of them are small, and they are on the right and left sides. And in the center is the main door - the so-called Royal Doors.
The name of this door means that God himself (in the Christian religious tradition he is also called the King) invisibly enters this door during the service. Therefore, the Royal Doors are usually closed. Only priests have the right to pass through them.
Components of the altar.
However, the most important part of every Orthodox church is altar. It's closed the last part the internal structure of the temple, into which access for believers is prohibited. Therefore, only clergy who perform certain ritual actions there to conduct a church service according to all the canons of the Christian religion have the right to enter there.
The central place in the altar is occupied by the altar, which is essentially an ordinary table. It's covered antiminsom- a silk scarf on which is hand-embroidered an image of the scene of the position of Jesus Christ in the tomb. An inscription is also made on the antimension about the date of consecration of this temple. The antimension consecrated by the patriarch is sent to the temple, and only from that time on can the ritual of worship be performed with it.
The antimins is covered with clothes - first a thin one, which is called srachitsa, and on top of another one - indium. India in its own way appearance resembles a tablecloth made of expensive brocade, which goes down to the floor.
On the throne there is a cross, a Gospel in a richly decorated binding, and also a tabernacle - this is a special vessel that is intended for storing the consecrated prosphora.
On the left side of the throne there is another table, which is called the altar. Sacred vessels are kept on it - a chalice and a paten. The preparation of holy gifts for worship is also carried out on the altar.
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