Cathedral - what is it? Meaning of the word

2024 Author: Miguel Ramacey | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 06:11

There are words whose meaning is so ambiguous that you can’t immediately make out what it is about. And if you do not penetrate the essence, then you have to guess from the context. Take, for example, the word "cathedral". What is this, you immediately say? What does the person who says it mean? Agree, you need to listen to the proposal in order to understand the essence. After all, the term means many things. Let's see, what is a cathedral?

Let's look through the dictionaries

Even the simplest theoretical research is usually started from primary sources. The meaning of words is contained in special books, let's turn to them. According to specialized literature, a cathedral is a building, a meeting of citizens, a meeting of responsible persons, held for a specific purpose. As a rule, the term is usually associated with a religious theme. For example, everyone knows St. Isaac's Cathedral. This is the name of a large Orthodox church, in which the patriarch conducts services on holidays. However, in Russia, secular events were also called a cathedral. A. S. Pushkin has the following lines: “Smite the barbarians with bloody verses; Ignorance, resigned, will blunt the coldthe gaze of arrogant rhetors is an illiterate cathedral. This refers to an assembly that is far from solving religious matters. But the Dictionary of Church Terms explains the meaning of the word, from the point of view of Orthodoxy. In it, the cathedral is both a building and a meeting of representatives of Christian communities, and a holiday. Therefore, it is necessary to understand our term in more detail.

The lexical meaning of the word "cathedral"

Science tries to understand the concepts thoroughly so that there are no questions left. Under the lexical meaning of the word, according to textbooks, they understand the image or phenomenon indicated by the set of sounds. And here we all come to the same ambiguity. Indeed, by the word "cathedral" our interlocutor can understand both the noun (temple) and the phenomenon (meeting). That is, the same term refers to essentially different things. On the one hand, it denotes the building in which divine services are performed, on the other hand, it calls for thinking about the congress of authorized representatives. It is necessary to understand what exactly is meant by the context. For example, when you hear the phrase: “I visited an Orthodox cathedral during an excursion,” imagine the building. Everyone understands that we are talking about a large temple, decorated with icons and frescoes. Another thing, for example, Zemsky Cathedral. This phrase is an anachronism. There are no such events now.

What is a Zemsky Sobor

To understand the essence of this concept, it is necessary to refer to the meaning of power. The ruler must rely on some kind of force so that his orders are carried out. The tyrant hasarmy and police, the president has an electoral system, people and parliament. In Russia in the 16th century, rulers preferred to consult with certain groups of the population when making important decisions that affect the entire population. The people were gathered at the place of residence by special orders. The Moscow rulers sent messengers to all parts of the country demanding to confer with representatives of the service and merchant class. That is, ordinary peasants were not listened to. We althy people who had influence in their quarter or workshop were invited to the Zemsky Sobor. Probably, in such a simple way, democracy was born. Zemsky Sobors operated for quite a long time, about one hundred and fifty years.

Church concepts

Believers also organized the work of a kind of advisory bodies. Councils among Christians are local, episcopal, ecumenical. They differ in the status of participants and the level of decisions made. So, both archbishops and ordinary believers came to the Local Council. Discussed issues of religion and morality. And only church ministers take part in the work of the bishops' council. The common people were not allowed to see him. Such meetings eventually replaced the local ones. That is, issues of religious life and morality began to be discussed without taking into account the opinions of the laity. Great is the significance of the Ecumenical Councils. This event is held infrequently. It is attended by representatives of all local churches, that is, territorial branches. At such meetings, the most important issues of dogma and church organization are discussed. LastThey tried to hold the Ecumenical Council in 2016. But most of the local churches, including the Russian Orthodox, refused to participate.

Building

Most often the meaning of the word "cathedral" is associated with the church. This is the designation of a building in which religious rites are performed by a patriarch or archbishop. The building has a special, more fundamental architecture, that is, it stands out from others. It is decorated in such a way that believers can immediately assess the status of the temple. Its dimensions must also be significant, since a large number of clergy take part in the service. It is customary to keep spiritual relics of great value in cathedrals. They attract believers who want to touch the relics or miraculous icons. The cathedral is also called the main church in a large Orthodox monastery. It also stands out from the rest in size and decoration. It is in this temple that festive services are held, led by the rector.

Holiday

Some days in Christianity are also called cathedrals. The word changes its meaning again. For example, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin Mary. This is the day after Christmas. During this period, churches hold special events dedicated to the Mother of God. After the Baptism of the Lord, the Cathedral of John the Baptist is celebrated. Believers come to churches and praise this Saint. As you can see, our term has many meanings. Therefore, it should be used correctly so that the listeners understand what is being said. Of course, many now have no idea about Zemsky Sobors, because such events have long sunk into oblivion. However, even without this, many interpretations of the term remain.

Ecumenical Council, we repeat, this is an event held to address fundamental religious issues relating to all believers, and St. Isaac's is a large temple. It should be noted that buildings with this name must be built in the traditional architectural style of the country and period. So, the Notre Dame Cathedral bears the features of the Norman and Gothic styles, characteristic of the time when it was built. Architects of all countries tried to endow their creations with characteristics that correspond to the traditions of society in order to preserve its features for centuries.