What do the domes of Orthodox churches mean? How many chapters can an Orthodox church have and what does their number mean?

Believers cross themselves before entering the church fence, before entering the temple, when they enter the temple. If the service has not yet begun, you can go up to cross yourself and venerate the icon lying in the center of the temple on a lectern (a small table with an inclined upper surface). The icon on the lectern changes every day and is associated with the service of that day; there may be more than one icon on the lectern.

If there are relics of saints or especially revered icons in the church, then they come up, cross themselves, and venerate them. You can approach any icon; you don’t have to approach all icons. If there are people in the temple, you can greet them with a nod of your head. If a priest is nearby, you can greet him with a slight bow, and if he is not busy, you can approach him and ask for a blessing. If the church service has already begun, then we try not to disturb anyone and move around less. Having crossed ourselves after entering the temple, we take a place and participate in common prayer.
You can venerate the icons after the service. If a person wants, you can buy one or more candles in an icon shop, this is not an obligation. You can light the candles yourself, and if there are a lot of people in the temple, you can ask them to transfer the candle to the candlestick. On the left side of the temple there is a square candlestick-eve; candles are placed on it for the dead. In the remaining candlesticks, candles are placed for the living, the Lord, the Mother of God and the saints. You can put all the candles in one candlestick or put one candle for everyone and everything. When they light a candle, they mentally say who or for whom this candle is. You can blow out a burnt out candle. The candle is treated with reverence.
Candles can be lit at home; candle stubs are not thrown into the trash; they can be taken to church or burned in a clean place. Those who wish can order special commemorations or petitions from the icon shop; this is also not an obligation. If a newcomer does something differently from the others (bows at the wrong time, turns the wrong way, etc.) this is not a sin, not all at once, we learn. It’s good if you have an already experienced friend who can give you advice. In the meantime, don’t be sad, ask, they’ll tell you. Is it possible to go to temple when there is no money? NEED TO! God does not need money, but our faith and prayer.

When we go to church, we will see something familiar at the morning service. Queue! What do they give? Taking a closer look, we see: they don’t give anything!? On the lectern lie a cross and a Gospel in a metal binding, a priest stands nearby, people lined up approach the priest, say something, lay their heads on the Gospel, the priest reads a prayer over them and the people leave.
We saw one of the seven sacraments - the sacrament of confession. In the sacrament, in addition to the actions we see, there is the action of the Holy Spirit. The action of the Holy Spirit is hidden from us - it is mysterious, hence the name sacrament. (In passing, we note that in the Orthodox Church there is no secret information or “higher knowledge” for the elect (the so-called esoteric). Man, due to the weakness of his nature, tends to make mistakes, to some extent violate the commandments of God, which is a sin. To recognize sin, the Lord put human CONSCIENCE into the soul (heart). Everyone knows what pangs of conscience are.
How, from an atheistic point of view, can one explain the acquisition by a person of such a property as conscience? From the point of view of utility and benefit, conscience is not needed. Everyone knows: “Arrogance is the second happiness!” - says popular wisdom.
At confession, the believer repents to God of those actions that cause his soul to hurt and his conscience to denounce him. The priest at confession is a mediator and assistant, for they repent not to the priest, but to God. The confessional lectern is an image of the scaffold; the penitent places his guilty head on the scaffold. But instead of an ax blow, he hears: “I forgive and absolve from all sins.” The effect of the sacrament is quite palpable: the conscience ceases to torment and the soul does not hurt. A person remembers the event of sin, but no longer painfully, as if it did not happen to him.

