Classicism was a new direction in art, established at the state level. In church architecture, on the one hand, he demanded strict adherence to the language of forms and spatial-compositional solutions, on the other hand, he did not exclude a certain freedom of creative pursuits, which was widely used by Russian masters. This, ultimately, despite all the opposition of classicism to Russian traditions, led to the creation of majestic and uniquely beautiful monuments that enriched both Russian and world culture.

The formation of classicism in Russia began under Catherine II.

Being a pragmatic person, the empress in the first years of her reign demonstrated particular piety and reverence for church traditions. She, just like Elizaveta Petrovna, went on foot to the Holy Trinity Lavra, went to Kyiv to worship the saints of Pechersk, fasted and received communion with all her court staff. All this played a significant role in strengthening the personal authority of the empress, and “thanks to the constant tension of thought, she became an exceptional person in the Russian society of her time.”

Catherine II sought, following Peter I, to reshape Russian traditions according to European patterns

The architecture and art of this time were influenced by many various factors, which lay essentially outside their boundaries, but led to fundamental changes - the replacement of “Elizabethan Baroque” with classicism. First of all, it is necessary to point out Catherine’s deep hostility towards her predecessor on the throne: everything that was sweet and dear to one was not accepted and condemned by the other. The decisive reason that influenced the replacement of the general imperial baroque style with classicism was the desire of Catherine II to reshape, following in the footsteps of Peter I, Russian cultural and social traditions according to European models and patterns.

The temples founded in both capitals under Elizaveta Petrovna were completed in the Baroque style, but with the introduction of obvious elements of the new state direction in art into their appearance. The Russian imperial court accepted classicism as a system of international artistic culture, within the framework of which from now on domestic culture was to exist and develop. Thus, half a century later, the initiatives and ideas of Peter I in the field of architecture and art find their real embodiment.

However, it should be noted that our Fatherland also originally had European cultural roots: “The ancient tradition came to Rus' through Byzantium, which had already carried out its creative implementation in the Christian spirit - rethinking.” Our culture has always been part of the world, primarily European, Christian culture. A special part, but not closed, not isolated. The entire history of Russian architecture clearly demonstrates that there has never been “cultural loneliness.” Each era presented contemporaries with new architectural buildings, erected using not only technical innovations, but also stylistic and visual elements borrowed from outside. This can be proven by Moscow monuments of the late 15th - early 16th centuries, and examples of Moscow Baroque, and St. Petersburg buildings from the time of Peter I.

For the European self-awareness of that time, the very concept of “tradition” became something archaic

For the first time during the reign of Catherine II (even if we do not forget about Peter’s innovations) church architecture was completely under the influence of consistent government pressure aimed at reorienting towards Western secular models. For the European self-awareness of that time, the very concept of “tradition” became something archaic. It was the desire to consign to oblivion the philosophy of continuity of Russian tradition in architecture and art that became the main feature of the time when European classicism came to Russia.

In Europe, a return to culture Ancient Greece and Rome in the 18th century becomes a fundamentally new large-scale phenomenon that soon covered all Western countries. But if for them classicism (“neoclassicism”) was nothing more than a return to their own roots in creative quests, then for Russia it became an innovation, especially in church architecture. However, we note that the foundation of the tradition has still been preserved. So, what remains is the three-part construction of the temple, inherited from Byzantium.

Latently, unconsciously, new architectural elements were intertwined with original national ones. Let us pay attention: Russian wooden temple architecture in its construction striving for vertical forms. This was due to the use of the main building material- wood, logs. And such a basic architectural module as a column, so beloved by classicism, provided a visual (albeit somewhat conditional) parallel with the external elements of national wooden architecture.

Nevertheless, classicism significantly changed many things - not only in the appearance of churches, but also in the entire architectural environment.

Traditional Russian cities occupied huge areas due to extremely sparse buildings, which harmoniously included a natural landscape with gardens, vegetable gardens and even forests. All this gave the city, with its ornate interweaving of streets, alleys and dead ends, a unique flavor. At the same time, it was the temples that always acted as town-planning dominants, by which the main part of the city could be distinguished.

The general redevelopment of Russian cities, carried out in accordance with European urban planning principles, rationalized the space; at the same time, the existing stone temples gradually disappeared among new buildings, as a result of which they lost their dominant sound in the urban environment. As a result, the main guidelines of the socio-cultural space in which a person’s life attitudes were formed have shifted. Temples and church buildings remained, as before, as dominant architectural structures only in rural areas.

Temple construction in Moscow during the reign of Catherine II was insignificant: mainly repair work was carried out on dilapidated buildings. In St. Petersburg, construction was still underway.

Soon after the coronation, Empress Catherine II began choosing a design for the new main cathedral of the Alexander Nevsky Monastery - by that time the temple had been dismantled due to dilapidation. IN Trinity Cathedral (1776-1790) Alexander Nevsky Lavra the philosophical ideas of European classical buildings were embodied as fully as possible. In addition, after the consecration of the cathedral, paintings by European artists were placed inside it. biblical themes, which gave the entire interior decoration a solemn and strict, but at the same time palace look.

One of the few churches founded under Catherine II in St. Petersburg was (the third in a row). But of the elements of the new style in this cathedral, perhaps, there was only one thing - decorating the walls with marble. Such architectural ideas could not fully satisfy Catherine’s tastes, so construction moved extremely slowly: by the time Paul I ascended the throne, the temple had only been completed to the vaults.

The emergence of new church architecture in classic style was accompanied by almost universal reconstruction - in favor of the ideas of classicism - of already existing temples. This is the first time in the history of Russian church building that something like this has happened on such a large scale. First of all, the alterations everywhere affected the roof coverings of churches, which were replaced with a simple hipped roof, which, naturally, radically changed the entire architectural sound of the buildings. Old windows were cut out and new ones were cut, the architectural decoration of the platbands was removed, additional porticoes with columns were added, the facades were decorated with monumental paintings done in oil painting on canvas. There are dozens of similar examples; Among the historically significant monuments that have undergone reconstruction, we will name the Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir, as well as the Trinity Cathedral, the Church of the Descent of the Holy Spirit and the Temple St. Nikon Radonezh in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra. As historian E.E. points out. Golubinsky, during the time of Catherine II, all the fortress towers of the monastery were also rebuilt in a Western style, which changed the entire appearance of the ancient monastery almost beyond recognition. Such innovations did not enrich its overall appearance; it was a striking example of the inorganic addition of structures of one time to significant architectural elements of another.

Artificial “grafting” of the ideas of classicism affected, in one way or another, almost all ancient Russian monuments. The wholesale reconstruction of churches became a demonstration of the indiscriminate and inappropriate absorption of national architectural ideas and images into the European tradition: what was original almost dissolved into oblivion, however, the new did not look at all organic or even aesthetically pleasing on ancient buildings.

The interior space of a traditional Russian church with its twilight and frescoes created conditions for prayerful repentance and sacred standing before God. And chipping away old windows and cutting through new windows created a different, rarefied air space in the interiors of ancient temples. In such a space, the fresco paintings, which consisted of large spots of color and reproduced symbols, the reading of which did not require examination and admiration, but called for prayerful deepening and spiritual peace, ceased to be properly perceived. The ancient practice of fresco painting itself became inappropriate with a new interpretation of sacred space. Previously, frescoes filled the entire temple, consistently telling about gospel events or events in the life of the Church. The ideas of the classicist decoration of the temple implied a fundamentally different initial task. The general space of the internal walls was freed from images as much as possible. Stories on various biblical themes were presented in the form of compositions not connected into a single narrative; they were “hung as separate canvases on the walls,” and each image was mounted in a decorative pictorial frame.

