Types of early Christian temples Christian symbolism. Presentation on the theme "the origin of Christian temples". Byzantine temple architecture

The beginning of the construction of temples After the Edict of Milan in 313, Christianity was officially recognized and soon became the state religion of the empire. The new status of the Church required the creation of large churches, adapted for the increasingly complex liturgy and accommodating many visitors. Already during the time of Emperor Constantine, the construction of churches began - the Lateran Basilica of San Giovanni and the Church of St. Peter in Rome, the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem, the temples of St. Sophia and the Holy Apostles in Constantinople.

Basilica The shape of the ancient temple was not suitable for the construction of a Christian church, due to deep religious contradictions. Unlike a pagan temple, which was considered the dwelling of a deity, a church is a prayer house where many people gather. Basilica is the old name for public buildings. In ancient Athens, this was the name of the basileus' house that stood on the market square. The Romans transferred this name to the large buildings placed on the forums, where public meetings, legal proceedings and commercial transactions took place. The basilica turned out to be convenient for Christians due to its spaciousness.

Structure of a Christian Basilica An elongated rectangular building, longitudinally divided into three or five parts, called naves or ships. The middle nave is wider and higher than the side naves. Its upper tier is cut with windows for lighting. The naves were divided not by a blank wall, but by an arcade. The central nave ends with a semicircular ledge - the apse, where the altar is located. The apse was oriented to the east, to the Holy Sepulcher.

Unlike basilicas in Roman forums, vaulted ceilings were not used here. They are crowned with a gable roof supported by wooden beams and rafters. The vault covered only the apse (its vault was called the conch). The apse was not large, therefore, a transverse nave (transept) was erected between it and the longitudinal naves, equal in height to the central one. He gave the building the symbolic shape of a cross.

In front of the entrance to the basilica there was a walled courtyard with an open gallery (atrium). In the center there was a reservoir that provided water for holy cleansing (ablution in front of the entrance to the temple). In the absence of a courtyard, the entrance to the temple was a room fenced off from the naves from the west (narthex), intended for the penitent or the catechumens. The external appearance of the premises is deliberately modest. Inside is dazzling luxury.

Basilica of St. Peter in Rome According to legend, the Apostle Peter was executed during the reign of Emperor Nero between 64 and 67 years. His grave became a place of pilgrimage. Peter in the eyes of Christians was the head of the Catholic Church thanks to the words of Christ: “You are Peter, and on this rock I will build My Church, and the gates of Hell will not prevail against it” (Matthew 16:18) Peter was considered the first Roman bishop, the founder of the throne, who later they became known as papal.

St. Peter's Basilica The five-nave basilica. The apse was erected over the tomb of the apostle, which was believed to be near Nero's circus at the Vatican Hill. There was a canopy over the altar, supported by 4 twisted columns brought from Greece by order of Constantine. The length of the temple with the atrium is 220 meters, the height of the central nave is 25 meters. The walls were painted with frescoes, mosaics glittered on the triumphal arch and conch of the apse.

The centric buildings of this period are memorial structures, or martyries. They arise from the type of mausoleum common in ancient Rome - the tomb. In addition, the Pantheon is taken as a model for the vault and closed static space. Various planning solutions: round structures, octahedrons or hexahedrons, any polyhedrons inscribed in squares, an equilateral cross.
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First, mosaic images have moved from the floors, where they were common decor, to the vaults of buildings. However, in Christian buildings, the floor continued to be decorated with mosaics, including figurative images. Then the mosaic technique itself changed. Instead of the dull color of natural stones, they began to lay out the mosaic from colored cubes of glass mass - smalt.

In the Roman mausoleum of the daughter of Emperor Constantine Constantza (in the Middle Ages, erroneously called the Church of Santa Constanta), which is a rotunda with a roundabout, numerous scenes of harvesting grapes and making wine are presented in a very Roman spirit. Mosaics on a white background carpeted the vault of the bypass gallery. However, behind the images of the vine and the little men trampling the collected bunches in the winepress, as well as birds pecking fruits and drinking from bowls, completely Christian symbols are guessed.