Sacrament of Confession
Confession is not a simple matter, and for many it is difficult to decide on the first confession. The priest will help you confess, you don’t need to be afraid of confession, you need to be afraid of the eternal destruction of the soul. When we have an illness, we go to the doctor. Whether you like it or not, tell the doctor your medical history and show where the disease is located, otherwise the doctor will not treat you. So bring the disease of the soul to the doctor - Jesus Christ, there is no sin that does not overcome the mercy of God. Repentance means correction of the soul - this is its purpose. An interesting observation: a person cannot hide a committed sin within himself! He will tell you, he will definitely tell you! A friend, a neighbor, an unfamiliar fellow traveler, a psychic, a healer, a psychologist for money, but not for confession in church! What is the reason? In a demon. In the case of a repentant church confession, the demon will spiritually resist - hinder, because... Confession destroys sin, but the demon does not want this. And in other cases, the demon will spiritually compel - encourage a person to talk about his sin, in order to sting other people with the stench of a sin they did not commit and multiply the sin.
For a beginner, preparation for confession is simplified: from 00 o'clock do not eat, do not drink, do not smoke, it is good if a person already reads prayers at home (if not yet, let him go to confession anyway. Confession is a sacrament, but preparation is not. What is more important?) , listen carefully to your conscience, remember your sins. You can write down your sins on a piece of paper.
Nowadays, a lot of books have been published about confession and preparation for confession; it is useful to read them, they will help you confess. How often do parishioners go to confession? (Priests also confess.) Everyone is different. Some more often, some less often. From the experience of a priest, the conclusion is: the more often the better! It’s good when they confess every week. Some people say: “It’s hard to prepare to go to confession every week!” Many priests serve three or more liturgies a week, and the priest prepares for each liturgy. The rule of preparation for a priest is somewhat more extensive.
Children begin to confess at age 7. Women on Women's Days can confess for special reasons: their soul hurts - they have no strength, they go to the hospital, leave for a long time, etc. If a person is chronically ill and cannot do without medicine, let him drink the medicine. Patients with diabetes must eat.
During confession, you can ask the priest questions regarding spiritual and church life. If there are few people confessing, and time allows, you can ask the priest for advice in everyday matters. Because and everyday affairs can either contribute to spiritual rebirth or hinder it. There is a parish practice: we prayed, asked for help from the Mother of God and the saints, then mentally: “Lord, enlighten me through the priest!” And we’ll ask the priest for advice and help. And the Lord, for our humility, will teach us through the priest how to act correctly, what choice to make.

Priest Leonid Glebets.

Dome - what does the number of domes and their colors mean?

Dome (Italian) cupola- dome, vault, from lat. cupula, diminutive of cupa - barrel) - a spatial covering of buildings and structures, in shape close to a hemisphere or other surface of rotation of a curve (ellipse, parabola, etc.). The tradition of constructing one or more domes over the main building of the temple came to us from Byzantium. The dome is a symbol of the heavenly (sphere) and eternal (circle). The exterior of the temple often reflects its dedication - to the Lord, the Mother of God, some saint or holiday. For example:

• Bely - a temple consecrated in honor of the Transfiguration or Ascension of the Lord
• Blue - in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary
• Red - dedicated to the martyr(s)
• Green - to the Reverend
• Yellow - to the saint

However, it should be noted that all this is not a dogma, but only a tradition, not observed everywhere and not always.

The golden domes symbolize Divine glory. Therefore, temples dedicated to the Lord's holidays are most often decorated with gold-domed ones.

The blue or blue color of the dome symbolically depicts heavenly purity and purity. These domes crown churches dedicated to the Mother of God.

The domes of churches dedicated to the Most Holy Life-Giving Trinity are, as a rule, green. Temples consecrated in honor of saints also have green domes.

We must remember that we are talking about tradition, not rules. In reality, the covering of the dome often depends on the financial resources of the parish.

The number of domes on temples is also symbolic:

• 1 - symbolizes the One God
• 3 - Holy Trinity
• 5 - The Savior and the four evangelists
• 7 - seven sacraments of the Church
• 9 - according to the number of angelic ranks
• 13 – The Savior and the twelve apostles
• 33 - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life.

The shape of the dome also has a symbolic meaning.

• The helmet-like shape was reminiscent of the army, of the spiritual battle waged by the Church with the forces of evil and darkness.
• The shape of the onion is a symbol of the candle flame, turning us to the words of Christ: “You are the light of the world.”
• The intricate shape and bright colors of the domes on St. Basil's Cathedral speak of the beauty of Heavenly Jerusalem.

The color of the dome is also important in the symbolism of the temple:

• Gold is a symbol of heavenly glory. The main temples and the temples dedicated to Christ and the twelve feasts had golden domes.
• Blue domes with stars crown churches dedicated to the Mother of God, because the star recalls the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary.
• Trinity churches had green domes, because green is the color of the Holy Spirit.
• Temples dedicated to saints are often topped with green or silver domes.
• In monasteries there are black domes - this is the color of monasticism.

HISTORY OF DOMES

Dome (Italian Cupola - domes, vault, from Latin cupula, diminutive of cupa - barrel) is a spatial, load-bearing structure of the covering, in shape close to a hemisphere or other surface of rotation of a curve.

The main thing in the temple is the domes. They receive special attention and treatment. The dome can be of different shapes, colors, and have a different number of chapters. All characteristics have their own symbolic meaning.

The history of domes dates back to prehistoric times. Domes began to be built during the Roman architectural revolution, when they began to be used in the construction of temples and large public buildings. It is believed that the oldest dome currently in existence is located in the Roman Pantheon, erected around 128 AD. Later, the tradition of dome building was adopted by Byzantine religious and cult architecture.