The interiors of churches were “corrected” to suit classicism, and the relationship between paintings, natural light and liturgical rites was disrupted

In fact, the complex relationship between fresco paintings, natural light and liturgical rites was disrupted. The interiors of the temples, “corrected” to the ideas of classicism and decorated with paintings done in oil technique and sometimes, unfortunately, not of the highest artistic level, began to loosely resemble the hall spaces of European buildings. Today, most of the temple interiors have been restored to their original fresco paintings, which were preserved under later records. Of the few that have survived to this day from that time, the paintings of the Great Cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery, completed in 1775, look most fully and harmoniously taking into account the originality of the sacred space. And this is actually an isolated example.

The new churches, built in the classicist style, were characterized by clarity of composition, conciseness of volumes, perfect harmony of proportions within the classical canon, fine drawing of details, rationality and ergonomics. But churches in the Byzantine traditions, which became national after centuries, largely have all the characteristic features listed above.

After the death of Empress Catherine II, she ascended the throne in 1796 The only son Pavel Petrovich. The new emperor's policy towards the Church can be described as lenient. During the Pavlovian period, there was virtually no temple construction in the capital. It is worth paying attention to this fact. By the time of Paul's accession to the throne, the third Cathedral in the name of St. Isaac of Dalmatia has been under construction for 28 years. Paul ordered the marble prepared for its decoration to be taken out and used in the construction of the Mikhailovsky Castle. However, it was apparently indecent to completely consign the construction of the cathedral, founded by Peter I, to oblivion, and Paul ordered it to be completed as quickly as possible with a minimum of funds, which required a change in the original plans, which is why the construction of the cathedral was again delayed, and it was consecrated only in 1802.

The only large-scale temple-building undertaking of the reign of Paul I was Cathedral in honor of the Kazan Icon Mother of God in St. Petersburg: in 1800, the project of the young talented architect A.N. was approved. Voronikhin.

A rather unusual innovation within the framework of classicism was the church in the name of Life-Giving Trinity (1785-1790) near St. Petersburg, or rather, its bell tower in the form of a tetrahedral pyramid, which is why the people began to call this temple "Kulich and Easter". Also unique in its artistic design temple-monument in honor Miraculous Image Savior(1813-1823, Kazan), built already under Alexander I, this church, erected in memory of the soldiers who fell during the capture of Kazan in 1552, has the shape of a truncated pyramid, where each side is decorated with a portico. However, the “non-singularity” of the given examples is evidenced by interesting architectural solutions of a later time, for example St. Nicholas temple of pyramidal type in Sevastopol(1857-1870). Thus, the essentially foreign ideas of ancient Egyptian architecture, actually alien to Russian culture, gradually acquired a new artistic meaning.

After the coup d'etat on March 12, 1801, the Russian throne was occupied by the son of Paul I, Alexander. In relation to the Church, the emperor pursued basically the same policy as Catherine II. But he would greatly O He carried out construction on a larger scale, including church construction, and not only in St. Petersburg, embodying new architectural ideas and projects. The ideas of classicism flourished like never before.

On August 27, 1801, Alexander I was present at the foundation stone in St. Petersburg, and ten years later he already prayed during the consecration of this truly unique structure, which became one of the most beautiful buildings not only in Russia, but also in Europe.

Of course, Russian classicism in all its manifestations was oriented towards European culture, but a political factor intervened in artistic life, weakening classicism in Russia - Patriotic War 1812-1814. After the Napoleonic invasion, the destruction of cities, the mockery of churches and shrines, and above all the Moscow Kremlin, the very image of European civilization faded and was no longer perceived by many of our ancestors with the same reverence. Political guidelines have changed - and the architecture and art of the High Empire era received a new vector of development associated with the glorification of the heroism of the Russian army, the patriotic valor of the people and the autocracy.

The series of St. Petersburg buildings of the late classicism period is completed by the construction of two churches designed by V.P. Stasova - Preobrazhensky(1825-1829) and Troitsky(1828-1835). Both of these church buildings were founded under new socio-political conditions and significantly changed tastes. In these churches, the author seemed to be trying to give a new interpretation to the forms and philosophical ideas of classicism through a return to the traditional Russian five-domed structure.

Stasov tried to combine classicism with tradition: porticoes and columns with Russian five-domed architecture

According to established opinion, the construction St. Isaac's Cathedral according to the project of O. Montferrand (1817-1858; already the fourth in a row), the era of classicism in Russia actually ends. The author was faced with the same problem that V.P. tried to solve. Stasov: to embody the traditional Russian five-domed structure in a building that is classical in spirit. For St. Isaac's Cathedral, majestic multi-figure bronze reliefs, sculptures, unique entrance doors, and columns were made. All these works are creations the best masters. St. Isaac's Cathedral is an expression of the official understanding of Orthodoxy at that time.

As for the Mother See, in the first quarter of the 19th century, church building in Moscow was insignificant, which is understandable: according to the state commission, in Moscow in 1812, 6,496 houses out of 9,151 and 122 churches out of 329 were destroyed. Large-scale construction and restoration work began immediately after liberation from Napoleonic troops.

A special place in Moscow architecture was to be occupied by the impressive building of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior on Sparrow Hills, erected in honor of the victory over the French. In its architectural design it was a traditional building in the classicist style. However, in 1826, the construction of the temple, which began in 1817, was stopped by decree of Emperor Nicholas I: for nine years, not even the foundation was built, although a lot of money was spent. They never returned to the idea of ​​building on Vorobyovy Gory.

It is important to emphasize that following classical models in the church architecture of the ancient Russian capital had certain specifics: “Moscow architecture of mature classicism was characterized, in comparison with St. Petersburg, by greater softness and warmth in the interpretation of classical forms.”

In general, the Alexander era in culture is characterized by serious internal contradictions. During this period, there was a kind of collision of two directions - the ongoing classicism and the emerging Russian Renaissance. The heterogeneity of ideas, styles, and searches, in our opinion, is one of the characteristic features of the architecture and fine arts of Russia at this time.

As we see, classicism in Russia went through all stages of its development: from a restrained early “invasion” into traditional temple buildings, when it was intertwined with “Elizabethan Baroque,” ​​to establishing itself with an almost declarative rejection of any non-classical images, after which its gradual decline began , which manifested itself primarily in the church architecture of the province, where it turned into increasingly mediocre and uniform forms. Classicism, transformed at a later time into the Empire style, was aimed at glorifying the state power of the victorious country.

Despite all the contradictions in the process of adapting the ideas of classicism to, so to speak, “Russian conditions,” there were - and this must be emphasized - positive aspects. Russian masters, having mastered the ideological, artistic, technical and engineering fundamentals and techniques of classical architecture in the shortest possible time, created examples equal to their European counterparts, which significantly advanced Russian art, including church art, forward. And such magnificent churches as Kazan and St. Isaac's have become truly world masterpieces. And it is quite appropriate to talk about the era of classicism in Russia as “Russian classicism” - a unique and inimitable phenomenon of world culture as a whole.

