And why domes?
Because it is the shape of the dome that personifies the desire of Christians for eternal good life. The sphere is heaven, the closed circle is eternity, which has neither beginning nor end. And, of course, the desire to go up, to heaven and the cross that crowns everything.
Most churches in Russia have golden domes, but you can also find buildings with blue, green and black domes, and, interestingly, they are not always the same color. There are domes where golden stars are depicted on an azure (blue) background.
The dome was inherited by Christianity from the Roman Empire
Domes are much older than Islam and Christianity. Archaeologists discovered domes during excavations on the island of Cyprus. These products date back to the fifth century BC.
There were still Wonders of the World in the world that had not survived to this day, and an architectural tradition that would be relevant to this day already existed.
It is noteworthy that the dome is older than the arch, although it looks like a more complex product.
But the complexity of the oldest domes should not be overestimated.
These were primitive designs, and temple heads similar to today’s were invented in ancient Rome.
Around the time when concrete began to be widely used.
The Pantheon temple has the oldest dome; there was once a Christian church here
The real year of birth of the domes can be considered the year 128 - when it was used in the construction of the rotunda of the Pantheon temple. By the way, yes, all the gods were worshiped there. That's where the word came from.
In 609, Emperor Phocas donated the temple to the Pope.
It was turned into the Church of St. Mary and the Martyrs. The illumination took place on May 13, and then they began to celebrate All Saints' Day. Only a couple of thousand years later the date was shifted to November 1. This is how the pagan holiday influenced the dating of the Catholic one.
And Christianity inherited from Rome not only temples, but also the tradition of using domes. Later they were adopted by the Muslim world, and now domes are present on mosques and mausoleums. And even later, the dome became part of Russian architecture.
Origin story
Tattooing began to develop its history at the beginning of the twentieth century. Then many people were sent to the Solovetsky Islands as prisoners. The bulk of them were those in whom the Bolsheviks saw a threat. These included church ministers who did not want to follow the lead of the new government. It was here, in places of detention, that priests, together with some prisoners, formed a movement. It was designed to fight atheism.
The authorities, in turn, banned the wearing of crosses and other church paraphernalia. It was then that the prisoners decided to tattoo the top of a cathedral or church on their bodies.
The number of domes on temples ranges from one to thirty-three
The number of domes on Orthodox churches also matters. But the scale of the temple and the financial capabilities of the parish also play a significant role here. You shouldn't forget about this.
Church of the Transfiguration, Fr. Kizhi, 22 domes
But let's talk about the symbolic meaning: how many domes mean what in the Orthodox tradition:
The one-domed temple symbolizes the One God.
The two domes symbolize the human and divine nature of the Savior. They are very rare. An example is the Church of Cosmas and Damian in Stare Paneh.
Temple of Cosmas and Damian in Stare Paneh. A rare case when a temple has two domes
Three domes are a reminder of the Holy Trinity.
The five domes are the four Evangelists and Jesus Christ.
Assumption Cathedral with 5 domes. Moscow
The seven domes symbolize the sacraments of the Orthodox Church.
The nine domes symbolize the nine ranks of angels (from the highest seraphim to the lowest - angels).
Thirteen domes symbolize Jesus Christ and his twelve disciples.
Twenty-two domes are quite difficult to compare with anything. 22 letters in the Hebrew alphabet. Bible verse 22 writes about Eve. 22 chapters in the book of Revelation.
It is difficult to identify the 22 domes with anything in Christian symbolism.
The twenty-five domes on the church represent the glorification of the Mother of God by the twenty-five prophets of the Old Testament. It is also a heavenly throne surrounded by twenty-four elders (an image from the apocalypse).
Intercession Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the Vsevolzhsky district of the Leningrad region. Has 25 domes
Thirty-three domes remind us of the years the Savior lived.
