Russian Orthodox Church

The Russian Orthodox Church (also known as the Orthodox Catholic Church of Russia) (??????? ???????????? ???????) is that body of Christians who are united under the Patriarch of Moscow, who in turn is in communion with the other patriarchs and primates of the Eastern Orthodox Church. In this way Russian Orthodox believers are in communion with all other Eastern Orthodox believers.

Russian Orthodox churches

Russian Orthodox churches differ in design from most western-type churches. First, their interiors are very highly decorated, with frescos of many kinds covering every square centimetre of the interior. Some of these are of saints, others of more commonplace scenes. One particularly striking feature of many Russian churches is that the interior reaches all the way up into the dome or domes of the church (most Orthodox churches have the shape of domes). On the ceiling of many churches (inside the main dome in a domed church), an icon of Christ as Pantokrator (Ruler of All) is almost always there. Pantokrator icons emphasize Christ's humanity and divinity simultaneously, signifying that Christ is a man and yet is also God without beginning or end.

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There are no pews. Most churches are lit with candles rather than electric light. This means that in many places the frescos and so on still suffer from the ill effects of smoke. Virtually all churches have many votive candle stands in front of the icons. It is customary for worshippers to purchase candles in church stores, light them up and place them on the stands ( this ritual signifies asking the saint for a favor or commemorating a dead friend or relative ).

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All Russian Orthodox churches have an iconostasis which separates the main body of the church from the altar. Covered with icons, it is intended to stop physical sight, but to allow the spiritual sight of the worshippers through.

Related Topics:
Iconostasis - Icon

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The colours of the domes of a Russian Orthodox church having meaning, as follows:

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• Black - submission. Black domes are found in monasteries.
• Green - the Holy Trinity.
• Blue - the Spirit of God.
• Gold - Jesus. Gold domes on top of tall drum-like towers also intentionally look like candles from a distance.

Silver domes are also found, but these simply indicate that the dome is modern, and has not been painted.

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The number of domes also has meaning:

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• One on its own indicates Jesus.
• Three indicates the Holy Trinity.
• Five indicates Jesus and the Four Evangelists.

The crosses on top of the domes have a crescent shape with the horns upturned as part of their base. This is actually an anchor, indicating that the church is a ship of faith in the sea of vanity.

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Gold is God's colour. When used as the background of an icon it is not flat, but is instead intended to be of infinite depth. Icons are drawn in a flat, non-perspective style. This is intentional, not just a reflection on the skills of the icon painters. The flat style of the painting allows the icon to be viewed equally by all, regardless of position.

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Some churches were funded by merchants. These often have large crypts, which were intended to serve as warehouses for those merchants.

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Many churches, such as Saint Basil's Cathedral in Moscow, are not symmetric structures. This is also intentional, and is based on the belief that symmetry is the enemy of beauty. (This interesting idea finds parallels in the modern analog to the cathedral at Fermilab where a sculpture depicting the physical principle of broken symmetry is at the entrance. http://history.fnal.gov/art_architecture.html#21)

Related Topics:
Saint Basil's Cathedral - Moscow - Symmetry - Beauty - Fermilab - Broken symmetry

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