(The ending follows.)

Abse (apse)– an altar ledge, as if attached to the temple, most often semicircular, but also polygonal; covered with a semi-dome (conch). An altar was placed inside the apse.

Altar(from Latin “alta ara” - high altar) - the main part of the Christian temple in its eastern part. In an Orthodox church it is separated by an altar partition or iconostasis. The altar housed a throne - an elevation for the celebration of the main Christian sacrament - the Eucharist. Door altar– an icon consisting of several folding boards covered with picturesque images on both sides (diptych, triptych, polyptych).

Altar barrier- a low wall or colonnade that encloses the altar part of the temple in Orthodox churches (from the 4th century).

Pulpit- (from Greek) - an elevation in the center of the temple, from which sermons were delivered and the Gospel was read. As a rule, it was surrounded by columns carrying a roof (ciborium).

Arcature belt– wall decoration in the form of a series of decorative arches.

Flying buttress- an open semi-arch that serves to transfer pressure to the buttresses of the temple.

Atrium– a closed courtyard into which the rest of the rooms open.

Atticus- (from the Greek Attikos - Attic) - a wall erected above the cornice crowning the architectural structure. Often decorated with reliefs or inscriptions. In ancient architecture it usually ends with a triumphal arch.

Basilica- a rectangular building in plan, divided by columns (pillars) into several longitudinal galleries (naves).

Drum- a cylindrical or multifaceted upper part of the temple, over which a dome is built, ending with a cross.

Light drum- a drum, the edges or cylindrical surface of which is cut through by window openings. Head - a dome with a drum and a cross, crowning a temple building.

Baptistery- baptismal. A small centric building, round or octagonal in plan.

Stained glass– a picture on glass, an ornament made of colored glass or other material that transmits light.

Gem- a carved stone with a recessed (intaglio) or convex (cameo) image.

Donjon– the main tower of a medieval castle.

Deaconnik- a room in the altar part of an Orthodox church to the south of the altar.

Altar- a room in the altar part of an Orthodox church to the north of the altar.

Belfry- a structure built on the wall of a temple or installed next to it with openings for hanging bells. Types of belfries: wall-shaped - in the form of a wall with openings; pillar-shaped - tower structures with a multi-faceted (usually in Russian architecture, octagonal, less often nine-sided) base with openings for bells in the upper tier. In the lower tiers there is often a chamber type - a rectangular volume with a covered vaulted arcade, the supports of which are located along the perimeter of the walls.

Zakomara– (from other Russian. mosquito- vault) - a semicircular or keel-shaped completion of a section of a wall, covering the adjacent internal cylindrical (box, cross) vault.

Keystone- a stone that ends a vault or arched opening.

Campanile- in Western European architecture, a free-standing tetrahedral or round bell tower.

Canon- a set of strictly established rules that determine the basic set of subjects, proportions, compositions, designs, and colors for works of art of a given type.

Counterforce- a vertical massive protrusion of the wall that strengthens the main supporting structure.

Conha– a semi-dome over the apse, niche. Often made in the form of a shell.

Cross-domed temple- canonical type of Byzantine Orthodox church. It was a shortened basilica, topped with a dome, and, according to the Apostolic decrees, with the altar facing east.

Cube– the main volume of the temple.

Dome– a covering in the form of a hemisphere, an overturned bowl, etc.

ploughshare- wooden tiles used to cover domes, barrels and other tops of the temple.

Bulb- a church dome resembling an onion in shape.

Spatula- a vertical flat and narrow projection of a wall, similar to a pilaster, but without a base and capital.

Luminarium- a hole in the ceiling of an early Christian temple.

Martyrium– type of early Christian funeral temple over the martyr's grave.

Mosaic- a favorite type of monumental painting in the Middle Ages. The image is made from pieces of colored glass - smalt, natural stones. The pieces of smalt and stone have an irregular shape; the light on them is refracted many times and reflected at different angles, creating a magical shimmering glow that flutters in the semi-darkness of the temple.

Naos- the central part of the Byzantine cross-domed church, crowned with the main dome.

Narthex– an extension on the western side of the temple, giving the building a more elongated rectangular shape. It was separated from the central part of the temple - the naos - by a wall with arched openings leading to each of the naves.

Rib- an arched rib in Gothic vaults.

Nave– (from the Greek “neus” - ship) - an elongated room, part of the interior of a church building, limited on one or both longitudinal sides by a number of columns or pillars.

Porch– a porch and a small platform (usually covered) in front of the entrance to an Orthodox church.

Pilaster(blade) - a constructive or decorative flat vertical protrusion on the surface of a wall, having a base and a capital.

Podklet- lower floor of the building.

Curb- a decorative strip of bricks placed on edge at an angle to the surface of the facade. Has the shape of a saw.

Sail– an element of a dome structure in the shape of a spherical triangle. The main dome rests on the sails.

Plintha– flat brick (usually 40x30x3 cm), building material and element of external decorative decoration of temples.

Portal– a decoratively designed doorway of a building.

Portico- a gallery on columns or pillars, usually in front of the entrance to a building.

Side chapel- a small temple attached to the main building of the church, having its own altar in the altar and dedicated to a saint or holiday.

Narthex- the western part of Orthodox churches at the entrance, where, according to the Charter, some parts of the divine service and services (betrothal, lithium, etc.) are performed. This part of the temple corresponds to the courtyard of the Old Testament tabernacle. The entrance to the vestibule from the street is arranged in the form of a porch - a platform in front of the entrance doors, to which several steps lead.

Sacristy- a place in the altar or a separate room at a Christian church for storing the liturgical vestments of priests.

Rust- hewn stone, the front side of which is left roughly trimmed. Rustication imitates the natural texture of stone, creating the impression of special strength and heaviness of the wall.

Rustication– decorative treatment of the plaster surface of a wall, imitating masonry made of large stones.

Sredokrestie– the intersection of the central nave of the cross-domed church with the transept.

Travea- the space of the nave under the vault.

Transept– transverse nave of the cross-domed church.

Refectory- part of the temple, a low extension on the western side of the church, which served as a place for preaching and public meetings.

Fresco– (“fresco” – fresh) – a technique of monumental painting with water paints on damp, fresh plaster. The primer and the fixing (binder) substance are one whole (lime), so the paints do not crumble.

The fresco technique has been known since ancient times. However, the surface of the antique fresco was polished with hot wax (a mixture of fresco with painting with wax paints - encaustic). The main difficulty of fresco painting is that the artist must begin and finish the work on the same day, before the wet lime dries. If corrections are necessary, you need to cut out the corresponding part of the lime layer and apply a new one. The fresco technique requires a confident hand, fast work and a completely clear idea of ​​the entire composition in each part.

Gable- the completion (triangular or semicircular) of the facade of a building, portico, colonnade, limited by two roof slopes on the sides and a cornice at the base.

Choirs– an open gallery, a balcony in the second tier of the temple on the western side (or on all sides except the eastern). The choristers were housed here, as well as (in Catholic churches) the organ.

Tent- a high four-, six- or octagonal pyramidal covering of a tower, temple or bell tower, widespread in the temple architecture of Rus' until the 17th century.

Fly- a rectangular cavity in the wall.

Apple– a ball at the end of the dome under the cross.

