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 Orthodox
churches generally take one of several shapes that have a particular mystical
significance. The most common shape is an oblong or rectangular shape,
imitating the form of a ship. As a ship, under the guidance of a master
helmsman conveys men through the stormy seas to a calm harbor, so the
Church, guided by Christ, carries men unharmed across the stormy seas
of sin and strife to the peaceful haven of the Kingdom of Heaven. Churches
are also frequently built in the form of a Cross to proclaim that we are
saved through faith in the Crucified Christ, for Whom Christians are prepared
to suffer all things. Less frequently churches are built in the shape
of a circle, signifying that the Church of Christ shall exist for all
eternity (the circle being one of the symbols of eternity) or in the shape
of an octagon, signifying a star, for the Church, like a star, guides
a man through the darkness of sin which encompasses him. Because of the
difficulties of internal arrangement, however, the latter two shapes are
not often used.
Almost always Orthodox churches are oriented East-West, with the main
entrance of the building at the West end. This symbolizes the entrance
of the worshipper from the darkness of sin (the West) into the light of
Truth (the East). This rule is violated only if the building had been
previously constructed for another purpose, or if services are conducted
in a private home, for example, when the entrance and main portion have
been arranged according to convenience. On the roof of Orthodox churches
are usually found one or more cupolas (towers with rounded or pointed
roofs), called crests or summits. One cupola signifies Christ, the sole
head of the Christian community; three cupolas symbolize the Most-Holy
Trinity; five cupolas represent Christ and the four Evangelists; seven
cupolas symbolize the Seven Ecumenical Councils which formulated the basic
dogmas of the Orthodox Church, as well as the general use in the Church
of the sacred number "seven"; nine cupolas represent the traditional
nine ranks of Angels; and thirteen cupolas signify Christ and the Twelve
Apostles.
 A
peculiar feature of Russian Orthodox churches is the presence of onion-shaped
domes on top of the cupolas. In the early history of the Russian Church,
especially in Kiev, the first capital, the domes of the churches followed
the typical Byzantine rounded style, but later, especially after the Mongol
Period, Russian churches tended toward the onion domes, which, in many
places, became quite stylized. Historians are not in agreement as to the
origin of this particular style, but some point to the possible influence
of Persia on this peculiar feature of Russian church architecture, while
others argue that since this style was more popular in the far North of
Russia, it had a practical application, in that the shape was particularly
suited to shed the large amounts of snow common in the region.
 Every
cupola, or where there is none, the roof, is crowned by a Cross, the instrument
of our salvation. The Cross may take one of many different shapes, generally
according to the national tradition of a particular local Church. In the
Russian Church, the most common form is the so-called three-bar Cross,
consisting of the usual crossbeam, a shorter crossbeam above that and
another, slanted, crossbeam below. Symbolically, the three bars represent,
from the tup, the signboard on which was written, in Hebrew, Latin and
Greek, Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews (John 19:19); the main
crossbeam, to which the hands of Jesus were nailed; the lower portion,
to which His precious feet were nailed.
The three-bar representation existed in Christian art from very early
times in Byzantium, although usually without the bottom bar slanted, which
is particularly Russian. The origin of this slanted footboard is not known,
but in the symbolism of the Russian Church, the most common explanation
is that it is the pointing upward to Paradise for the Good Thief on Jesus'
right and downward to Hell for the Thief on His left (Luke 23). Sometimes
the bottoms of the Crosses found on Russian churches will be adorned with
a crescent. In 1486, Tsar Ivan IV (the Terrible) conquered the city of
Kazan which had been under the rule of Moslem Tatars, and in remembrance
of this, he decreed that from henceforth the Islamic crescent be placed
at the bottom of the Crosses to signify the victory of the Cross (Christianity)
over the Crescent (Islam). |