The art of those years is still largely allegorical, filled with symbols and allegories. Several more centuries will pass until (at least on a theoretical level) the principles on which Orthodox iconography will be based are formulated, and the forms of church art itself will approach the types familiar to modern believers. The Fifth-Sixth Council of Trull, which took place in Constantinople in 692 (which supplemented the two ecumenical councils that preceded it), decreed the following in Canon 82:

"On some images of honest icons, a lamb, pointed by the Forerunner's finger, is inscribed, which is adopted in the image of grace, representing the true Lamb, Christ our God, predetermined by the law. So, lovingly accepting ancient images and canopy (shadows) as symbols and designs of truth committed to the Church , we prefer grace and truth, accepting it as the fulfillment of the law.Therefore, in order to represent the accomplishment through the eyes of everyone through pictures, we determine from now on to depict on icons in a human image instead of the ancient lamb - the Lamb that takes away the sin of the world, Christ our God, so that through this to see the height of the humility of God the Word and to be guided towards the remembrance of His life in the flesh, suffering and saving death and the redemption that came from this to the world. "

In practice, Christian art of the IV-VI centuries. either it continued to use some of the familiar images that already existed in the catacombs, or it took the plots and compositions of Roman art as a basis. The most important borrowings were made from the Roman official imperial art. This was all the more logical because the architectural form of the temple was based on a type of secular public building - a basilica, intended by the Romans for legal proceedings, business and political meetings.

From the very beginning, the most important place for placing images in temples-basilicas was the vault of the altar apse, to which the gaze and movement of every person who entered the interior was directed.

One of the first Christian subjects to occupy the vault of the apse was the scene "Traditio Legis" (Giving of the Law). In Roman art, this scene depicted an emperor elevating an official to the office. In the same mausoleum of Constanta, two mosaics from the middle of the 4th century, based on this composition, have survived.

The first of them depicts Christ seated on a ball, thus depicted as the Cosmocrator, the Ruler of the whole world. The prophet Moses approaches Him in a ceremonial pose, taking the scroll of the law from the hollow of his clothes from the hands of Christ. The ten palms around them hint at the ten commandments.

On the mosaic of another apse, the apostles Peter and Paul approach the standing Christ. The Lord, with his hand raised in a triumphant gesture, stands over the mountain from which the four rivers of paradise flow (Genesis 2: 10-14). Unfortunately, the mosaics have suffered from time, the faces on them have undergone severe distortion as a result of repairs.

Eschatology became another, the most significant theme of altar mosaics. This expressed the ardent expectation of the second coming of Christ, especially characteristic of the early Church.

The mosaic in the apse of the Roman Church of Santa Pudenziana, executed at the turn of the 4th-5th centuries, represents the second coming of Christ.

In the center is depicted the Lord in golden robes, seated on the throne as Lord and Judge. On either side of Him, the apostles are seated in a semicircle, of whom Peter and Paul are immediately recognizable, over whose heads certain women (personifications) hold laurel wreaths. The apostles, who represent the fullness of the Church, sit on thrones according to the words of the Gospel: "... in the priesthood, when the Son of Man sits on the throne of His glory, you will also sit on twelve thrones to judge the twelve tribes of Israel" (Matthew 19:28).

The whole scene is presented against the background of the city - Heavenly Jerusalem (Rev. 21). In the sky, covered with bluish-white-scarlet clouds, the victorious Cross hovers, on the sides of which four winged creatures are represented - a man, a lion, a calf and an eagle. The Cross that appeared in heaven is adorned with gold and precious stones. This is a sign of victory, not passion. Similar images date back to the cross, which appeared in a vision to the Emperor Constantine and erected by him as a monument to his victory over Maxentius. Colored clouds, as if illuminated by the dawn, have become a common detail of eschatological compositions, and animals taken from the vision of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1) indicate that theophany is taking place before our eyes - the appearance of God.

In another Roman temple dedicated to the holy martyrs Cosmas and Damian, the mosaic of the 6th century depicts the coming Christ, as if descending to us along the stairs from the clouds.

The Lord's right hand is raised in a welcoming, triumphant gesture. The Apostles Peter and Paul, placing their hands on the shoulders of the martyrs, present them to Christ. The saints, as befits a meeting of a Roman triumphant, present wreaths to the Lord as a gift, holding them respectfully in their covered hands.