Russian art, starting from the 10th century. and until the end of the seventeenth century it was inextricably linked with the Church and the Christian faith. The first city in Rus' to be baptized was Kyiv. The service in the great Orthodox church of Byzantium - the Church of Hagia Sophia in the city of Constantinople influenced the ambassadors of Prince Vladimir of Kyiv. “We don’t know whether we were in heaven or on earth, for there is no such view and such beauty on earth... » It was this experience of beauty as holiness that formed the basis of new art on Russian soil. Byzantine craftsmen erected many temples in the traditions of Byzantine architecture.

DOME SHAPE

It is known that domes, or rather, domes over temples, are helmet-shaped, onion-shaped, pear-shaped and cone-shaped.

Helmet-like coverings most often they call a specific shape of dome coverings, close to the shape of an ancient Russian helmet. The helmet shape is a symbol of warfare, the spiritual battle waged by the Church against the forces of evil and darkness.

The Byzantine Empire gave Rus' the ability to build temples. But young Christian Rus' did not at all feel like a timid student. Russian architecture, created by Russian masters, introduced its own finds and original ideas into construction practice and became a new embodiment of Christian art. Having analyzed the drawings of the temples, you can see that the shape of the dome is also changing. Already in the 11th century. the domes resemble a military helmet.

Onion dome has a convex shape, smoothly tapering at the top, similar to an onion. Most often, such domes are used in Russia, Turkey, India and the Middle East. The shape of the onion is a symbol of the candle flame, the victory of the forces of light. An Orthodox church, symbolizing the earth, with a dome symbolizing heaven, is interpreted as a model of the universe, which, according to religious views, is the creation of God. Believers direct their thoughts towards heaven and God. Therefore, the “onion” shape of the dome was not chosen by chance. It resembles a flame pointing upward, a burning candle that is lit during prayer addressed to God. This dome shape symbolizes spiritual uplift and the desire for perfection. The shape of the onion is a symbol of the candle flame, turning us to the words of Christ: “You are the light of the world.” In the textbook by A.V. Borodin “Fundamentals of Orthodox Culture” it is written that the domes of churches are shaped like a candle or a helmet. This is also no coincidence, this form seems to connect the meanings: the burning of Orthodox hearts and military protection

“Our domestic onion embodies the idea of ​​deep prayerful burning to heaven, through which our earthly world becomes involved in otherworldly wealth. This is the completion of the Russian temple - like a fiery tongue, crowned with a cross and pointed towards the cross.”

E.N. Trubetskoy

It is this idea of ​​fiery, burning that is emphasized by the gilding of domes, so widespread in Russia.

Oval domes are part of Baroque architecture. The first Baroque oval dome was built by Giacomo da Vignola for the church of Sant'Andrea in Via Flamida in 1553. The largest oval dome was built in Vicoforte by the architect Francesco Gallo.

Umbrella domes divided into segments by ribs radiating from the center to the base of the dome.

Horizontal sections polygonal domes are polygons. One of the most famous examples of such domes is the octagonal dome of the Cathedral of Santa Maria del Fiore in Florence, built by Filippo Brunelleschi.

Tent. In architecture, a tent is the end of towers and temples in the form of a tetrahedral or octagonal pyramid. A new page in the history of medieval Russian architecture Liberation from the Horde yoke stimulated a new upsurge in architecture. By this time, another national type of temple had emerged. The dome system characteristic of Byzantium was transformed into a pointed top of the tower. This shows the undoubted influence of defensive architecture, a typical example of which is given by Pskov with its powerful towers, devoid of any decorations and serving as protection from enemy attacks. With the particularly obvious power of the walls, masonry, narrow loopholes, windows, the harmony of the forms emphasizes their harmony and grace. The geometric shape of the octagonal tent, which in plan resembles the eight-pointed star of Bethlehem, allows one to interpret such churches as the image of the Mother of God, to whom the numbers 8 and 9 symbolically correspond. BUT tent coverings are prohibited, but this form was preserved in the construction of bell towers. And this is no coincidence. The tent on the bell tower is preserved as a symbol of the gospel and, of course, the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Bell towers of a tiered structure were also built (the bell tower of the Moscow Novodevichy Convent).

Saucer dome lower than other types of domes. Such a dome, it turns out, is not visible from the outside, but inside it creates a feeling of increased space. These domes were used in the construction of Byzantine churches and Ottoman mosques.

NUMBER OF DOMES

According to church symbolism, the dome indicates to Christians the need to strive from the earthly to the heavenly. Orthodox churches are built with an odd number of domes. The number of heads of the temple reveals in numerical symbolism the hierarchy of the structure of the heavenly church. The different number of domes, or chapters, of a temple building is determined by who they are dedicated to.

