Within the Christian religion, there are several faiths, one of them is Catholicism. An answer to the question of what a church is associated with this form of worship.
Ecumenical church
The Catholic Church unites more than a billion and a quarter of believers. Having arisen on the territory of the Western part of the Roman Empire, the religious organization gathered under its wing the Eastern Catholic churches, its head on earth - the Pope, and in heaven - Jesus Christ. Translated from Greek, "Catholic" means "universal." The construction of religious buildings for worship began in the era of Constantine the Great, when Christianity became the state religion.
In Russia there are more than fifty Catholic church buildings erected at different times in a number of cities in our large country. Among them there are cathedrals - the main church houses of the city, as well as temples, churches, churches. What are liturgical buildings and what role they play in the religious life of a particular denomination, you can best find out by visiting them. Architecture, interior design have symbolism. They are made in accordance with the ideas of believers on the purpose of earthly and afterlife.
The basis of the structure is the basilica - a rectangular structure with a transverse nave, topped with a dome. The building resembles a Latin cross.
There are most Catholic churches in St. Petersburg , as the city is traditionally considered to be multi-religious. European engineers who helped Peter build the Northern capital, trading people who came here, artisans needed temples of their religion. Today, the buildings of fabulous beauty are monuments of architecture.
What is a church
The Polish Catholic Church is called the church. It arose from the Latin word castellum, which means "strengthening." It so happened that this word refers to a church building in Czech, Slovak, and Belarusian languages. Confessional peculiarities force their adherents to distinguish between the Orthodox, Greek Catholic, Lutheran and other religions. This was reflected in the fact that in the Czech Republic all Christian churches are called churches, and in Poland and Slovakia only those churches that adhere strictly to the Catholic faith are so called.
In the Russian language, the tradition of calling only Polish Catholic churches was established as churches. And if we asked the question of what the church is to Russian publicists of the 19th century, we would get the answer: all the Roman Catholic church buildings.
Unearthly sounds
The Catholic liturgy is associated with an organ - a wind-keyboard instrument, capable of issuing majestic solemn sounds reminding a person of the greatness of divine creation and the mortality of earthly being. Historians claim that in 666, Pope Vitaly, by decree, approved the use of this tool in worship. In Byzantium in the 8th century, the organ was an indispensable attribute of religious service. Much later, thanks to the art of the masters of Italy and Germany, the instrument became a participant in liturgies in European cathedrals and churches. Composers composed works intended for organ performance.
The specificity of the instrument lies in the fact that its sound is combined with the acoustics of the room, therefore it is best to listen to organ melodies in temples, where the space directed to the dome gives an incomparable charm to the sound of organ pipes. Once in the Polish church at the time of the liturgy, you can enjoy the splendor of organ spiritual works. Anthems, psalms, masses, sequences, accompanied by the singing of the choir, inspire the soul, strengthen faith, harmonize thoughts.
Unique concerts
Many churches in the Czech Republic practice secular concerts of organ music. This is the Basilica of Saints Peter and Paul in Vysehrad, the Church of St. Elijah in Prague, the Mirror Chapel in the Clementinum architectural complex, where great Mozart once played music. The best, according to fans, organ evenings are held in the church of St. Francis of Assisi. The organ located in the church is considered one of the oldest in Prague.
A bewitching organ sound also fills the Catholic churches of St. Petersburg. This, for example, the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the church of St. Stanislav, the Church of the Mother of God. Organ masses are also held in the evangelical Lutheran parishes of the city on the Neva.