Why do believers build temples? Why are there so many of them scattered all over the Orthodox Earth? The answer is simple: the goal of everyone is the salvation of the soul, and achieving it is impossible without going to church. She is a clinic where the soul is healed from sinful falls, as well as its deification. The device of the temple, its decoration allow the believer to plunge into the divine atmosphere, to become closer to the Lord. Only a priest who is present in the temple can conduct the ceremony of baptism, wedding, forgive sins. Without services, prayers, a person cannot become a child of God.
Orthodox church
An Orthodox church is a place where God is served, where there is an opportunity to unite with him through such sacraments as baptism, communion. Believers gather here to make a joint prayer, the power of which everyone knows.
The first Christians had an illegal position, so they did not have their own temples. For prayers, believers gathered in the houses of the leaders of the communities, synagogues, and it happened that in the catacombs of Syracuse, Rome, Ephesus. This lasted for three centuries, until Constantine the Great came to power. In 323, he became full emperor of the Roman Empire. He made Christianity the state religion. Since then andbegan the active construction of temples, and later monasteries. It was his mother, Empress Helen of Constantinople, who initiated the erection of the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem.
Since then, the structure of the temple, its interior decoration, architecture have undergone significant changes. In Russia, it was customary to build cross-domed churches, this type is still relevant. An important detail of any temple are domes, which are crowned with a cross. Already from afar, you can notice the house of God from them. If the domes are decorated with gilding, then under the rays of the sun they flame, symbolizing the fire burning in the hearts of believers.
Internal Unit
The interior structure of the temple necessarily symbolizes closeness to God, endowed with certain symbols, decoration, serves to meet the goals of Christian worship. As the Church teaches, our entire material world is nothing but a reflection of the spiritual world, invisible to the eye. The temple is an image of the presence of the Kingdom of Heaven on earth, respectively, the image of the King of Heaven. The device of an Orthodox church, its architecture, symbolism enable believers to perceive the church as the beginning of the Kingdom of Heaven, its image (invisible, distant, divine).
Like any building, the temple must carry the functions for which it is intended, meet the needs and have the following premises:
- For clergy who conduct services.
- For all believers present in the church.
- For the penitent and those who are preparing to receivechristening.
Since ancient times, the temple is divided into three main parts:
- Altar.
- The middle part of the temple.
- Pretend
Further the temple is divided into the following parts:
- Iconostasis.
- Altar.
- Throne.
- Sacristy.
- Mountain place.
- Pulpit.
- Soleya.
- Ponomarka.
- Kliros.
- Paperti.
- Candle boxes.
- Belfry.
- Porch.
Altar
Considering the structure of the temple, special attention should be paid to the altar. This is the most important part of the church, intended only for the clergy, as well as for those persons who serve them during worship. The altar contains images of Paradise, the heavenly dwelling of the Lord. Denotes a mysterious side in the universe, part of the sky. Otherwise, the altar is called "heaven on Zele". Everyone knows that after the fall, the Lord closed the Gates to the Kingdom of Heaven for ordinary laity; only the anointed of God can enter here. Having a special sacred meaning, the altar always inspires awe in the faithful. If a believer helping in the service, putting things in order or lighting candles, comes here, he must make a prostration. Laymen are forbidden to enter the altar for the simple reason that this place must always be clean, holy, it is here that the Holy Meal is located. Crowds and excesses are not allowed in this place, which, due to their sinful nature, mere mortals can allow. The place is for the concentration of prayerpriest.
Iconostasis
Christians feel a sense of reverence when they enter an Orthodox church. Its structure and interior decoration, icons with the faces of Saints ex alt the souls of believers, create an atmosphere of peace, awe before our Lord.
Already in the ancient catacomb temples, the altar began to be fenced off from the rest. Then already there was s alt, the altar barriers were made in the form of lowered gratings. Much later, an iconostasis arose, which has royal and side gates. It serves as a dividing line that separates the middle temple and the altar. The iconostasis is arranged as follows.
In the center there are royal gates - specially decorated doors with two leaves, located opposite the throne. Why are they called that? It is believed that Jesus Christ himself comes through them to give communion to people. To the left and to the right of the royal doors, the northern and southern gates are installed, which serve for the entrance and exit of the clergy at the statutory moments of worship. Each of the icons located on the iconostasis has its own special place and meaning, tells about some event from Scripture.