Temple architecture of Moscow
Table of contents

Introduction

Church architecture is not at all the same as civil architecture. It carries the most important symbolic meanings, it has other functions, tasks, design features. A church building cannot be built only on the basis of volumetric-spatial and stylistic considerations. The history of civil architecture shows how man organized the living space around himself, church architecture - how he imagined the path to God over the centuries. And yet, historically, temple architecture did not differ very much from secular architecture - except perhaps in its emphasized exteriority and outward orientation; in general, it was within the framework of the architectural style dominant in a particular era, and often determined its development.

Today's situation is completely different. During the Soviet era, churches were not built here. As a result, new temples have to be built, bridging a gap of more than 70 years. But in civil architecture, too, for many years we lagged behind the rest of the world. We missed several architectural styles, others came to us late, and others were changed beyond recognition. In addition, if in ancient times architectural styles could dominate for centuries, today they replace each other every few years.

That is why the topic of this work is relevant and timely.

The purpose and objectives of the work is to study the temple architecture of Moscow.

1 History of the Church of the Holy Trinity in Nikitniki

Initially, there was the Church of the Great Martyr Nikita on this site. In 1626 there was a fire here, the church apparently burned down, but the icon of the Great Martyr Nikita was saved. In the 1630s. Yaroslavl merchant Grigory (Georgy) Nikitnikov, who settled nearby, built a stone church in the name of the Life-Giving Trinity with a chapel of Nikita the Great Martyr.

The chapels in this church are dedicated to St. Nicholas, the Apostle John the Theologian, and the Georgian Icon of the Mother of God. Georgian icon of the Mother of God in the 17th century. from Georgia through Persia she came to Russia and became famous for her miracles. In 1654, during the world plague, the icon was brought to Moscow, and a copy of the miraculous icon was placed in the Trinity Church in Nikitniki. It must be said that the royal icon painter Simon Ushakov contributed a lot to the decoration of the temple. He painted several icons for the iconostasis, one of them is the famous “Planting the Tree of the Russian State,” which deserves special consideration. There are wonderful paintings in the temple 1 .

Rice. 1

The middle and second half of the 17th century were marked by major achievements in various fields of culture. In the visual arts, there is a struggle between two contradictory directions: progressive, associated with new phenomena in Russian artistic culture, which tried to go beyond the narrow church worldview, and obsolete, conservative, fighting against everything new and mainly against aspirations for secular forms in painting. Realistic quests in painting are the driving force further development Russian fine art of the 17th century. The framework of church-feudal art with its narrow dogmatic themes is becoming too narrow, not satisfying either artists or customers. The rethinking of the human personality is taking shape under the influence of democratic strata, primarily wide circles of the townspeople, and is reflected in literature and painting. It is significant that writers and artists of the 17th century began to depict in their works a real person - their contemporary, ideas about whom were based on keen observations of life.

Rice. 2

The process of “secularization” also begins in architecture. Architects of the 17th century, when constructing churches, set out from the usual forms of civil mansion and chamber architecture, from folk wooden buildings. This inspired skilled builders and talented stone carvers, closely connected with the people and with the craftsmanship environment.

In 1634, when the monument was completed, the Kitai-Gorod area was just beginning to be built up with boyar and merchant estates and courtyards; small wooden houses predominated here. The majestic temple dominated the entire area. At that time it was similar to modern high-rise buildings. The bright coloring of the brick walls of the Trinity Church, dissected by elegant decorative trim made of white carved stone and colored glazed tiles, the covering of white German iron, golden crosses on green tiled domes10 all taken together created an irresistible impression. The architectural masses of the building are compactly arranged, which is obviously due to the harmonious relationship between the external volume and the internal space. The unity of everyone contributes to this components temple, surrounded on both sides by a gallery.

2 Temple architecture

The plan and composition of the church is based on a quadrangle, to which are adjacent chapels on both sides, an altar, a refectory, a bell tower, a gallery and a porch. The principle of combining all these parts of the temple goes back to the type of peasant wooden buildings, the basis of which was always a cage with a canopy, smaller cages and a porch attached to it. This composition is still largely connected with the architecture of the 16th century early XVII century and is a kind of completion of its development on Moscow soil. A similar compositional technique can be seen in the 16th century monument, the Church of the Transfiguration in the village of Ostrovo on the Moscow River. Here, on the sides of the main pillar, symmetrical aisles are built, united by a covered gallery 2 .

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Each aisle has its own entrance and exit to the gallery. At the end of the 16th century and in the 17th century, this technique was further developed. It should be noted that in the tent roof of the Ostrovskaya Church there is already a gradual transition from the surface of the walls to the tent in the form of several rows of kokoshniks. An example of a complete expression of a symmetrical composition with two chapels on the sides is the Church of the Transfiguration of the village of Vyazema (late 16th century) in the Godunov estate near Moscow and the Church of the Intercession in Rubtsov (1619 1626). The latter is close in type to the posad churches (the old cathedral of the Donskoy Monastery and the Church of St. Nicholas the Appeared on the Arbat).. Its features are: pillarless interior space and covering with kokoshniks. However, unlike the five-domed temple in the village of Vyazema, there is only one light dome. The above shows the organic connection of the church in Nikitniki with the settlement churches of the 16th and early 17th centuries. The architectural tradition of previous architecture was reflected in the composition of the Trinity Church: two chapels on the sides of the main quadrangle, a gallery on a high basement, three rows of kokoshniks “in a rush.” However, at the same time, the architect was able to find a completely different solution for the external volume and internal space: chapels on the sides of the main quadrangle he arranged it asymmetrically. The northern large aisle receives a refectory. The miniature southern aisle has neither a refectory nor a gallery.

There are three chapels in the Trinity Church: the northern Nikolsky, the southern Nikitsky and St. John the Theologian under the hipped bell tower. Thus, for the first time in the architecture of the 17th century, the bell tower is part of a single ensemble with the church, with which it is connected by a staircase located at the northern end of the western gallery. A new constructive technique that determined the features of the building’s layout is the covering of the main quadrangle with a closed vault (with one light dome and four blind ones), in which inside the church there is a two-light, hall-type room free of pillars, designed for the convenience of viewing the paintings decorating the walls. This technique was transferred from civil architecture.

Rice. 4

In solving the external volume of the building, the architects were able to find the correct proportional relationship between the main quadrangle, the bell tower, rushing upward, and the lower parts of the building, somewhat spreading horizontally, on a heavy white stone basement (altars, gallery, hipped porch). Distinctive feature The composition of the Trinity Church is that it changes its pictorial and artistic appearance when perceived from different points of view. From the north-west (from the side of the current Ipatievsky Lane) and from the south-east (from Nogin Square) the church is depicted as a single slender silhouette directed upward, making it look like a fairy-tale castle. It is perceived completely differently from the western side - from here the entire building literally spreads out, and all its component parts appear before the viewer: a quadrangle, a horizontally stretched western gallery, flanked by a bell tower that emphasizes the height of the church and a tented entrance porch. This bizarre variability of the silhouette is explained by the bold violation of symmetry in the composition, which was developed in the 16th century and in which the perception of the monument turned out to be the same from all sides.