Transfiguration Church with 33 domes in the Volgograd region. The number of domes corresponds to the number of earthly years of Jesus Christ
Transfiguration Church, Kizhi
Author: unknown
Date of construction: 1714
Location: Republic of Karelia, Medvezhyegorsky district, Kizhi island
Current use: 40-year extensive restoration completed/
The Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord on the island of Kizhi is considered the pinnacle of wooden Russian architecture. The aerial church, 37 meters high, was erected on the shores of Lake Onega. The Church of the Transfiguration was built from pine, topped with 22 domes, covered with aspen tiles - ploughshare.
The Transfiguration Church is part of the Kizhi Pogost architectural ensemble and is the pearl of Kizhi. In 1990 it was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
The color of the dome can have a symbolic meaning, but not necessarily
Domes and temples are found in different colors. It makes sense. But it’s not always worth looking for it. If we are talking about a poor one-story church, the dome of which was painted with what was found in the garage so as not to rust, then it is unlikely that there is any sacred meaning here.
No one obliges individual parishes to determine the color of a church or dome according to any set of rules. Often people don’t even think about such things, because in church life they are not secondary or even tertiary.
But you can still put meaning into the color of the dome. Color matches are highlighted. The color of the dome indicates who it is dedicated to:
- a temple with white domes - clarity, transparency, this is a temple consecrated in honor of the Transfiguration, or the Ascension of the Lord;
Church of the Ascension of the Lord. Village Karinka
- a temple with blue domes (also with blue domes) is chastity, most often the Blessed Virgin Mary is meant;
Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Vladikavkaz
- a church with green domes is dedicated to a certain saint. Green domes are a sign of renewal. Also, the domes on the church are painted green in honor of the Holy Spirit, or all the Holy Trinity;
The Holy Trinity Cathedral in Krasnodar has green domes - the color of the Holy Spirit
- yellow - in honor of the saint;
Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker in Magnitogorsk
- red - a temple in memory of the martyr. For the temple, the red color obviously expresses human sacrifice, reminiscent of blood. But a red dome is rare, even if the church is in honor of a martyr;
The Church of St. Panteleimon has red domes.
Red domes are very rare.
- blue domes with stars - reminiscent of the story of the birth of Jesus Christ;
Trinity-Sergius Lavra
- silver domes on the church are a sign that it has a patron saint, like those churches that have green domes;
Church of St. Nicholas on Lipna near Veliky Novgorod
- The multi-colored dome is reminiscent of the heavenly Jerusalem. St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, perhaps the main church in the country, has such chapters;
St. Basil's Cathedral in Moscow
- The black domes on the church evoke frightening associations in people. But you shouldn't draw premature conclusions. Satanism has nothing to do with it. Black is the color of monasticism.
You can usually find similar buildings in monasteries. But not only in them. One of the churches with black domes was ordered by Alexander III when he escaped from a train crash. With him he had an icon of the Savior Not Made by Hands. The Emperor ordered the reconstruction of the Temple of the All-Merciful Savior (Nizhny Novgorod). This church has black domes.
Temple of the All-Merciful Savior (Nizhny Novgorod)
Golden domes are not a sign of luxury, but a tribute to tradition
There are two reasons why domes are often painted green: symbolic and practical (more precisely, traditional):
- Symbolic. Gold reminds of power, of reign. That is, about the King of Heaven. This is the metal of glory, and therefore it is ideally suited for decorating churches in honor of the Savior. It is very popular because the desire to pay homage to Jesus Christ often becomes the determining factor when choosing a color.
- Practical. This side is no longer relevant and remains a tribute to tradition. But it still needs to be mentioned. Previously, high-quality roofing iron could not be invented in Rus'. It was necessary to have good knowledge of chemistry, but there was not enough of that. Weather conditions destroyed many metals. But gold is an exception. It does not oxidize, so if you cover the dome with the thinnest gold coating, the problem with weather conditions will be immediately solved.
Of course, this is not the only example. Domes could be made from other metals that do not oxidize. But the choice fell on the one that was not only more practical, but also more beautiful.