The composition is closed by Saint Theodore in patrician clothes with a wreath in his covered hands and Pope Felix with a model of the temple he built in his hands. The image of the pope was later reworked and stands out for the naturalism characteristic of the new era.

Another subject for the images in the altar was the Transfiguration of Christ, also understood as theophany. Two famous examples of this scene have survived at two different ends of Christendom. Both images were created in the 6th century.

In the Basilica of San Apollinare Inclass in Ravenna, Italy, the Garden of Eden is depicted in the vault of the apse. In the golden sky above him, covered with the same colored clouds, in the sky-blue sphere filled with stars, the victorious, triumphant Cross is revealed. Taking a closer look, one can also discern the small face of Christ placed on the crosshair. The letters Alpha and Omega also refer to Christ (Rev. 22:13) and leave no doubt that surrounded by a round glory, the Cross is a symbolic image of the Lord himself. By itself, the motive of the circle or the heavenly sphere will firmly enter into Christian art. Due to its often found almond-shaped form, it will receive the name - mandorla. In icon painting, this motif will become an exclusive attribute of Christ himself or the Mother of God holding the Son in her arms. Designing first of all divine glory, the sphere also indicates the appearance of another, heavenly world.

The prophets Elijah and Moses soaring in the clouds leave no doubt that this is the Transfiguration. The hand descending above the sphere, denoting the Divine right hand, points to the voice of God the Father (Matt. 17: 5). Below you can see three sheep, which are an allegorical depiction of the apostles. The other sheep, twelve in number, fit in a slender row to the figure of the holy Bishop Apollinaris, depicted from below in the center in the pose of an orant - praying.

The Transfiguration is presented in a completely different way on the mosaic in the basilica of the monastery of St. Catherine on Mount Sinai, performed by masters sent from Constantinople.

Here the image is strict, laconic and one might say “historical”. There is no allegory in it, but symbolism remains, helping to convey the supernatural essence of what is happening. In fact, this is already an example of mature church art. All Orthodox icon painting will follow this path in the future.

Against a solid gold background, excluding a hint of sensual reality, in shining white clothes, Christ surrounded by a mandorla and Ilya and Moses talking with Him are represented. The right hand of Christ is raised in a blessing gesture, and in His halo, which will later become generally accepted, a cross is depicted. Below are shown the prostrated apostles, two of whom raised their hands in surprise and contemplation. Peter lies under the feet of Christ, forming a kind of foundation, in which one can see an allusion to the Gospel words: “You are Peter (stone), and on this rock I will build My Church” (Matthew 16:18).

Returning to the theme of the Old Testament prototypes, one should recall another image of the 5th century, preserved in the small temple of the Osios David monastery in Thessaloniki.

Here the epiphany is presented close to the text of the book of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezekiel 1, 2), which is depicted right there on the edge of the composition, listening to God's voice. The prophet Habakkuk is sitting symmetrically to him on the other side.

In the center, in a sparkling sphere on a rainbow, sits Christ, solemnly raising his hand, with his left hand He shows an unfolded scroll with the inscription: “Here He is, our God! We trusted in Him, and He saved us! " (Isa. 25: 9). Christ is depicted young and beardless, which was already very common in the frescoes of the catacombs. Subsequently, this type will enter into icon painting under the title of Savior Emmanuel (Matthew 1:23). Like the image of Christ of the Ancient of Days (that is, the elder), this image indicates the eternity of Christ, who even before the incarnation appeared in visions to the prophets. From under the feet of Christ flow four rivers of paradise, reminiscent of the words of the Apocalypse: “And he showed me the clear river of the water of life, as bright as a crystal, coming from the throne of God and the Lamb” (Rev. 22: 1). From the four sides of the glory surrounding Christ, four winged animals look out, this time holding the codes of the Gospels.

In addition to the central composition in the vault of the apse, the basilicas were decorated with images on the triumphal arch framing the apse and on the walls of the central nave. These cycles, containing the Old Testament and Gospel scenes, will be discussed later.

Basilicas, as already noted, were not the only type of Christian buildings. Already from the 4th century, a number of centric domed buildings arose, the picturesque design of which is all the more important, since later it was the domed type of buildings that would become the predominant form of the temple in Byzantine and, more broadly, Orthodox architecture.