In the church in Nikitniki, elegant external decoration plays a big role. To attract the attention of passers-by, the southern wall facing the street is richly decorated with paired columns and a complex entablature crowning the walls with a wide multi-broken cornice, given in a continuous change of protrusions and depressions, colored tiles and white stone carvings, rich in complex patterns, creating a bizarre play of chiaroscuro. This magnificent decorative decoration of the southern wall acquired the significance of a kind of signboard for Nikitnikov’s commercial and industrial “company”. On the courtyard side, the processing of window frames and the apse of the aisle under the bell tower is still closely connected with Moscow architecture of the 16th century (Tryphon Church in Naprudnaya, etc.). Remarkable decorative The effect is produced on the southern wall by two white stone carved frames. The predominant ornamental motif in their volumetric-planar carving on a recessed background is succulent stems with flowers and pomegranate buds. Birds are intricately inscribed in the floral ornament (When clearing the window frames, remains of painting were discovered: on the background. green-blue, on the ornament and traces of gilding.) These two main large windows, located next to each other, are striking in their bold violation of symmetry. They are different in their artistic form and composition. One is rectangular, the other is five-blade, slotted. and the paired semi-columns dividing the walls somewhat weaken the significance of the horizontal multi-broken cornices cutting the line of the walls. The vertical direction of the growing forms of the platbands is emphasized by the upper line of the trenches with skeletal kokoshniks and a white stone icon case placed between them, the high pointed end of which forms a direct transition to the covering along the kokoshniks.

Despite the general balance of the white stone decor, one is struck by the endless variety of forms of platbands with bolsters, kokoshniks and colored tiles, in which it is almost impossible to find two repeating motifs. The intricacy of the decorative decoration of the façade was enriched by a new kokoshnik-shaped two-bladed roof over the refectory, restored during the restoration of the southern wall in 1966–1967 by the architect G. P. Belov. The lavish decor gave the church the character of an elegant civil building. Its “secular” features were also enhanced by the uneven arrangement of windows and the difference in their sizes, associated with the purpose of the interior spaces 3 .

Rice. 5

The apses of the church are asymmetrical and corresponded to the division of the building into chapels. On the southern “front” wall, with the help of rows of windows, wall ledges and multi-part cornices, a clear floor division is outlined, emphasized by paired semi-columns on double pedestals in the upper part and a completely different division of the walls of the lower floor with wide pilasters. This only the emerging floor division of the walls in the Trinity Church leads to the appearance of tiered church buildings in the second half of the 17th century. The rich decorative decoration of the southern wall with white stone carvings, decoration with colored glazed tiles placed on the corner in the form of rhombuses, all together, as it were, prepares the viewer to perceive the even more magnificent interior decoration of the church. The windows of the southern wall, providing an abundance of light, contribute to the visual expansion of the internal space. The carved white stone portals in the central interior deserve special attention, as if emphasizing new trends in the design of architectural space, the unification of individual parts of the building.

Free here again creative technique- all three portals are different in their forms. Northern with a rectangular entrance opening, richly decorated with a continuous ornamental pattern, the basis of which is made up of weaving of stems and leaves with lush rosettes of flowers and pomegranate fruits (volumetric-planar carving on a notched background).

The portal ends with half a lush rosette of a giant pomegranate flower with juicy petals wrapped at the ends. The southern portal is cut in the form of a steep five-lobed arch with rectangular sides, as if supporting a strongly protruding multi-broken cornice. The same floral ornament on a notched background; at the corners the five-lobed casing is decorated with miniature images of parrots; traces of blue and red paint are preserved on their crest and plumage. It is possible that the torn multi-fragmented casing was previously crowned with a giant pomegranate fruit, similar to the pomegranate on the casing of the right window on the southern wall. If the northern and southern portals are elongated and directed upward, then the western portal is stretched in breadth. Low, semi-circular, it is entirely decorated with a carved white stone relief ornament of intertwining stems and multi-petal flowers of a wide variety of non-repeating patterns. The high quality of the white stone carving, the closeness of its technique to the carving of the wooden iconostasis and to the carved ornament on the canopy of the Church of Elijah the Prophet in Yaroslavl in 1657 give reason to assume that it is the creation of Moscow and Yaroslavl masters, who widely developed their artistic talent here in the Trinity Church.

The hipped entrance porch with a creeping vault, with two-lobed arches with an overhang and white stone carved weights is strongly pushed forward, towards the street, as if inviting everyone passing by to come in and admire 4 .

Carved ornamented white stone weights are the leading motif of the decorative decoration of the church, forming an organic part of the entire architectural composition.

Rice. 6

An intricate hanging weight is also embedded in the vault of the main room of the church. It represents four birds with outstretched wings, connected by their backs. At the lower end of the weight there is a thick iron ring, painted with cinnabar, which served to hang a small chandelier, which illuminated the upper tiers of the icons of the main iconostasis. On the inner edges of the hipped porch, there are remains of a painting depicting the painting of “The Last Judgment.” In the 17th century, the painting from the entrance porch was a continuous mite along the creeping vault of the staircase and filled the walls and vault of the western gallery. Unfortunately, no traces of ancient painting and plaster could be found here discover that all its remains were knocked down during renovation in the middle of the 19th century.

At the top, in the lock of the vault of the entrance porch, there is a thin, elegant rosette carved from white stone, apparently intended for a hanging lantern that illuminated the scenes of the “Last Judgment” depicted here. From the western gallery a perspective semi-circular portal with massive iron doors and bars leads into the church Forged rectangular gratings, made up of intersecting strips, were built specifically to protect the paired white stone painted columns located on the sides of the entrance portal.

Rice. 7

The flat surfaces of the stripes on the lattice are covered entirely with a simple incised ornament in the form of a twisting stem, with curls and leaves extending from it. At the places where the stripes intersect, there are eight-petalled figured plaques decorated with small incised patterns. Iron double doors with a semicircular top are decorated even more elegantly and fancifully. Their frame consists of solid iron vertical and horizontal strips, dividing the door panel into uniform squares. Judging by the remains of the painting, these squares were originally painted with flowers. At the crossing of the stripes there are decorations in the form of round through slotted iron plaques, once lined with scarlet cloth and mica. The door strips are embossed with images of lions, horses, unicorns and boars, various types of birds, sometimes on branches and wearing crowns. The rich composition of the feathered world is not always definable. Animals and birds are often combined into heraldic compositions included in floral patterns. The undoubted existence of the samples used by the masters is evidenced by one of the birds in the crown, entirely borrowed from the miniatures for the front Apocalypse (according to a manuscript of the early 17th century).

3 Current state of the temple

The Nikitnikov Church, unlike most previous buildings, is in a rather active relationship with the external space: it is captured by an initially open gallery along the western and (presumably) northern facades, as well as a hipped porch located far from the temple. However, the porch landing, raised above the street and covered by a low-hanging vault, feels like an isolated island, quite decisively cut off from its surroundings. Climbing the stairs already accentuated the transition to another space: after all, real space was mastered by man mainly horizontally, and the vertical coordinate belonged to the “mountain world” 5 . On the porch vault, according to E.S. Ovchinnikova, scenes of the Last Judgment were depicted; they were illuminated by a white stone lantern suspended from a white stone rosette in the center of the vault (9). Since the field of view from the porch platform is limited due to the lowered outlines of the arches with hanging weights, those who climbed onto the platform felt excluded from the space of the city, prepared to enter the consecrated arches of the temple.