Icons and frescoes
Considering the arrangement and decoration of an Orthodox church, it should be noted that icons and frescoes are a very important accessory. They depict the Savior, the Mother of God, angels, saints from biblical scenes. Icons in colors convey to us what is described by words in Holy Scripture. Thanks to them, a prayerful mood is created in the temple. prayingit must be remembered that prayer does not ascend to the picture, but to the image depicted on it. On the icons, the images are depicted in the form in which they condescended to the people, as the chosen ones saw them. Thus, the Trinity is depicted in the form as righteous Abraham saw it. Jesus is depicted in the human form in which he lived among us. The Holy Spirit is usually depicted in the form of a dove, as it appeared during the baptism of Christ in the Jordan River, or in the form of fire, which the apostles saw on the day of Pentecost.
A newly painted icon must be consecrated in the temple, sprinkled with holy water. Then she becomes sacred and has the ability to act with the Grace of the Holy Spirit.
A halo around the head means that the face depicted on the icon has the grace of God, is holy.
Middle part of the temple
The interior of an Orthodox church necessarily contains a middle part, sometimes called a nave. In this part of the temple there are pulpit, solea, iconostasis and kliros.
This part is actually called the temple. Since ancient times, this part has been called the refectory, because the Eucharist is eaten here. The middle temple symbolizes earthly existence, the sensual human world, but justified, burned and already consecrated. If the altar symbolizes the Upper Heaven, then the middle temple is a particle of the renewed human world. These two parts must interact, under the guidance of Heaven, the broken order will be restored on Earth.
Pretend
The vestibule, which is part of the device of the Christian church, is its threshold. At the origins of faith, penitents or those whoprepared for Holy Baptism. In the vestibule, most often there is a church box for selling prosphora, candles, icons, crosses, for registering weddings and baptisms. Those who have received penance from the spiritual father can stand in the narthex, and all people who, for some reason, consider themselves unworthy to enter the temple at the moment.
External device
The architecture of Orthodox churches is always recognizable, and although its types are different, the external structure of the temple has its main parts.
- Absida - ledge for the altar, attached to the temple, usually has a semicircular shape.
- The drum is the upper part that ends with a cross.
- Light drum - slotted drum.
- The head is a dome crowning the temple with a drum and a cross.
- Zakomara - Russian architecture. Semicircular completion of part of the wall.
- The onion is the head of the onion-shaped church.
- The porch is a porch elevated above ground level (closed or open type).
- A pilaster is a flat decorative protrusion on the surface of a wall.
- Portal - entrance.
- Refectory - an extension from the west of the building, serves as a place for preaching, meetings.
- Tent - has several faces, covers towers, a temple or a bell tower. Common in 17th century architecture.
- Gable - completes the facade of the building.
- An apple is a domed ball with a cross on it.
- Tier - decreasing in height of the volume of the entire building.
Types of temples
Orthodox churches have different shapes, they can be:
- In the shape of a cross (symbol of the crucifixion).
- In the shape of a circle (the personification of eternity).
- In the shape of a quadrilateral (Earth sign).
- In the shape of an octagon (the guiding Star of Bethlehem).
Each church is dedicated to some holy, important Christian event. The day of their memory becomes a patronal temple holiday. If there are several aisles with an altar, then each is called separately. A chapel is a small structure that resembles a temple but does not have an altar.
During the time of the Baptism of Russia, the device of the Christian church of Byzantium had a cross-domed type. It combined all the traditions of Eastern temple architecture. Russia adopted from Byzantium not only Orthodoxy, but also examples of architecture. While preserving traditions, Russian churches have a lot of originality and originality.
Buddhist temple arrangement
Many believers are interested in how the temples of the Buddha are arranged. Let's give a brief summary. In Buddhist temples, everything is also installed according to strict rules. All Buddhists revere the "Three Treasures" and it is in the temple that they seek refuge for themselves - from the Buddha, his teachings and from the community. The right place is where all the "Three Treasures" are collected, they must be reliably protected from any influence, from strangers. The temple is a closed territory, protected from all sides. Powerful gates are the main requirement in the construction of the temple. Buddhists do not distinguish between a monastery and a temple - for them it is the sameconcept.
Every Buddhist temple has a Buddha image, whether embroidered, painted or sculpture. This image should be placed in the "golden hall", facing east. The main figure is huge, all the rest depict scenes from the life of the saint. The temple has other images - these are all creatures revered by Buddhists. The altar in the temple is decorated with figures of famous monks, they are located just below the Buddha.
Visit a Buddhist temple
Those who want to visit a Buddhist temple must adhere to certain requirements. Legs, shoulders must be covered with opaque clothing. Like other religions, Buddhism believes that inappropriate dress code is disrespectful to the faith.
Buddhist feet are considered the dirtiest part of the body, because they are in contact with the ground. Therefore, when entering the temple, you must take off your shoes. It is believed that this way the legs become cleaner.
Be sure to know the rule by which believers sit down. In no case should the legs point towards the Buddha or any saint, so Buddhists prefer to remain neutral - to sit in the lotus position. You can simply bend your legs under you.