To be continued...

Christianity- one of the three world religions along with Islam and Buddhism. It is based on faith in Jesus Christ 16 - the God-man who came into the world with the aim of atoning human sins by death on the cross. Having resurrected on the third day and ascended on the fortieth day, he showed the possibility of resurrection and eternal life for every person who believes in him. The life and deeds of Jesus Christ are set forth in the four canonical Gospels included in the biblical book of the New Testament.

The formation of a spiritual space based on the Christian faith and the establishment of a religious ritual led to the need for religious buildings. In architecture, two types of churches (houses of God), dating back to the buildings of Ancient Rome, were established - the rotunda and the basilica.

Baptisteries for baptism or mausoleums for the burial of saints were built in the form of a rotunda with a clearly marked central axis. The oldest are the mausoleum of Constance in Rome and the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna. The cruel form of Copstaptia's mausoleum in Rome (IV century) recalls the eternity of the Church of Christ. Its interior space is divided by columns into a bypass zone and a central one crowned with a dome. The mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravena (5th century) has a special cross shape, symbolizing Jesus Christ. At the intersection of the arms of the cross, it is crowned by a square tower, which hides the dome end inside (see color incl., Fig. 21). It was in the mausoleum of Galla Placidia that the transition from a round dome to rectangular walls was first made using four spherical triangles - sails.

A Christian basilica, for example Sapta Maria Maggiore in Rome (IV century), is likened to a ship that delivers Christian to the Kingdom of Heaven, and is intended for the administration of church worship and the storage of relics. Santa Maria Maggiore, like any basilica, is an elongated rectangular building, divided from the inside by a colonnade into three parts. Thanks to the vaults - flat wooden beams with rafters reminiscent of the keel of a ship, the passage was called the nave (Latin navis - ship), and the middle nave is always higher and wider than the side ones.

The basilica is illuminated through windows cut in the upper part of the walls above the colonnade of the central nave and on the side walls. The entrance is located on one of the short sides. It leads to the narthex, a room reserved for people preparing for baptism. The opposite short wall ends with an apse - a semicircular ledge with large windows. Its inner space, covered by a semi-dome and raised above the general floor level, is called an altar. The border between the central nave and the altar, where parishioners are not allowed, resembles a triumphal arch in outline. In front of the façade there is a tower and a vast open courtyard surrounded by a colonnade like a Roman atrium.

Extremely simple in form, devoid of any decor on the outside, early Christian temples inside were richly decorated with mosaics. Moreover, the mosaic does not just cover the walls, but, as it were, replaces them. Since it consists of small pieces of smalt of different sizes, different degrees of transparency and is laid out at different angles, the light is not reflected from the rough surface, but as if scattered, softening the edges and dissolving the planes in its transparent stream. The interior is perceived as a transformed world, as a symbol of the soul. which shines the more, the plainer its bodily shell.

Architectural Types of Christian Churches Author Solodkova T.M. lecturer at the St. Petersburg College of Music. Objectives of the work

• 1. To acquaint with the history of the formation of the architectural styles of the Christian church.
• 2. Show different styles of Christian temples.
• 3. To trace the logic of the development of architectural thought.
• 4. Understand the unity of the diversity of Christian churches as a visible embodiment of church symbolism.

The temple is an architectural structure intended for the performance of divine services and religious rites.

Styles history

• Since Christian worship, in contrast to pagan rituals, was performed inside the temple, the Byzantine architects were faced with the task of creating a temple with a large room in which a large number of people could gather. In those days, construction equipment did not have the ability to construct structures that would cover significant spans. Therefore, when it was necessary to create an extensive interior space, compromise solutions were used. In the architecture of Arab countries, the flat roof of the mosque hall rested on a forest of internal columns. The builders of Christian churches acted differently. For this purpose, they used the combination of several smaller spaces.