Today there are enough materials, so it is customary to paint domes gold. Real gold to cover the dome is a waste. A metal that is often mistaken for gold is titanium nitride.
The importance of temples in people's lives
Each nationality has its own faith and the necessary buildings - a church, a temple, a mosque. In such buildings, a person offers a prayer to the Lord about his sins, repents, prays for loved ones, and is in a state of mental peace. Any such building has a vault, which is made of the best materials and has an attractive color.
The meaning of the colors of the domes of temples in any religion has a symbolic definition. We can say that the vault is the main decoration of the temple and its shape resembles a parabola or hemisphere.
The founders of domes were the Romans. They used concrete to build wonderful structures that covered large buildings. The oldest vault is in the Roman Pantheon, built around 128.
The very first city in Rus' to receive baptism was Kyiv. The ambassadors of Prince Vladimir were amazed by the beauty of the Cathedral of Sophia in Constantinople. This is what served as the basis for Russian architecture in the construction of churches. Masters built churches in Rus' in the traditions of Byzantine architecture with domes.
The best article for you, go to: What is the grace of God and how does it work
The shape of the dome can also have a symbolic meaning: from a candle to the heavenly host
The dome is also intended to evoke certain associations.
The helmet-shaped dome is an image of the spiritual army, a message to a person that the church is fighting for the salvation of his soul.
Spherical domes are a symbol of eternity.
The onion-shaped dome is a candle flame. Reminds me of the phrase of Jesus Christ: “You are the light of the world.” Calls for prayer, indicates that we need to strive for heaven.
The tent-shaped dome is a heavenly light, the image of the Virgin Mary.
The complex shapes of the domes convey how beautiful Heavenly Jerusalem is.
The complex shape of the dome of the Church of the Sign of the Blessed Virgin Mary in the village of Dubovitsy
The cross on the dome reminds people of salvation; it can be complemented by a crescent
The cross on the domes of churches sometimes looks unusual, and then questions arise.
Why is there a cross on the temple at all? He reports on the main idea of Orthodoxy - the salvation of the soul of a Christian believer. The cross rises on the church, like a saving sail on a ship. This symbol is addressed to the believer so that he does not forget the main purpose of the church.
What kind of crescent is on the cross? Of course, it has nothing to do with Islam. There are simply versions that the cross in this position seems to dominate the Islamic symbol. No, this is not so and has nothing to do with it at all. This image is called “tsata”.
The crescent moon on the cross comes from the book of Revelation.
This is a symbol of royal power. It has been known since Byzantine times. Tsata is found not only on crosses, but also on icons. Very often it decorates images of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
There are quotes on other icons:
- Holy Trinity;
- Jesus Christ;
- Mother of God.
The tsat is worth seeing as a symbol of power—but spiritual power. She reminds believers that the head of the Church is Jesus Christ. This is important so that people do not forget that the church is not only an earthly organization with its own hierarchy, but something more, spiritual.
But you can trace the image of tsata even deeper - find its prototype in the Holy Scriptures. The Apostle John the Theologian describes one of his visions in the book of Revelation:
“And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of 12 stars.”
John the Theologian
apostle
Deciphering the book of John the Theologian is not even the subject of a separate article, but, perhaps, an entire science. But you still can’t miss the most obvious correspondences:
- twelve tribes of Israel;
- twelve apostles.
And now there are twelve stars and the moon under the woman’s feet. Isn’t this very woman the Church of Christ? Or maybe the soul of every person? It is possible that the apostle introduced a multi-level meaning and implied all interpretations at once.
But this passage is important because it is precisely such a cross, with a crescent and stars, that crowns the domes of many Orthodox churches. For example, the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Verkhoturye.
The crescent moon and twelve stars on the domes of the temple refer to symbols from the book of Revelation
There are other explanations for the crescent moon, but this seems the most convincing.
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