Byzantine style in Russian architecture

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

The historical and cultural significance of Byzantium is hard to overestimate. In Russia, the Byzantine heritage can be found in both the spiritual and material spheres of life. The interaction of cultures has gone through several stages, and even in modern culture and architecture there are signs of this influence. In a global sense, Russian culture has become the main successor and continuer of the traditions and spiritual canons of Byzantium.

The origins of the Byzantine style

The collapse of the Roman Empire in 395 led to the emergence of a new empire, later called Byzantium. It is rightfully considered the successor of ancient traditions, culture and wisdom. The Byzantine style arises as a result of the concentration of existing architectural techniques. The architects of the new state immediately set themselves the task of surpassing the Roman achievements. Therefore, having organically absorbed all the best that was invented by the Romans and Greeks, they create new masterpieces, accept the challenge of the time and find new design and planning solutions.

The formation of Byzantine culture took place not only onreproduction and improvement of the ancient Greco-Roman experience, but also associated with a strong oriental influence, which is reflected in the pursuit of luxury, grandeur, embellishment.

Due to the fact that the eastern branch of Christianity is settling in Constantinople, the country needed new churches. A new ideology also needs its own entourage. These tasks are solved by the best artists of the world who flock to Constantinople and create unique works that become a new religious, cultural, state and architectural canon.

Byzantine style features

The architects of Constantinople had to solve several important constructive problems that mainly appeared in temple architecture. The cathedral in Orthodoxy was supposed to make an indelible impression on the viewer with its scale and splendor, the temple was associated with the Kingdom of God, and therefore the architects needed new expressive means, which they were looking for. The basis for the layout of the Byzantine temple was not a Greek cathedral, but a Roman basilica. The walls of the cathedrals were built of brick with large layers of bonding mortar. This led to the formation of a distinctive feature of Byzantine buildings - the facing of buildings with brick or stone of dark and light colors. Arcades of columns with basket-shaped capitals were often placed around the facade.

Byzantine style is associated with the cross-domed type of the cathedral. The architects managed to find a simple solution for connecting a round dome and a square base, so “sails” appeared, whichcreate a sense of harmony. Tapered windows with rounded tops, placed two or three side by side, are also an important feature of Byzantine buildings.

External processing of buildings was always more modest than the interior decoration - this is another feature of Byzantine buildings. The principles of interior design were refinement, richness and grace, they used very expensive, spectacular materials that made a strong impression on people.

Byzantine influence on medieval architecture

In the Middle Ages, the influence of Byzantium spread to all countries of Europe, it was political, economic and spiritual. The Byzantine style in the architecture of the Middle Ages turned out to be a powerful resource for renewal. Italy to a greater extent accepted the innovations of Byzantine architecture: a new type of temple and mosaic technique. So, medieval temples in Ravenna, on the island of Torcello, in Palermo became signs of this Byzantine influence.

Later, the trends spread to other countries. Thus, the cathedral in Aachen in Germany is an example of Byzantine influence through the prism of Italian masters. However, Byzantium had the most powerful impact on those countries that adopted Orthodoxy: Bulgaria, Serbia, Armenia and Ancient Russia. A real cultural dialogue and exchange takes place here, which leads to a significant modernization of existing architectural traditions.

The influence of Byzantium on the architecture of Ancient Russia

Everyone knows the story of how the Russian delegation, who visited Rome and Constantinople in search of a suitable religion, was shocked by the beauty of Hagia Sophia, and this decided the outcome of the case. Since that time, a powerful transfer of traditions, texts, rituals to Russian land begins. An important aspect in this process is temple architecture, which is actively beginning to develop in a new form. The Byzantine style in the architecture of temples appeared due to the fact that entire teams of craftsmen come to Ancient Russia to build cathedrals, transfer skills and form a new image of the country. Also, many architects visit Constantinople, learning the wisdom and tricks of construction.

Russian masters, starting from the 10th century, not only adopt Byzantine traditions, but also enrich them, supplementing them with solutions and details necessary for local churches. The traditional cross-domed Byzantine church in Russia is being overgrown with additional naves and galleries for greater capacity. To create buildings in a new style, accompanying handicraft areas appear: brick making, bell casting, icon painting - all this has Byzantine roots, but is processed by Russian masters in the spirit of national art. The clearest example of such a reworking is the Cathedral of Sophia the Wisdom of God in Kyiv, where the three-nave Byzantine form becomes five-nave and is further lined with galleries, and five chapters are supplemented by 12 more small cupolas.

Byzantine temple model

Byzantine style in architecture,the features of which we are considering, is based on the innovative layout of the temple. Its features were born out of purely utilitarian needs: an increase in the space of the temple, a simple connection of the dome and the base, sufficient illumination. All this led to the formation of a special type of structures, which subsequently changed the entire temple architecture of the world. The traditional Byzantine temple had a square or rectangular base, a cross-domed design. Apses and galleries adjoin the central part. The increase in volume led to the appearance inside of additional supports in the form of columns, they divided the cathedral into three naves. Most often, a classical temple had one chapter, much less often 5. Windows with an arched opening were combined 2-3 under a common arch.

Features of the Byzantine style in Russian temple architecture

The first buildings of the temples of the new church were according to Russian tradition, the Greeks could not influence them, since they built their temples from brick and stone. Therefore, the first innovation is the multi-domed, which was actively introduced into architectural solutions. The first stone church in Russia appears at the end of the 9th century and has a cross-domed structure. The temple has not survived to this day, so it is impossible to talk about its specifics. For churches in Russia, the volume was very important, so the first architects were forced to solve the problem of increasing the internal space of the temple, completing the construction of additional naves and galleries.