• These were three-aisled wooden-beamed basilicas resting on two rows of marble columns with Corinthian capitals separating the naves from each other; entered the temple through the atrium and the narthex. Unlike basilicas of the Roman type, here the side aisles had a second tier (a gallery for women, or ginaikonite), and the apse became emphatically polygonal from the outside. In Greece, the basilica type was used for a long time - in a simplified and more developed form, with the use of cylindrical vaults in the main and side aisles and with small service rooms (sacristy and deaconnik) on the sides of the apse. Examples: St. Philip in Athens (only the foundation has survived) and the church in Kalambaka (both 6th century, with wooden rafters as floors), St. Anargyrs and St. Stephen's Cathedral in Kastoria (both 11th century, with cylindrical vaults) and the Cathedral of St. Sofia in Ohrid, Macedonia (founded in the 9th century, rebuilt around 1037-1050) with cylindrical vaults and three apses on the east side.

The composition of the interior organically includes a strictly developed, canonical system of paintings and mosaics, subordinate to the structure of the building and the symbolism of its parts. The type of cross-domed church in its various versions has also become widespread in church architecture in Russia, the Balkans, the Caucasus, etc.

The cross-domed church. Incision

• An example of the transformation of a basilica into a cross-domed structure is the cathedral Sofia in Thessaloniki built between 690 and 730 Its interior also consists of a domed cross and walkways with choirs separated by arcades. Here, massive pillars are unusually arranged, on which the dome and the adjoining arches of the arms of the cross are held. They are cut by passages that visually divide them into narrower supports. The emergence of these passages indicates the gradual transformation of the sub-dome space into a three-aisled space. The side naves, separated by arcades, remain detached from the central cruciform interior and serve as a bypass around it.

The main cathedral of Georgia - Svetitskhoveli - was built in 1010-1029. It is designed in the form of a three-nave temple with rows of pillars in the interior, but unlike the Echmiadzin Cathedral, it has proportions strongly elongated from west to east. There is no tetracon allusion in it. There is more similarity here with Ani's Cathedral, which has the same elongated basilica plan. The pillars bearing the dome have an interesting feature. On the inside, they have a greater number of ledges, as if encircling the dome square.

Byzantine cross-domed temples

Mireleion. Church in the palace of the emperor Roman Lacapenus in Constantinople. X century.

Church of Our Lady of Pammakarista in Constantinople. 1292-1294 The interior of the temple is on four columns. View of the altar apse. Column capital and side vaults of the church. Monastery of Pantokrator in Constantinople. XII century. From the history of architectural thought

Nomendantskaya road. Mausoleum of Constance

The composition of the centric building by Leonardo da Vinci "Temple in the City" from the treatise Averlino

Mediolan (Milan). Church of San Lorenzo, 70s IV.

Trinity Church Grinevo The centricity is absorbed by the basilicas here Check yourself

• 1. What architectural structures are called temples?
• 2. Name the main types of Christian churches, give a brief description.
• 3. Give examples of centric temples.
• 4.Give examples of cross-domed temples

• 1. Temple - an architectural structure intended for the performance of divine services and religious rites.
• 2. Basilica (These were three-nave basilicas with wooden beams Basilica - a rectangular elongated building with a flat ceiling and a gable roof.), Centric (These are centric churches, crowned with a dome. evangelical events), cross-domed types (A square building in the plan, inside which two intersecting arms, covered with vaults, form a cross.)
• 3. Rotunda over the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem. Church of San Vitale in Ravenna.
• 4. Church of st. Irina in Constantinople. Temple of Sophia in Thessaloniki. Church in the palace of the emperor Roman Lacapenus in Constantinople.

• : "Art. A modern illustrated encyclopedia. " Ed. prof. A.P. Gorkina; M .: Rosman; 2007.):
• "Popular art encyclopedia." Ed. V.M. Polevoy; M .: Publishing house "Soviet Encyclopedia", 1986.
• Galina Kolpakova. Art of Byzantium. Early and middle periods. SPb., "ABC-CLASSIC", 2004.
• A. I. Komech ANCIENT RUSSIAN ARCHITECTURE OF THE LATE X - BEGINNING XIIB. BYZANTINE HERITAGE AND THE FORMATION OF AN INDEPENDENT TRADITION.
• History of Russian art. Volume 1. M., "Northern Pilgrim", 2007
• A.Yu. Ghazaryan. Reconstruction of the Etchmiadzin Cathedral in 620

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This material opens a series of lessons devoted to the study of Christian art in the lessons of the Moscow Art College at 10 (profile level). When studying this topic, students should understand the peculiarities of the transition from the imagery of the art of Ancient Rome to the symbolism of medieval art / designed for 2 lessons /.