Single-domed temple the dome symbolizes the unity of God, the perfection of creation. Single-domed churches were most often built in the pre-Mongol era and were a symbol of the One God and the perfection of creation (Church of the Intercession on the Nerl, Church of the Holy Spirit in the Trinity-Sergius Lavra, Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir, Kazan Church). Sometimes bell towers or chapels and two domes were attached to them, then they symbolized the two natures of the Lord Jesus Christ - Divine and human (Church of St. John the Climacus in the Moscow Kremlin).

Double-domed temple the two domes symbolize the two natures of the God-man Jesus Christ, the two areas of creation (angelic and human).

Three Domed Temple three domes symbolize the Holy Trinity, may not always be Trinity (for example, St. George's Cathedral of the Yuryev Monastery in Velikiy

Four-domed temple. the four domes symbolize the Four Gospels, the four cardinal directions.

Five-domed temple five domes, one of which rises above the rest, symbolize Christ as the Head of the Church and the four evangelists. Five-domed churches became widespread in Rus', and their construction was carried out both in ancient times and in our days. One of the domes, as a rule, rises above the others, which symbolizes Jesus Christ and the four evangelists. Sometimes an initially five-domed cathedral after restructuring could turn into a six-domed one (St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod), however, just as it appeared from a previously three-domed cathedral. The reasons for such reconstructions were, as a rule, dilapidation and fire. Five-domed churches have also been built recently, such as, for example, the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, recently revived in Moscow.

Seven Domed Temple seven domes symbolize the seven Sacraments of the church, seven Ecumenical Councils, seven virtues.

Nine Domed Temple nine domes are associated with the image of the heavenly Church, consisting of nine orders of angels and nine orders of righteous people.

Thirteen-domed temple

thirteen domes symbolize Jesus Christ and the twelve apostles.

Twenty-five chapters may be a sign of an apocalyptic vision of the throne of the Holy Trinity and the twenty-four elders (Rev. 11, 15-18) or denote praise to the Blessed Virgin Mary, depending on the dedication of the temple.

Thirty-three chapters- the number of earthly years of the Savior.

The number of heads of temples is associated with the dedication of the main throne of the temple, and also often with the number of thrones connected in one volume.

DOME COLOR

The color of the dome is also important in the symbolism of the temple.

Gold is a symbol of heavenly glory. The main temples and the temples dedicated to Christ and the twelve feasts had golden domes.

Gilding domes is a purely Orthodox tradition that is not found among other faiths. This apparent extravagance has its own unbreakable logic. For an Orthodox person, gold is primarily a symbol of eternity, incorruptibility, royalty and heavenly glory. It is not for nothing that one of the gifts brought by the Magi to the baby Jesus was gold. In Rus', the heads of the main temples, as well as temples dedicated to the Savior, were covered with gold.

The use of gold foil in the decoration of churches began during the Byzantine Empire, which did not spare the precious metal for the splendor of churches. Subsequently, the tradition of decoration was adopted by baptized Russia. The Church of the Intercession of the Virgin Mary on the Nerl River became one of the first whose dome, by order of Saint Prince Andrei Bogolyubsky, was covered with gold leaf.

Domes are blue with the stars crowned churches dedicated to the Mother of God, because the star recalls the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary.

Trinity churches had green domes, because green is the color of the Holy Spirit.

Temples dedicated to saints are also crowned green or silver domes

Meet in monasteries black domes- this is the color of monasticism.

Religion. What does Orthodoxy hide? Part 3

Let's now look at how and what changes over time. It is most convenient to do this using the example of churches whose decoration is one way or another captured in the archives or was not greatly damaged during restoration work.

Let's start with the same thing Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir, because his example is the most rich. In the second part, I provided a link to photographs and videos of the cathedral where the Vedic gods are depicted and in general the entire design of the cathedral has nothing to do with Christian traditions.

Look at the picture with the image Dazhboga. In order not to be mistaken, the image is even signed with the letters YES and BЪ.

In general, there are many such images. Here Dazhbog traditionally for his canonical image, he flies away on griffins.

Such images can be found on coins, on hats, in clothing patterns, etc. Just three examples for clarity; anyone who wants to can easily find them on the Internet in great abundance. Historians know this image very well Dazhboga.

What do the tour guides of the Dmitrov Cathedral tell us? Yes indeed this is Alexander the Great! And in another case, where it is signed with the letters YES and B it is supposedly the king David. What Alexander the Great and King David forgot ancient Russian I personally don’t understand the temple at all. But nevertheless, this is the kind of stupidity they officially present to us.

