Orthodox Christian Church Architecture

On the occasion of the opening in 2020 of the Main Cathedral of the Russian Armed Forces, stylistic trends of modern Orthodox architecture and ecclesiastical art are analyzed. It’s considered the phenomenon of the reconstruction of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow, its influence on the development of monumental religious painting in Russia, as well as the building the Cathedral of the New Martyrs and Confessors of the Russian Church on Lubyanka. The problematic of the style of new Orthodox architecture and ecclesiastical art is formulated in terms of eclecticism (historicism) that has a programmatic symbolic meaning in the context of the “statization” of Russian art culture of the past few decades.

Dualism of Ukrainian baroque is presented by the monuments of national Orthodox temple design and Catholic European temple design. The latter on the territory of the studied region took the form of colonial architecture, which did not take into account the local historical and current traditions of architecture and which was a variational inheritance of the forms of provincial Polish temple construction.

Автореферат диссертации на соискание ученой степени кандидата искусствоведения: "Архитектура современных православных храмов Беларуси: традиции и мировой контекст" / Abstract of PhD thesis "Contemporary Belarusian Orthodox Christian Church Architecture: Tradition and Global context" (Written in Russian. Short abstract in English is on the last page)

Кандидатская диссертация на соискание ученой степени кандидата искусствоведения: "Архитектура современных православных храмов Беларуси: традиции и мировой контекст" / PhD thesis in art theory: "Contemporary Belarusian Orthodox Christian Church Architecture: Tradition and Global context"
(in Russian)

Впервые в белорусском искусствознании выявлены художественно-стилевые направления в современном православном храмостроении Беларуси и роль культурного контекста в процессе их эволюции; раскрыты способы трактовки категорий канона, канонической и национальной традиций и представлений о сакральном, определяющие архитектуру современных православных церквей Беларуси; охарактеризованы сложившиеся в православной архитектуре начала ХХI в. тенденции, направленные на поиск нового образа православного храма; определены стратегии выражения сакрального в современной христианской культовой архитектуре; очерчены перспективы развития православного храмостроения Беларуси на основе интерпретации национальных традиций и использования опыта современного архитектурного формообразования.
The research detects major stylistic and conceptual tendencies in contemporary Belarusian Orthodox Christian Church architecture and the role of cultural context in the process of their development. The study reveals how interpretations of canon, canonical and national tradition, and the concept of sacred space determine Belarusian Orthodox Church building. The research explores the direction towards innovative imagery in Orthodox Church building at the beginning of the XXI century. The study of methods by which sacred is represented in contemporary church design defines prospective strategies of Belarusian church building development on the basis of local artistic traditions or conceptual language of contemporary architecture.

Први део ове дисертације посвећен је идентификовању обавезујућих програмских елемената који проистичу из најважнијег религијског обреда који се одвија у православној цркви – литургије, као и других захтева, с намером да се установи да ли проистичу из богослужбених потреба цркве или су извантеолошке природе и који су чиниоци утицали на њихово формулисање.
Црква је у основном смислу богослужбена, литургијска заједница, a црква – храм – првенствено богослужбени, литургијски простор. Литургија је основни и кључни чинилац у формулисању програмских основа православног црквеног градитељства, у односу на који су сви остали утицајни фактори и програмски елементи од другорaзредног значаја. Симболички део архитектонског програма православних цркава такође је веома значајан, али се он не може директно превести у архитектонску форму. Канони хришћанске православне цркве ни на који начин не условљавају непосредно архитектонско обликовање храмова. Проглашавање неких елемената архитектонске традиције или устаљене савремене градитељске праксе за „канонске“, мада без основа у верском учењу, отежава покушаје тражења савременог израза у области сакралне архитектуре.
Савремена градитељска пракса православних и других хришћанских цркава сведочи о значају проблема односа према традицији, било да се она копира, развија или одбацује. Сукоб мишљења и пракси традиционалистичког и модернистичког приступа црквеној архитектури, али и литургијским и теолошким питањима, израженији је међу римокатолицима и протестантима, али постоји и у оквиру православних цркава.
Прожимање верског и националног идентитета код православних Срба допринело је да православни храмови од представе и симбола хришћанског учења и Предања постану, можда чак и у већој мери, симбол националног идентитета и традиције. У савременој архитектонској пракси пројектовања и изградње цркава Српске православне цркве преовлађује традиционалистички приступ и историцистички израз. Инсистирањем на спољашњим, површинским, строго формалним одликама архитектуре прошлости као непроменљивим и обавезујућим обрасцима, укида се једна од суштинских карактеристика традиције а то је њено стално обнављање и континуитет промена из генерације у генерацију. Тако се уместо традиције и традиционалног приступа, негује, њима по духу супротан, традиционализам.
Корпус сакралне архитектуре Српске православне цркве, из периода од 1990. године до данас који је предмет ове докторске дисертације, али и из претходног периода социјалистичког друштвеног уређења, није још увек довољно истражен. Други део дисертације посвећен је анализи савремене пројектантске праксе и ауторских поетика најистакнутијих аутора у овој области код нас, по броју или квалитету изведених цркава у последње три деценије – Љ. Бошњак, Р. Прокића, П. Ристића, Љ. Фолића, М. Лукића, Н. Поповића, С. Крунића, Б. Митровића, М. Митровића и Б. Пешића. Већина аутора негује поетику традиционалног – миметичког или динамичког – типа. Ипак, и међу њима постоје значајне разлике, будући да се ослањају на различите елементе из традиције, чиме посредно указују на постојање слободе архитектонског стваралаштва у области градитељства православних цркава.
[The first part of this dissertation is devoted to identifying the mandatory program elements arising out of the most important religious ceremony that takes place in the Christian Orthodox church – Liturgy, as well as other requirements. The intent is to determine whether those elements arise from the liturgical needs of the Church or they have non-theological nature, and which factors influence on their formulation.
The Church is in the basic sense a liturgical assembly, and a church – temple – is primarily liturgical, worship space. Liturgy is the basic and key factor in formulation of Orthodox church building programmatic basis, in relation to which all other influencing factor and programmatic elements are of secondary importance. The symbolic part of the architectural program of Orthodox churches is also very significant, but it cannot be directly translated into architectural form. The canons of the Christian Orthodox Church are not in any way conditioning directly the architectural design of temples. Declaring some elements of architectural traditions and the established modern architectural practices as “canonical“, even without foundation in the theology, hinders the quest for the contemporary expression in religious architecture.
Contemporary architectural praxis of Orthodox and other Christian churches testify about the importance of the problem of the relationship to tradition, whether it is copied, developed or rejected. The conflict of traditionalist and modernist opinions and praxis in the approach to church architecture, and also the liturgical and theological issues, are more prominent among Roman Catholics and Protestants, but are also present within the Orthodox churches.
Intertwining of religious and national identity of the Orthodox Serbs contributed to the situation that orthodox temples become, from the representation and symbol of religious teaching and tradition, perhaps even to a greater extent, a symbol of national identity and tradition. Traditionalist approach and historicist expression predominate in contemporary architectural design praxis of Serbian Orthodox Church. By insisting on the superficial, strictly formal qualities of historic architecture as the immutable and binding values one of the essential characteristics of tradition – its constant renewal and continuity of changes from generation to generation – is abolished. Instead of tradition and traditional approach, traditionalist one, which is opposite to them is thus supported and nourished.
This field of architectural creation in Serbia, dating from 1990 to the present, which is the period analyzed in this dissertation, but also from the previous period of socialist state, is not yet sufficiently explored. The second part of the dissertation is devoted to the analysis of contemporary design praxis and poetics of the most prominent authors in this field in our country, by the number or quality of the realized churches in the last three decades – Lj. Bošnjak, R. Prokić, P. Ristić, Lj. Folić, S. Krunić, M. Lukić, B. Mitrović, M. Mitrović, B. Pešić and N. Popović. Most authors cherish the traditional – mimetic or dynamic – type of poetics. However, there are significant differences among them, because they rely on different elements of tradition, thus indicating indirectly to the freedom of creation in the field of Orthodox church architecture.]