The lesson was prepared based on the materials:

• Textbook “World art culture: textbook (+ DVD supplement) for grade 10: secondary (complete) general education (basic level); author Emohonova L.G .. - M .: Publishing Center "Academy", 2008-2010. Lesson 17.
• Books for the teacher with lesson planning and scripts for individual lessons. World art culture: grade 10 (basic level); authors Emohonova L.G., Malakhova N.N. - M .: Publishing Center "Academy", 2008. Lesson 17.

The purpose of the lesson: awakening a deep, sincere interest of students in the study of artistic culture, both emotionally and intellectually.

• to form in students a holistic understanding of the connection between the appearance and internal space of churches with Christian ritual;
• to give an idea of ​​the external and internal structure of a Christian church and the symbolism of early Christian images;
• develop students' ability to analyze, contrast and compare works of art.

Visuals: PowerPoint presentation

Lesson type: lesson-comprehension with elements of conversation-reflection (using multimedia (projector, SMART Board interactive whiteboard)).

For students: workbook, writing materials.

During the classes

1. Organizational moment (frontal form, verbal method).

Teacher: Hello guys. Glad to see you. Sit down.

2. Formulation of the topic of the lesson (frontal form, verbal method, method of motivation: creating a problem situation, visual-illustrative method)

Teacher: Topic of our lesson "Early Christian Art".

In the lesson we will consider such concepts as “Christianity” and “early Christian art”, consider the architecture of this period and the emergence of Christian symbolism.

Open your notebooks and write down the topic of the lesson. slide 1.

3. Mastering new material.

Acquaintance with the concepts of “Christianity” and “early Christian art” (frontal form, verbal method, visual-illustrative method).

Teacher: What is Christianity? Please give a definition.

Students' answers follow (as a rule, correct, but somewhat disjointed).

Teacher: Let's summarize slide 2.

Teacher: So what period in art history is called “Early Christian Art”? slide 3.

Students write down definitions.

Acquaintance with the architectural structures of the early Christian period (frontal form, verbal method, visual-illustrative method, work with plans and diagrams).

Teacher: After the adoption of Christianity as the official religion in the Roman Empire, it became necessary to build new religious buildings. The architects were faced with the task of creating a large space that could accommodate a huge number of believers. There were enough temples on the territory of the Roman Empire, but the government did not use them. Why?

Students: Because they were pagan. Because they were dedicated to pagan gods.

Teacher: Right. It was necessary either to create a completely new architectural form, or to use those structures that existed in the architecture of Ancient Rome, but had nothing to do with religious buildings. The authorities chose the second option slide 4.

The first type of temple buildings is presented in the form of a rotunda. slides 5-8.

Baptisteries (baptisms) for baptism or mausoleums for the burial of saints were built in the form of a rotunda with a clearly marked central axis. In addition to the circle, baptisteries or mausoleums had a square or a cross in plan. slides 9-10. The oldest are the mausoleum of Constance in Rome and the mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna. The round shape of the mausoleum of Constance in Rome (IV century) recalls the eternity of the Church of Christ. Its inner space is divided by columns into a bypass zone and a central one crowned with a dome. The mausoleum of Galla Placidia in Ravenna (5th century) has a special shape of the cross, symbolizing Jesus Christ. At the intersection of the arms of the cross, it is crowned with a square tower, which hides a domed end inside.

The second type of temples was the ancient Roman basilica slides 11-14.

The forms of the ancient Roman basilica were slightly modified slides 15-16.

The teacher (working with slides, gradually reveals parts of the diagram): In the eastern part of the temple, a semicircular apse appeared, in which the altar was located (in some temples there are burials of saints under the altar). The very shape of the altar apse - semicircular - resembles a cave. In Christianity, two caves are known: one of Bethlehem, where Christ was born in the cattle corral, the other is the Holy Sepulcher, where they put the body of Christ taken from the cross and from where he got up, breaking the bonds of death.