Rice. 8

However, the porch did not lead directly to the entrance to the temple, but to a gallery. When looking at it from the outside, it seems that the longitudinal movement from the porch to the bell tower is undoubtedly predominant in it, which is emphasized not only by the length of the gallery, but also by the organization of its decor. But in the interior such a solution would be illogical, because... in this case, the person entering would be directed past the entrance to the main room of the temple (this entrance is located not far from the porch, in the second division of the gallery. The undesirable effect was eliminated by dividing the internal space of the gallery into a number of cells, each of which is covered with a separate vault, which also has a transverse orientation Thanks to this, the interior of the gallery is perceived not as a single vector-directed space, but as a sum of small static and relatively independent zones. It is possible that this impression was supported by the painting (which has not survived to this day), but it is also quite definitely embedded in the constructive solution. with strippings, covering the first, third and fourth divisions of the gallery, in principle, are no different from similar vaults over independent rooms, for example, the refectory of the Nikolsky chapel (10). In the second division, a semicircular vault is used, significantly higher in relation to the neighboring cells: heels. of this vault are located at the level of the locks of the vaults of the side cells. The transverse orientation and rather strong narrowing of the vault towards the eastern wall should direct the attention of the person entering to the portal located in this wall - the main entrance to the church.

A perspective portal leads into the main space of the temple from the gallery, flanked by two pairs of free-standing columns, one of the first examples of the use of this detail in ancient Russian architecture after the portals of the Annunciation Cathedral. Here there seems to be some stratification of the temple monolith: the space was able to penetrate between the constructive and decorative form (in contrast to the widespread semi-columns that existed in a single block with the wall). External environment invaded the sacred object, forming an indissoluble unity with it. In the Church of the Trinity in Nikitniki, this is still only a detail, of little significance in the overall context, but it concealed the potential for further development of the once found technique, right up to full-fledged colonnades of the 18th century.

However, the gates preserved in this portal - massive, iron, solid - cut off the interior from the outer space with the same categoricality. The inscription above the portal (“I will go into your house and worship your holy temple...”) reminds that the temple is the house of God and, therefore, in this capacity is incomparable with its surroundings. The scenes carved on the gates - peacocks and Sirines, as well as flowers written on the door panels - were associated with the idea of ​​paradise, i.e. again about the heavenly world, separated from the earthly vale.

However, the space of the refectory at the Trinity Church, where the portal leads, differs relatively little from the space of the gallery - low, transversely oriented, with wall paintings (also lost in the 18th century). The official character of the vestibule, the vestibule of the main church, immediately became clear to those who entered. Three openings leaving a view of the main iconostasis left no doubt about this. The openings are quite low; the proportions of the central one tend to be square, allowing one to see almost only the local row of the iconostasis from the refectory. Therefore, from the refectory, the space of the temple itself involuntarily appears transversely oriented and relatively low, similar to the space of the refectory. And only from under the central arch, i.e. in fact, already at the entrance to the main temple, the actual height of the building is revealed, more than twice the height of the previous room. The stunning contrast of the “chamber” space of the refectory and the open-up main room of the temple affects so strongly that the volume of the church seems strongly elongated upward, although in fact it is almost cubic: its length and width are equal to the height to the vault. The image of heaven foreshadowed by the plot of the western doors is clearly embodied in the main space of the church, supported by the theme of the vault painting (“The Descent into Hell” bringing the righteous to heavenly bliss and “Ascension” Christ’s ascension to heaven). In addition, “Ascension” also seems to objectify the feeling experienced by those who enter - the upward thrust, akin to the “force field” that was formed under the dome of the cross-domed church (it is no coincidence that in early ancient Russian paintings the dome was occupied by “Ascension”).

This feature of the interior space of the Trinity Church in Nikitniki is generally traditional. But along with it, the interior design contains innovations that run counter to the canonical appearance of the ancient Russian temple. The pillarless room looks surprisingly solid. It completely removes the dismemberment and “layering” of the space of cross-domed buildings, caused by the allocation of transversely oriented spatial zones - the altar, solea, central transverse nave, etc. The interior is not divided by pillars; There is not even a soleya, which transfers the gradation of space according to the degree of holiness (decreasing from the altar to the vestibule) into a purely speculative plane. The altar is completely hidden by the iconostasis, the plane of which formed the fourth wall, similar in appearance to the other three.

Conclusion

Along with the techniques characteristic of medieval painting, in Nikitnikov’s paintings there is a clear desire to show scenes in the interior: the depicted conventional structures either stretch upward or spread out horizontally, as if trying to embrace all the characters, to include them in a single space, identical to the real one. The strong inertia of the old understanding of space is reflected in the fact that the figures are still located in front of the chambers rather than inside them, but nevertheless, the deepening of the space of the frescoes leads to an illusory expansion of the walls, a deepening of the interior; in fact, the entire wall, like a window, began to be thought of as the boundary of the transition of spaces - architectural and picturesque. Outside the pictorial space, the real world reflected in this painting was felt.

The Church of the Holy Trinity in Nikitniki is a beautiful architectural monument. The church building, truly a pearl of Russian architecture of the 17th century, caused many imitations both in the capital and in the provinces. Placed on a high basement on a hill, it is visible from afar, attracting the eye with its unusually picturesque silhouette: an upward-facing quadrangle with paired columns and a slide of graceful kokoshniks is crowned with five chapters on high drums, processed by columns and an arched belt. The main quadrangle is echoed by the pyramids of kokoshniks of two aisles: the northern, Nikolsky, and the southern, Nikita the Warrior, above the tomb of the Nikitnikov merchants, and the main volume has an elegant hipped bell tower and a small porch tent. The varied decorative design of the facades is emphasized by the bright two-tone coloring. The cozy interiors of the temple are covered with a multi-colored carpet.

The iconostasis contains icons of the Stroganov style; many local icons were made by icon painters of the Armory Chamber. For this church in 1659, Yakov Kazanets, Simon Ushakov and Gavrila Kondratyev painted the icon “Annunciation with Akathist”, and the icons “Great Bishop”, “Our Lady of Vladimir” or “Planting the Tree of the Russian State” were painted by Simon Ushakov.

Now it is a functioning temple and at the same time a museum, but judging by the crumbling porch, the temple clearly lacks a modern Yaroslavl merchant.

Thus, while maintaining medieval features in the overall composition of the temple - the relative isolation of spatial volumes, the height contrast of the side and central parts - inside each part, the space is already resolved in a new way, acquiring integrity and unity. The sacred experience of the interior of a religious building is significantly smoothed out, harmonized and receives a different emotional coloring - lighter, calmer and more joyful. Probably the definition of Russian architecture of the mid-17th century. Pavel of Aleppo as “cheerful to the soul” (20) was to a large extent inspired by the peculiarities of the interpretation of its internal space.

List of used literature

1. Kanaev I.P. Architecture of modern Orthodox small churches and chapels: Author's abstract. diss. - M., 2002.
2. MDS 31-9.2003. Orthodox churches. T. 2. Orthodox churches and complexes: A guide to design and construction. - M.: ARKHKHRAM, 2003.
3. Mikhailov B. Modern icon painting: development trend // Church Bulletin. 2002. June. No. 12-13.
4. Experience in the construction of Orthodox churches // Construction technology. No. 1. 2004.
5. Modern church architecture: Round table of radio "Radonezh". 06/27/2007.

