Wandering Lizard
Russia

A Trip to Russia - St. Basil Cathedral in Red Square - Spring

Saint Basil's Cathedral is an example of what students of architecture call a tented church. The design is thought to have originated in the north of the country where the earliest churches were built of logs. The first tented church known to have been built of brick commemorated the birth of Ivan the Terrible. It was a popular style during his lifetime. We saw tented churches in several places during our trip but none were as spectacular as this one.

The Russian Orthodox church building traditionally has a main body which is called a nave and a raised area around the altar called a sanctuary. Parishioners remain in the nave of the church while the sanctuary is primarily the domain of the clergy. The sanctuary area has a tall screen called an iconostasis setting it off from the main body of the church. There are usually three doors in the iconostasis through which the Orthodox clergy and other church personnel enter the sanctuary. There are strict rules as to who may use which door when, but generally speaking the central door is considered to be the most important. Usually the doors are opened only during religious services, but different churches have different rules. The iconostasis is usually lavishly decorated and almost always has multiple icons which sometimes cover it entirely. The placement of each icon has great symbolic meaning.

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