Over time, a transverse nave - transept appeared in the basilica slide 16.

Thanks to the transverse nave, the plan of the temple acquired the shape of a cross.

Students sketch diagrams and plans slides 15-16.

Acquaintance with the principles of decorative and pictorial design of the first Christian structures (frontal form, verbal method, visual and illustrative method).

Teacher: The peculiarity of Christian churches was in the sharp contrast between their appearance and interior decoration. Extremely simple in form, devoid of any decoration on the outside, early Christian temples were richly decorated with mosaics inside. Why do you think? slides 17-19.

Students give their answer options.

Teacher (gives an answer): Christian priests compared the church with a believer and believed that, like a humble Christian with his rich spiritual life, the temple outwardly should be emphasized austere, but richly decorated inside slide 20. The art of "shimmering painting" (as they called mosaics) became the main form of visual art in the design of interiors of temples. Moreover, the mosaic does not just cover the walls, but, as it were, replaces them. Since it consists of small pieces of smalt of different sizes, different degrees of transparency and is laid out at different angles, the light is not reflected from a rough surface, but as if scattered, softening the edges and dissolving the planes in its transparent stream. The interior is perceived as a transformed world, as a symbol of the soul, which shines the more, the plainer its bodily shell slides 21-25.

Depending on the type of the temple, accents in the interior decor were placed in different ways. In the central domed structures, such as the mausoleums of Galla Placidia, the walls are covered with marble slabs, and the arched ends, vaults, sails and domes are covered with mosaics. The walls and vaults are lined with dark blue smalt, its background is dotted with golden acanthus shoots, blue cornflowers, white daisies. In the magical space of the mausoleum, colors burn with an unearthly brilliance, and it is no coincidence that one of the ancient hexameters says about their shine: “Either the light was born here, or it is caught here and now rules freely” slides 21-26.

In basilicas, decorative compositions were placed above the colonnade of the central nave and in the apse, facilitating the movement of the viewer in a straight line. Moreover, the significance of the image grew as it approached the altar. In the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore in Rome, above the arcade of the central nave, there are Old Testament scenes, in particular, the story of the first appearance of God to man - to the forefather Abraham slide 27.

The book of Genesis speaks of the appearance of three childless youths to Abraham and Sarah, who lived in the oak forest of Mamre. According to the law of hospitality, Abraham took butter and milk, the best calf of the flock, ordered Sarah to make unleavened bread and treated those who came. After the meal, one of the travelers said: "I will be with you again at the same time, and Sarah will have a son." Sarah, being in the tent, chuckled to herself, as she was in her old years. But the traveler, not seeing her, ordered not to laugh, for there is nothing difficult for God. Then Abraham and Sarah realized that they were receiving God.

The characters are located on two levels. Above, as if in the background, Abraham is depicted walking towards the three youths. Downstairs, Abraham orders his wife to bake unleavened bread, and then brings a platter with a calf to the guests sitting at the meal.

Despite the already established Christian canon to depict the same person side by side, staying in different places at different times in the plot, the composition still retains its antique dynamism. The movement of Abraham, who rushed to the guests, is emphasized not only by the pose, but also by the direction of his right hand, by the branches of an oak, bent towards the aliens, by running clouds. The illusion of antique perspective has been preserved in the interpretation of space. It is felt through a gradual transition from brown-olive foreground tones to golden-green mid-tones and transparent blue with orange tints of clouds in the background. The figures, according to the ancient tradition, are worked out with a shadow, the faces are expressive and emotional, and the general tone of the story is devoid of the constraint of the canon.

Acquaintance with early Christian symbolism in images (frontal form, verbal method, visual-illustrative method).

The main feature and main charm of early Christian art was its close connection with the ancient world and with ancient images, but, as it were, passed through the pure and joyful faith of “a soul by the nature of the Christian”. The connection with the still not forgotten pagan world was evidenced not only by the perspective, the play of deep and deep tones of blue, amethyst, green and wine-red colors of the ancient Roman palette, but also by artistic images. Using pagan motives even in the catacombs - underground Christian cemeteries, Christians gave them a new sound slides 28-29.