Today the Byzantine style in Russia, photos of buildings of which can be seen in manyguidebooks, represented by several major regions. These are buildings in Kyiv and Chernigov, Novgorod region, Pechery, Vladimir, Pskov region. Many temples have been preserved here, which have obvious Byzantine features, but are independent buildings with unique architectural solutions. The most famous include the St. Sophia Cathedral in Novgorod, the Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernigov, the Church of the Savior on Nereditsa, the Trinity Church in the Caves Monastery.

Byzantine style in European architecture

The state of Byzantium, which existed for more than 10 centuries, could not but leave its mark on world history. Even today, visible features of the Byzantine heritage can be seen in the architecture of Europe. The period of the Middle Ages is richest in borrowings and continuity, when architects adopt the innovative ideas of their colleagues and build temples, for example, in Italy, which turned out to be most receptive to Byzantine influence. The Venetian Republic was strongly influenced by the artists who came from Byzantium, and a huge number of artifacts brought here after the capture of Constantinople. Even the Cathedral of San Marco in Venice includes many Byzantine motifs and objects.

An equally important role was played by the architecture of Byzantium in the Renaissance. The dominant central-domed type of structure, which came from this country, is becoming widespread. Features of Byzantine temples can be found not only in religious buildings, but also in secular buildings. Architects, fromBrunelleschi to Bramante and A. Palladio. The elements and design solutions of the Byzantines are clearly visible in such famous buildings as the Cathedrals of St. Peter in Rome, St. Paul in London, the Pantheon in Paris.

The Byzantine style in European architecture as such did not take shape, if we do not take into account the Orthodox countries, but the elements of this system of architecture are still visible, they are rethought, modernized, but they are the base on which the architecture of Europe grows. Byzantium became a place of preservation of ancient traditions, which then returned to Europe and began to be perceived by it as their historical roots.

Formation of the Russian-Byzantine style

The Byzantine style in Russian architecture is formed as a result of centuries of rethinking and processing of the ideas of architects from Constantinople. This style, in which Eastern and Russian ideas already coexist on an equal footing, is being formed in the middle of the 19th century. It was then that the flourishing of architecture began, in which the achievements of Byzantine architects were creatively reworked, supplemented and applied in a new way. Therefore, the Byzantine style in Russia of the 19th century is not a copy of the achievements of Constantinople, but the creation of buildings "based on", with a large inclusion of Russian ideas proper.

Periodization of the Byzantine style in Russian architecture

What is referred to in the theory of architecture as "Byzantine style" is formed in the middle of the 19th century. His ideologist and propagandist was the architectK. A. Ton. Harbingers of the style appear in the 20s of the 19th century, they are visible in such buildings as the Church of the Tithes in Kyiv, the Church of Alexander Nevsky in Potsdam.

But the first period of the formation of the style falls on the 40s and 50s, it is especially noticeable in the buildings of A. V. Gornostaev and D. Grimm. The second period is the 60s, when buildings boldly mixing Byzantine and Russian features were created in the spirit of dominant eclecticism. During this period, the style is especially visible in the buildings of G. G. Gagarin, V. A. Kosyakov and E. A. Borisov.

70-90s is a time of complication of style, architects are striving for more decoration, introducing different-style details into their buildings. At the turn of the 19th and 20th centuries and at the beginning of the 20th century, the Byzantine style in Russia began to be interpreted more and more freely, uniting in the spirit of the upcoming modernity with other styles. In the 90s of the 20th century, a pseudo-Byzantine style appeared, in which later layers are visible, but the original features are guessed.

Reflection of the Byzantine style in the interior

The style of Constantinople was especially pronounced in the design of the interior decoration of buildings. Interiors in the Byzantine style are characterized by rich decoration, the use of expensive materials: gold, bronze, silver, expensive stone, precious woods. A striking sign of interiors in this style are the mosaics on the walls and on the floor.

Reflections of the Byzantine style in Russian architecture of the 19th century

The brightest period in tradition-based architectureConstantinople, falls on the middle of the 19th century. At this time, the Byzantine style in the architecture of St. Petersburg becomes the leading one. The most striking examples of structures in this style are the Church of the Merciful Icon of the Mother of God in the Galernaya Harbor (Kosyakova and Prussak), the Greek Church of Dmitry Solunsky (R. I. Kuzmin), the Trading House of Shtol and Schmit (V. Schreter). In Moscow, these are, of course, the buildings of Ton: the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, the Grand Kremlin Palace.

Byzantine motifs in 20th century architecture

The post-Soviet period with its restoration of Orthodoxy led to the fact that the Byzantine style in the architecture of Russia has again become relevant. There are buildings in the Russian-Byzantine style in many cities of Russia. A striking example is the Church on the Blood in the name of All Saints in the Russian Land Resplendent in Yekaterinburg, designed by K. Efremov.

At the turn of the 20th-21st centuries, the so-called "second Russian-Byzantine style" was formed, which appeared in new temple buildings. It includes such cathedrals as the Panteleimon Church in Izhevsk, the Church of the Nativity in Omsk, the Church of the Nativity in Moscow and numerous buildings in all corners of the country. This indicates that the ideas of Byzantium have deeply penetrated into Russian culture and today are already inseparable from it.

Modern buildings in Byzantine style

Modern architects, especially in temple architecture, again and again return to the traditions of Constantinople as a source of traditional solutions. They certainlyare rethought, solved taking into account new technologies, but the spirit of Byzantium is felt in them. We can safely say that today the Byzantine style is alive in the architecture of Russia. Examples of this can be found in many cities of the country: the Church of the Holy Myrrh-bearing Women in St. Petersburg, St. Nicholas Church in Nadym, Seraphim Church in Murom, etc.