The temple - what is it? What are the temples?

Communication with God or higher powers should take place in a special place. This good purpose is served by the temple. What is the church, the temple and the mosque? We'll talk about this in the article below.

Orthodox Christian churches

In Christianity, and in particular in Orthodoxy, the church is called a church. Such religious buildings are erected according to certain rules. As you know, Orthodoxy came to Russia from Byzantium, the successor of the Great Roman Empire. The first Russian temples, the ancient architects built, taking as a model Byzantine and Greek churches. The main distinctive features of the Orthodox churches were then and are now the following compositional solutions:

1. The space of any church is divided into three main parts - the temple itself, the altar and the porch.
2. Any church is symmetrical about the axis.
3. In its central part, the Orthodox church has a cubic form.
4. The church is crowned with semicircular bulbous domes.
5. In the interior and exterior are widely used arches.
6. The walls are often decorated with niches.
7. Narrow long windows.
8. A modest, strict exterior and a rich, lush interior.

Constructed immediately after baptism, Christian churches in Russia were truly huge. An example is the Cathedral of St. Sophia and in Kiev the first Russian temple. What is a cathedral? It is the same church, but richer and monumental. Such a temple was usually considered the main one in any area. Later Russian architects began to build churches of much smaller dimensions.

What are the Muslim temples?

Muslim temples are called mosques. They are also bred according to certain canons. A typical mosque has the following elements:

1. Columns designed to strengthen external walls. They are called guldast.
2. Deep niches in the walls (aivans).
3. Large and small domes.
4. Patio.

As in Orthodox churches, arches are often used in mosques. Another characteristic architectural element for them are massive carved doors, which are often decorated with metal rivets in the form of stars. Since the image of living beings is forbidden by Islamic canons, instead of icons inside the Muslim temple on the walls fragments from the Koran are used. Also, such decor as ornament is used everywhere.

The mosque is in fact a very beautiful temple. What is a minaret? This is another obligatory element of the Muslim cult structure. It represents a tower with which the muezzin calls believers to pray. There are several such buildings in each mosque.

Pagan temples

What did the pagan temple look like? What is the temple? The questions are in fact not as simple as it might seem at first glance. Information about such buildings in Russia is almost not preserved. The fact is that the chroniclers in our country were mostly Christian monks. It is unlikely that they would praise the beauty of pagan temples. However, judging by the remnants of the ancient structure found near Kiev, next to which numerous animal bones were found, the pagan temple was an ellipse with rectangular outhouses oriented to the sides of the world.

Judging from the surviving records of foreign travelers, the walls of pagan temples were chopped. Outside, they were decorated with carved painted images of gods and goddesses, as well as animals and people. The center of the pagan temple was the altar. It was located in front of the room. There was no ceiling above it. In the back were images of the gods. And not only the good, but also those who were afraid. There were no windows in the temple. Therefore, there was always a semi-darkness inside. The roof of the pagan temple was made of shingle. There was also a second roof, at a height of about a third of the walls. She served, most likely, for protection from the rain of ordinary people who came to the temple. The fact is that only priests had access to the interior of the pagan temple.

So, we have examined what the meaning of the word temple is in paganism. This is the place of secret rites and sacrifices. Not one such building has survived to this day. One can, of course, think that the Slavs had no temples before Christianity at all, and they conducted their rituals directly under the open sky. However, the evidence of foreign travelers still say the opposite.

Temples-monuments

Now we will consider what a temple-monument is. Over time, the temples in our country were replaced by Orthodox churches, the structure of which was mentioned above. In fact, every ancient church is an architectural monument. However, actually a monument can be called a modern and newly built temple. But only if it is erected in honor of some significant event. Monuments are also churches built in memory of fallen soldiers or some saints.

Temples-monuments in Russia

In Russia, there are many such temples. For example, it is the Church of All Saints on Kulishki in Moscow, erected in memory of the Kulikovo battle. The very first monastery, built sometime in the capital - St. Daniel's - is also a monument. It was erected in honor of St. Daniel Stylites.

So, what is the meaning of the word temple? The temple is a place of human communication with God or divine powers, a building built with special love and in accordance with the canons of a particular religion.