By the way, according to the research of the Soviet academician B.A. Rybakova, according to the beliefs of the majority of Russian people of the Middle Ages, including the most educated and high-ranking ones, Christ was the incarnation of Dazhbog, and not the Jewish Messiah (B.A. Rybakov, “Paganism of Ancient Rus'”, M., “Science”, 1988). Again, according to Rybakov, pre-Christian and early Christian images of birds with maiden heads are nothing more than Russian mermaids. These are the ones that back in the early 19th century A.S. Pushkin sat on the branches. They were the givers, and not angels. Angels appeared under the influence of Western culture only towards the end of the 19th century. By the same time, under the influence of the same West, the mermaids grew fish tails and instead of givers they became drowned(B. A. Rybakov, “Paganism of Ancient Rus'”, M., “Science”, 1988). Images of mermaids with bird tails can also be found on the facades of old churches, and on the sakkos of Metropolitan Alexy of Moscow, Kyiv and All Rus' (official 14th century).

Do you remember the cross of Dmitrovsky Cathedral? Purely Vedic. So, in order to take over the historical heritage and justify its antiquity, the modern Russian Orthodox Church decided to start putting up crosses in this style. With an “Orthodox” eight-pointed cross and the necessary letters XC in circles.

Or already with all the necessary small or oblique sticks.

Here is another example of how, on the site of the old Vedic church blinded Christian. By the way, this is not some kind of outback, but Blagoveshchensky cathedral Moscow Kremlin!

St. Petersburg does not lag behind Moscow. The falsifications there are generally so large-scale that it’s time to say that the entire history of St. Petersburg complete falsification. For example, there is one in St. Petersburg Chapel of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, is located on the Promenade des Anglais, tens of thousands of cars pass there every day. And I went there a thousand times until one day, with my blurry eye, I accidentally noticed the cross of the chapel. It's old, pure Vedic! It turns out that this cross was copied from the cross of an older church that stood next to this place, which was destroyed in 1932 and was exactly the same in appearance Vedic Dmitrovsky Cathedral in Vladimir. Only in the circles at the ends of the cross are ship anchors now drawn.

That old church was called "Savior on the Waters". Here is her photo from Wikipedia.

Now the modern Russian Orthodox Church is going to restore it. This is generally a good thing, but with one caveat. Our Russian Orthodox Church claims that this temple was built in 1909-1911 and has always been Christian. However, this is not true. This temple stood ALWAYS!!! It is indicated on all maps and plans of St. Petersburg starting from early 18th century, essentially from the moment of the “foundation” of the city. Here is a fragment of the city plan of 1913, I am posting it so that it is clear where it is. This is once, and secondly, to make it clear that there are no similar churches nearby at all.

And now we look at a fragment of a panoramic photograph taken from the roof of the Admiralty in 1861. 50 years before the supposed construction. We see "Savior on Waters".

And here she is in a lithograph from the early 19th century

It is unlikely that this church at that time was called “Savior on the Waters” and in general it was unlikely that it was Christian in the mid-19th century. Otherwise the Russian Orthodox Church would not lied would. Please note that the dome is a slightly different shape. Apparently after the church reform of 1905, when the pagans became criminally prosecuted like "savage sectarians", old Vedic temple redone into the Christian one, including the dome was replaced. And the two years that the official Russian Orthodox Church indicates as supposedly the years of construction of the new temple were simply restoration and cosmetic work underway. new owner.

The most interesting thing is that there are quite a lot of churches with a construction date in the period 1905-1915 and many of them are surprisingly made to look like “deep antiquity”. What's it worth? Feodorovsky Cathedral all in the same St. Petersburg.

Officially, it was built in the same 1911-14 years, along with a piece of the Kremlin wall. Yes yes, and piece of wall Same. Go there and see it live. Right next to the Moskovsky train station, just 5 minutes on foot. The entire first floor there is original, with thick brick vaulted ceilings without ceilings, that is, during restoration already in the 2000s of the 21st century, it was practically left untouched. The top is already concrete. You need to be a very strong believer fairy tales The Russian Orthodox Church believes that this is how they will build in the 20th century, and not 300-600 years before that. Moreover, with the lower tier sunk into the ground. Just some miracles. Apparently this temple, or at least its foundation and lower tier, also many hundreds of years and he used to be too Vedic. Here is a picture from a newspaper of the pre-revolutionary period, pay attention to the domes and lower tier

And here he is in a photograph from 1861.

Churches– Vedictemplesof the past.

Vedic temple in Vladimir

Lies and hypocrisy of the Russian Orthodox Church! Part 1

Lies and hypocrisy of the Russian Orthodox Church!! Part 2

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