Architecture - this the soul of the people, embodied in stone.
Old Russian architecture from the 10th century tothe end of the XVII century, was closely associated with the church and Orthodoxy. The first Christian churches began to appear in Russia as early as the 10th century, and Kiev became the first Russian city to be baptized. 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 the Russians burned down. At this time, stone construction also begins to be laid.
Thus, monumental architecture is the most preserved form of ancient Russian art, the objects of which were various palaces, fortifications and, of course, churches.
В первый период, который проходил в X - XII вв.architecture in Russia was taken as the basis for the architectural style of Byzantium, in connection with these most ancient Russian buildings resembled Byzantine temples. The first temples on the territory of Ancient Russia were built by specially invited Byzantine architects. The architecture of Ancient Russia is most vividly represented by such architectural buildings as the Tithe Church (not preserved to our time, since it was destroyed during the Tatar-Mongol invasion) and the Kiev Sophia Cathedral, Borisoglebsky Cathedral in Chernigov, the Sofia Cathedral in Veliky Novgorod, and other .
Immediately after the baptism of Rus, Prince Vladimirinvited Byzantine masters to create 25 - the head of the Church of the Assumption of the Virgin (Tithe). Before the construction of the St. Sophia Cathedral, it was the main temple of Kiev.
Hagia Sophia in Kiev - the famous templeAncient Russia, built in 1037. In its construction, the cathedral has 5 longitudinal aisles (aisles) and 12 cruciform pillars on which the vaults rest. The vaults of Kiev Sofia are crowned with 13 chapters, which rhythmically rise to the sky. In terms of the building, they form the shape of a cross, in the center of which a large dome rises. Such a construction of temples was called cross-dome. It was taken from Byzantium.
Almost all the buildings could not reach us in its original form due to the numerous Tatar-Mongol invasions. What we can observe now is only modern reconstruction.
Since the second half of the XII century. and before the beginning of the XIII century.distinguish the "golden age" of ancient Russian architecture. Most of the temples and cathedrals begin to build from a new special material - white stone. This stone replaced the plinth - it is a burnt brick, which began to be used in Byzantium. It is still unknown what made the architects of this period replace the plinf with a new material. White stone was widely used in construction, it was built Vladimir Assumption Cathedral and the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl.
Features of the architecture of ancient Russia in this period:
Vladimir Assumption Cathedral 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 school of architecture.
Unfortunately, due to the fact that many buildingswere destroyed, it is almost impossible to say exactly what kind of character the non-church buildings were worn. However, the historically correctly restored Golden Gates in Kiev and the Vladimir Golden Gates show that the trends of secular architecture completely coincided with the development of church architecture.
This period is characterized by numerousinvasions from all sides. This is the “dark age” in the history of the ancient Russian state. Monumental construction was almost discontinued. From the end of the 13th century, stone architecture, first of all, military architecture, was revived in Russia in order to avoid ruin.
Stone city fortifications are being builtNovgorod and Pskov, fortresses on capes or on islands. Also in this period there is a new type of temple - an octopus temple. A prominent representative of this type is the Novgorod Church of the Savior on Ilyina.
Over time, Moscow gradually turned into a major political center. This led to the development of architecture of the Moscow principality. Moscow school was formed by the end of the XVI century.
The rise of architecture in Moscow falls on the periodreign of Ivan III - the end of the XV century. In 1475 - 1479, the Moscow Assumption Cathedral was built, the architect of which was the Italian architect Aristotle Fioravanti.
In the Holy Trinity Monastery of St. Sergius in 1423Trinity Cathedral was built, in 1424 in the Andronik monastery - the Savior Cathedral. Outwardly, these churches are very different, but despite this, there is something in common in the churches of the Moscow principality - they are characterized by clarity and proportionality, harmony, dynamism. Many architects emphasized the pyramidal composition of the temple.
For several centuries, developed a general style of architecture of ancient Russia:
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 influenceddevelopment 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 in the periodreign of prince Vladimir the Great. Nowhere in Europe at this time art was not as developed as in Byzantium, therefore it had a great influence on the art of the whole world and, of course, of Ancient Russia.
Однако в полной мере понять и насладиться the architecture of ancient Russia we will not succeed, because due to the numerous raids of the Mongol-Tatars and other numerous wars, most architectural monuments were destroyed. So now we can only see the reconstruction.
