Architecture is the soul of a people embodied in stone.
Old Russian architecture, from the 10th century to the end of the 17th century, was closely connected with the church and Orthodoxy. The first Christian churches began to appear in Russia as early as the 10th century, and the first Russian city to be baptized was Kiev. Russia had a traditional material - wood. At first, almost all the buildings were wooden. However, due to numerous fires, thousands of wooden buildings erected by Russians burned down. At this time, stone construction also begins to be laid.
Thus, monumental architecture is the best-preserved type of Old Russian art, the objects of which were various palaces, fortifications and, of course, churches.
The history of architecture of Ancient Russia from the X to XII century
In the first period, which took place in the X - XII centuries. architecture in Russia took the architectural style of Byzantium as a basis , in connection with these very ancient Russian buildings resembled Byzantine temples. The first temples on the territory of Ancient Rus were built by specially invited, Byzantine architects. The architecture of Ancient Russia is most vividly represented by such architectural structures as the Tithes Church (it did not survive until our time, as it was destroyed during the Tatar-Mongol invasion) and St. Sophia Cathedral in Kiev, St. Boris and St. Gleb Cathedral in Chernigov, St. Sophia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod, and others .
Immediately after the baptism of Rus, Prince Vladimir invited Byzantine masters to create 25 - the head of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin (Tithes). Before the construction of St. Sophia Cathedral, it was the main temple of Kiev.
Hagia Sophia in Kiev is the famous temple of ancient Russia, built in 1037. The cathedral has 5 longitudinal passages (naves) and 12 cruciform pillars on which the arches rest. The vaults of Kiev's Sofia are crowned with 13 chapters, which rhythmically rise to the sky. In the plan of the building they form the figure of a cross, in the center of which a large dome rises. This design of churches was called the cross-domed. She was adopted from Byzantium.
Almost all the buildings could not reach us in their original form due to the numerous Tatar-Mongol invasions. What we can now observe is only modern reconstruction.
The second period (second half of the 12th century - the beginning of the 13th century)
Since the second half of the XII century. and before the beginning of the XIII century. distinguish the "golden age" of old Russian architecture. Most churches and cathedrals begin to build from a new special material - white stone. This stone replaced the plinth - it is burnt brick, which began to be used in Byzantium. It is still unknown what made the architects of this period replace the plinth with new material. White stone began to be widely used in construction; Vladimir Assumption Cathedral and the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl were built from it.
Features of the architecture of ancient Russia in this period:
- One-headed cubic temples.
- Strict decorative design.
- It is based on the cross-domed church.
The Assumption Cathedral of Vladimir was built under Yuri Dolgoruky around 1150 in Galich.
The well-known Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, built by order of Andrei Bogolyubsky around 1165, is considered the highest achievement of the entire Vladimir-Suzdal architectural school.
Unfortunately, due to the fact that many buildings were destroyed, it is almost impossible to say exactly what kind of extra-church buildings were. However, the historically correctly restored Golden Gate in Kiev and the Vladimir Golden Gate show that the trends of secular architecture completely coincided with the development of church architecture.
The third period (second half of the 13th century - beginning of the 15th century)
This period is characterized by numerous invasions from all sides. This is the "dark age" in the history of the ancient Russian state. The monumental construction was almost discontinued. From the end of the XIII century, in order to avoid ruin in Russia, stone architecture, first of all, military architecture, was revived again.
Stone city fortifications of Novgorod and Pskov, fortresses on capes or islands are being erected. Also during this period a new model temple appears - an eight-slope temple. A vivid representative of this type is the Novgorod Church of the Savior on Ilyin.
Over time, Moscow gradually turned into a major political center. This led to the development of the architecture of the Moscow principality. The Moscow school was formed by the end of the 16th century.
The rise of architecture in Moscow falls on the reign of Ivan III - the end of the 15th century. In 1475 - 1479, the Moscow Assumption Cathedral was built, the architect of which was the Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti.
In the Trinity-Sergius Monastery in 1423 the Trinity Cathedral was built, in 1424 in the Andronikov Monastery - the Spassky Cathedral. Outwardly, these churches vary greatly, but despite this, the churches of the Moscow principality have something in common - they are characterized by clarity and proportionality, harmony, and dynamism. Many architects emphasized the pyramidal composition of the temple.
Architecture style
For several centuries, a common style of architecture of ancient Russia was developed:
- Pyramid design.
- The verticality of the forms.
- A special national type of dome resembling the shape of a bow.
- The dome was covered in gold.
- Multi-headed (traditionally fixed five-headed).
- The white color of the temple.
School of Architecture
Throughout the history of Ancient Russia, various architectural schools such as Kiev, Novgorod, Vladimir-Suzdal and Moscow architectural schools were created.
Byzantium, the world of Christianity greatly influenced the development of architecture of Ancient Russia. Under this influence, construction experience came to Russia, which helped shape its traditions. Russia adopted many architectural traditions, but soon developed its own style, which was clearly manifested in the most famous monuments of ancient Russian architecture.
The first stone buildings were laid during the reign of Prince Vladimir the Great. Nowhere in Europe at this time, art was not so developed as in Byzantium, so it had a huge impact on the art of the whole world and, of course, Ancient Russia.
Conclusion
However, we will not be able to fully understand and enjoy the architecture of Ancient Russia, since due to the numerous raids of the Mongol-Tatars and other numerous wars, most of the architectural monuments were destroyed. So now we can only see the reconstruction.