During the period of persecution of Christians in the Roman Empire, it was in the Roman catacombs that the first Christian symbolic images appeared. During this period, the symbols were in the nature of secret writing, allowing fellow believers to recognize each other. slide 30.

Characteristics of individual symbols:

• Cross slides 31-32. In the center of the dome of the Mausoleum of Galla Placidia, a golden cross glows as a symbol of the torment and victory of Christ over death, and golden stars are scattered.
• Life-giving cross slides 33-35. In early Christian art, the image of the world tree of life received a new interpretation as the life-giving cross on which Jesus was crucified, and also as the image of Jesus Christ himself. From now on, the image has become a symbol of both the world tree and the Savior of the world.
• Ichthis slides 36-40. The image of floating fish and doves drinking water from a bowl, popular in ancient Roman art, also received a Christian interpretation. The Greek word “ichthys” (fish) was spelled out, making up the phrase “Jesus Christ, teu yuyos, soter”, which means “Jesus Christ, God's Son, Savior”. This explains why the fish was a symbol of Jesus, and he himself was called "the heavenly fish." In the New Testament, the symbolism of the fish is associated with the preaching: former fishermen, and after the apostles, Christ calls “fishers of men”; (Mt 4:19; Mk 1:17), and the Kingdom of Heaven is likened to “a net cast into the sea and captured fish of every kind”; (Mt 13:47). In the first centuries of Christianity, people wore glass, mother-of-pearl or stone fish around their necks - the future wearable crosses. The Eucharistic meaning of fish is associated with representative Gospel meals: the saturation of the people in the wilderness with bread and fish (Mk 6: 34-44; Mk 8: 1-9), the meal of Christ and the apostles on Lake Tiberias after the Resurrection (John 21: 9-22). The symbolism of the fish is also associated with the sacrament of Baptism. As Tertullian says: "We are small fish, led by our ikhthus, we are born in the water and can only be saved by being in the water." Obviously, the Pisces symbol was the sign by which the early Christians found and recognized one another, especially during times of persecution. Scrawled on the wall, on the floor of the market square, or near a fountain, in crowded places, it allowed itinerant Christians to find out where their brothers in faith were gathering.
• Chrism slides 41-43. Chrism became widespread in epigraphy, on the reliefs of sarcophagi, in mosaics, and probably dates back to apostolic times. Historically, the most famous is the use of chrismon for labarum (lat.Labarum) - an ancient Roman military standard (vexillum) of a special type. Emperor Constantine the Great introduced him to the troops after he saw the sign of the Cross in the sky on the eve of the battle at the Milvian bridge (312). Labarum had chrismas at the end of the shaft, and on the panel itself there was an inscription: lat. “Hoc vince” (glorious “By this conquer”, lit. “By this conquer”).
• Alpha and Omega slides 42-44.
• Good shepherd slides 45-49. Christ appeared in the form of a shepherd, a beardless youth with a sheep at his feet or on his shoulders. Christians saw this as an allusion to one of the primary missions of Christ as the shepherd of human souls, depicted as sheep.
• Oranta slides 50-52.
• Lamb slides 53-54. The lamb can be depicted on a rock or stone, from the foot of which streams of four sources (symbols of the Four Gospels) gush, to which other lambs - the apostles or, more broadly, Christians in general - rush.
• Angel, calf, lion and eagle slides 55-59. As if from their circling on sails, the outline of which is indicated by a blue-green serpentine on a wine-red background, a golden angel, a calf, a lion and an eagle appear - the symbolic designations of the evangelists Matthew, Luke, Mark, John.
• Dolphin and anchor slides 60-61.
• Ship slide 62
• Vine slides 63-64. In the mausoleum of Constance in Rome, mosaic walls and ceilings are twined with garlands of vines on which birds of various feathers perch. Pretty girls and boys peep out from behind the vines, plump children are right there scurrying about picking grapes and pressing wine from it. For initiates, branchy vines with carved leaves and many bunches had eucharistic meaning. Children symbolized angels gathering the fruits of the Christian faith.
• Pigeon slides 65-66.
• Phoenix, peacock, rooster, turtle slides 67-71.

Over the centuries, all early Christian symbolism developed into a strictly established system of images - iconography, which received its complete expression in Byzantine art slide 72.