1 Architecture of an Orthodox church. X - XX centuries. // Orthodox encyclopedia. Volume "Russian Orthodox Church. Russian church art of the 10th - 20th centuries": Internet resource.

2 Moscow is golden-domed. Monasteries, temples, shrines: Guide. - M.: UKINO "Spiritual Transfiguration", 2007.

3 Buseva-Davydova I.L. The evolution of the internal space of churches of the 17th century. (using the example of the Trinity Church in Nikitniki and the Intercession Church in Fili). In the book: Architectural heritage. Vol. 38. Problems of style and method in Russian architecture. M.: Stroyizdat, 1995. P. 265-281.

4 Buseva-Davydova I.L. The evolution of the internal space of churches of the 17th century. (using the example of the Trinity Church in Nikitniki and the Intercession Church in Fili). In the book: Architectural heritage. Vol. 38. Problems of style and method in Russian architecture. M.: Stroyizdat, 1995. P. 265-281.

5 Buseva-Davydova I.L. The evolution of the internal space of churches of the 17th century. (using the example of the Trinity Church in Nikitniki and the Intercession Church in Fili). In the book: Architectural heritage. Vol. 38. Problems of style and method in Russian architecture. M.: Stroyizdat, 1995. P. 265-281.

At the lecture “How to be surprised by Moscow: architecture in details,” organized by Level One, the architectural historian spoke about the significant stages in the development of Moscow architecture of the 14th-20th centuries, and also taught how to accurately determine the style and time of construction by “telling” details.

Moscow churches of the 12th-14th centuries: the time of the capital's first ambitions

Moscow was first mentioned in chronicles in 1147. But stone buildings on the territory of the Moscow principality appeared only a century and a half later, and not in the city itself, but on the outskirts.

St. Nicholas Church in the village of Kamenskoye, Naro-Fominsk district

Reached to this day St. Nicholas Church in the village of Kamenskoye, Naro-Fominsk district. This church is very simple, even primitive, in architectural terms. The decoration includes a perspective portal with a keel-shaped arch (such an arch with a “tongue of flame” will become a purely Moscow architectural feature for centuries).

Church of the Assumption on Gorodok in Zvenigorod

Built at the end of the 14th century Church of the Assumption on Gorodok in Zvenigorod. He is only a few decades older than Nikolsky, but before us is a much more mature work. We see the same perspective portal and keeled arch, but columns and an ornamental belt appear, as well as narrow windows and tiers.

Where did the columns come from? Of course, from antiquity. Have Moscow architects gone on a creative trip to the Peloponnese? Obviously not. They were inspired by the architecture of the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, which was the center of pre-Mongol Rus'. During the heyday of the principality, Vladimir-Suzdal architects managed to achieve perfection in understanding the ancient heritage.

One of the peaks of white stone architecture of that time has survived to this day - this Church of the Intercession on the Nerl. Here we see reinterpreted antique elements - columns, ornamental belt, plinth, cornice in a very harmonious design.

Moscow masters at the end of the 14th century were guided by the architecture of the Vladimir land (especially since in terms of statehood Moscow was supposed to become its successor), but not yet very skillfully.

XV-XVI centuries: Italians in Russia

Assumption Cathedral

The main buildings of this time were the cathedrals of the Moscow Kremlin. Assumption Cathedral– the last one, built in the “Old Moscow” style with its inherent asceticism. It was built by an Italian, who was given instructions to “make it like in Vladimir,” explains Dmitry Bezzubtsev.

Cathedral of the Archangel

And here Cathedral of the Archangel, decorated with Venetian shells, is reminiscent of the European Renaissance. It is richly decorated, and this decor is done very skillfully - you can feel the hand of an Italian. In general, according to Dmitry, this is a “new level of awareness” for Moscow architecture.

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khoroshev

Church of the Life-Giving Trinity in Khoroshev, once built on the estate of Boris Godunov, is another monument of this time. Presumably it was built according to the design of the Russian architect Fyodor Kon, but the Italian influence is felt - the laws of symmetry are observed here perfectly.

17th century: irrational pattern making

In the 17th century, Italians no longer built in Russia. Domestic masters are completely updating the architectural language. The main distinctive features of the new style, which is called patterning, are irrationality and picturesqueness. This is “the juiciest thing that has been created by Moscow architecture,” comments Dmitry Bezzubtsev.

Examples of such buildings can be found in the very center of Moscow - this is a bright Church of St. Nicholas in Khamovniki And Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Putinki(it became white in our time, but was originally painted).

If you look closely at these temples, you can see a huge variety of architectural details scattered throughout the building in a whimsical and asymmetrical manner. Look, for example, at how the windows of the St. Nicholas Church are made: all the platbands are of different shapes (but almost everyone has a reference to the Moscow keel shape), the windows are located at different distances relative to the edge of the walls and each other (this is called “staggered windows”), in some places the platband “ crawls" onto the cornice. The structure as a whole is asymmetrical: the refectory is attached to the main volume of the temple randomly, the bell tower is offset from the central axis.

Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Putinki

We see the same in Church of the Nativity of the Virgin Mary in Putinki. Here it is interesting to pay attention to the joints of different parts of the building, which literally “crawl” into each other, to the fact that the external architecture does not reflect the internal structure of the building.

Resurrection (Iveron) Gate

An example of a more aristocratic, orderly pattern can be found on Red Square - these are recreated in the 90s of the 20th century Resurrection (Iveron) Gate. The shapes and decor characteristic of the 17th century are arranged neatly and symmetrically.

Verkhospassky Cathedral in the Kremlin

One more example - Verkhospassky Cathedral in the Kremlin. Its elegant domes are clearly visible from the Alexander Garden.

18th century: Naryshkinsky and simply baroque

In the 18th century, Moscow architecture again looked to the West. The connecting link between the architecture of old patriarchal Moscow and the new style of St. Petersburg, built in the Western European spirit - Peter's Baroque - was the Naryshkin style.

Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary in Fili

The most famous examples of Naryshkin baroque are Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary in Fili, Spassky Church in the village of Ubory, Odintsovo district.

Spassky Church in the village of Ubory, Odintsovo district

The peculiarity of Naryshkin's style is the mixture of contradictory trends and currents. On the one hand, we see the features of European Baroque and Mannerism, echoes of Gothic, Renaissance, Romanticism, on the other – the traditions of Russian wooden architecture and ancient Russian stone architecture.

In Bolshoi Kharitonyevsky Lane there is an interesting monument of civil architecture of the Naryshkin Baroque. It recently became available to the public as a museum.

But there is almost no genuine, high-class baroque, similar to what can be found in St. Petersburg, in Moscow. One feels that at this time Moscow is a province. However, on Red Square itself we can admire house of the provincial government, on Staraya Basmannaya – Temple of the Martyr Nikita.

In general, baroque is “an excellent student who is trying to pretend to be a poor student,” jokes Dmitry Bezzubtsev. This style is based on the order, that is, the laws of symmetry and order, but its distinctive features are “broken” arches and pediments, free curves, whimsical, excessive decor.

XVIII-XIX centuries: the era of urban estates and imperial empire

First city hospital

Classicism flourished in Moscow and lasted a long time - about 800 architectural monuments in this style are still preserved. The nobility especially often built classicist urban estates. Classicism is based on simple geometric shapes, order, and order. He “stops having a complex about empty space,” says Dmitry Bezzubtsev, showing the building First city hospital.

Indeed, only the central portal here is decorated, the rest of the walls are practically empty. Temples were also built in the classicist style; example – .

Manege

The most “elegant” version of classicism is the Empire style. Empire-style buildings were created for his empire by Napoleon Bonaparte. After the victory over Napoleon, Russia “conquered” his style. To achieve the impression of elation and solemnity, the upper part of the building was enlarged. For example, near the building Manege the pediment is greatly enlarged. Also a distinctive feature of the style is military, especially antique, symbolism in the decor.

The end of the 19th century: a time of eclecticism

From the 19th century, styles begin to blur, and this becomes especially noticeable towards the end of the century. For example, a real “collection of quotes”. We can see keeled arches, Romanesque “hanging” columns, a composition that echoes St. Isaac’s Cathedral (a large central dome and four bell towers), and so on.

Or a building Historical Museum: There are many quotes from the era of pattern making, but the symmetry of the building and the simple size indicate that this is not the 17th century.

Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent

A Marfo-Mariinskaya Convent– a combination of neo-archaic architecture with motifs of Novgorod architecture and modernism.

– neoclassicism: we see a portal typical of classicism, but the colonnade runs along the entire facade, the size of the building indicates technical capabilities unimaginable in the period of true classicism.

Early 20th century: cozy modern

Many mansions were built in the Art Nouveau style in Moscow. The principle of “from the inside out”, characteristic of Art Nouveau, came in very handy in the construction of private houses: first they planned the number and location of rooms, then they came up with the outer shell. The architect becomes an artist: he can draw, for example, his own window shape.

Ryabushinsky Mansion

New materials are actively used - for example, metal, decorative plaster, tiles (“Eclecticism shyly covered up metal structures,” notes Bezzubtsev), and a new interpretation of wood. A magnificent example of Art Nouveau - Ryabushinsky mansion.

* * *

Moscow has something to be proud of. After the Italian influence, Russian architecture was able to come up with a new full-fledged language - patterning. To catch up with world architecture and create buildings in the best traditions of European classicism. Then renounce tradition and offer cozy modernity. Finally, discover the avant-garde and influence the appearance of cities around the world. But this will be a separate conversation.

Have you read the article Temples of Moscow: 7 architectural details. Read also.

By mastering new technologies, a person changes the space around him, at the same time modernizing the material attributes of religion - the buildings of churches and temples. Such changes also affect the Orthodox environment, where the question of “modernizing” the church tradition of building churches is increasingly being raised. Catholics, on the contrary, are trying to take control of this process - not so long ago the Vatican officially stated: “Modern Catholic churches resemble museums and are built more with the aim of receiving an award for design than to serve the Lord...”. The works of Western architects are indeed often awarded in various professional competitions and awards; some of them later become widely known and become architectural symbols of cities.

We present to you photographs of modern churches built with elements of modernism and the “style of the future” - high-tech.

(Total 21 photos)

1. Protestant “Crystal” Cathedral in Garden Grove, Orange County, California, USA. This is the most famous example of the high-tech style, which involves straight lines in design and glass with metal as the main material. The temple is built from 10,000 rectangular glass blocks held together with silicone glue, and its design, according to the architects, is as reliable as possible.

2. The church can accommodate up to 2900 parishioners at a time. The organ located inside the Crystal Cathedral is truly wonderful. Operated from five keyboards, it is one of the largest organs in the world.

3. In many ways similar to the “Crystal” Cathedral, the Church of Light from Light (eng. Cathedral of Christ the Light) is a Catholic church in the city of Oakland, USA. The church is the cathedral of the Diocese of Oakland and the first Christian cathedral in the United States to be built in the 21st century. The temple has been widely discussed in the American press due to the significant construction costs, as well as the surrounding garden, which is dedicated to victims of sexual abuse by clergy.

4. Interior of the Church of Light from Light.

5. Metropolitan Cathedral of Christ the King, often called simply Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, is the main Catholic church in Liverpool, Great Britain. The building is a shining example architecture of the second half of the 20th century. Serves as the see of the Archbishop of Liverpool and also acts as a parish church.

6. The interior interior with state-of-the-art lighting will amaze both believers and atheists.

7. The Church of the Holy Cross in Denmark is impressive with the geometry of the building in a minimalist style and its location - almost in the middle of a field.

8. Built in the late 90s Catholic Church in the city of Evry (France) is called the Cathedral of the Resurrection. Pay attention to the floral decor in the form of green bushes located on the roof of the building.

9. The Church of the Merciful God the Father in Rome is a major social center of the Italian capital. This futuristic building is specially located in one of the residential areas in order to architecturally “revive” it. Precast reinforced concrete was used as a building material.

10. Hallgrimskirja - Lutheran church in Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland. This is the fourth tallest building in the entire country. The church was designed in 1937 by architect Goodjoun Samuelson, and it took 38 years to build. Although the building was created long before the expansion of high-tech into the world of architecture, in our opinion, the general appearance of the temple and its unusual shape make it a very interesting example of modernism. The church is located in the very center of Reykjavik, visible from any part of the city, and its upper part is also used as an observation deck. The temple became one of the capital's main attractions.

11. In the center of Strasbourg, France, a modern cathedral is being built, which still only has a “working” name: Folder. Consisting of a series of pleated arches, the building would look extremely original as a venue for Catholic ceremonies, such as weddings.

12. Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church of St. Joseph was built in Chicago (USA) in 1956. It is known throughout the world for its 13 golden domes, which symbolize Jesus himself and the 12 apostles.

13. Church of Santo Volto in Turin (Italy). The design of the new church complex is part of the program of transformations provided for in the 1995 Turin master plan.

14. St. Mary's Cathedral in San Francisco is a fairly avant-garde building, but local architects call it a "reasonable conservative option."

15. The minimalist Church of Light was built in 1989, designed by famous Japanese architect Tadao Ando, ​​in a quiet residential area in the suburbs of Osaka, Japan. The interior space of the Church of Light is visually divided by rays of light coming from a cross-shaped hole in one of the walls of the building.

16. In the center of Los Angeles is the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. The church serves a general archdiocese of more than 5 million Catholics. It is in this temple that the archbishop conducts the main liturgies.

17. Harissa Church in the capital of Lebanon - Beirut. It consists of 2 parts: a bronze statue of the Holy Virgin Mary weighing fifteen tons, located at an altitude of 650 meters above sea level, made in the Byzantine style. There is a small chapel inside the statue.

18. The second part of the Harissa Church is a futuristic cathedral made of glass and concrete. This complex is a real Christian symbol in a somewhat unusual setting. It is also called the "Banner of Christianity in the Middle East."

19. The building, unusual in shape, materials and general concept, is the relatively recently built Catholic Church of Santa Monica. The temple is located an hour's drive from Madrid (Spain).

20. Interior of the Church of Santa Monica.

21. To conclude our review - a completely unconventional Trinity Church in the traditional and conservative capital of Austria - Vienna. The Church of the Holy Trinity (German: Kirche Zur Heiligsten Dreifaltigkeit) in Vienna, better known as the Church of the Holy Trumpets, is located on Mount Sankt Georgenberg. Built in 1974, the Temple belongs to Roman Catholic Church. Due to the complete inconsistency with traditional church forms, the construction of the building, of course, met significant resistance from local residents.