В монографии определены художественно-стилевые направления в современном православном храмостроении Беларуси, раскрыта роль категорий канона и традиции в их формировании, очерчены перспек- тивы развития православного зодчества Беларуси на основе национальных традиций и новейшего мирового опыта проектирования культовых зданий.
Предназначено для исследователей современного сакрального зодчества, практикующих архитекторов, студентов художественных и архитектурных специальностей, представителей духовенства и всех, кто интересуется проблемами белорусского храмостроения.

Despite the unquestionably great importance of Athonite Byzantine Church Architecture, it still remains largely lacking in proper documentation and study. The number of byzantine churches that have survived to this date in Mount Athos is quite small, numbering approximately 60 buildings. The majority of them appear to date to the middle Byzantine period. Church building appears to have been limited in the following centuries, until around the mid-15th century. In terms of their original function, about half of the surviving Byzantine Athonite churches were Katholika οf large or smaller monasteries. Most of these churches are buildings of intermediate size.
In terms of typology, Athonite church architecture displays a remarkable variety. The Protaton Church in Karyes (c. 965) (fig.1) was, according to the latest research, a timber-roofed, cross-shaped basilica. Three rather small Athonite byzantine churches, namely the Katholika of Ravdouchos Monastery near Karyes (11th c.) and Kalamitsion Monastery in the district of Vatopedi (11th c.), as well as the Hagioi Anargyroi chapel in Vatopedi Monastery (c. 1370) (fig.2) belong to the timber-roofed, three-aisle basilica type. The first two of them present some peculiarities, on the basis of which it can be considered that they had as a model the Church of Protaton.
Only five timber-roofed, single nave type churches that can be safely dated to the Byzantine era are found in Mount Athos; the chapel of the Kellion of Hagios Athanasios (mid-10th c.) and the so called Koura Chapel (3rd quarter of the 10th c.) in Megisti Lavra, the Katholikon of the small monastery of Phalakrou (late 10th or early 11th c.), the chapel in the tower of Hagios Georgios in Chelandariou Monastery (mid. 13th c.), and the funerary chapel of Chelandariou Monastery (early 14th c.), though the latter also possesses a tripartite, vaulted sanctuary conch (fig. 13). It is highly probable, nonetheless, that there were many other churches in this rather common and ubiquitous type in Mount Athos, which have  been destroyed in the meantime. The only church known to us to have originally been built in the barrel-vaulted, single nave church type, is the funerary chapel of Vatopedi (c. 1427?) (fig.4).
Most of the Athonite churches known to us today belong to variations of the cross-in-square type. It is also very likely that certain other churches that cannot be fully reconstructed, such as the Katholika of Kalyka Monastery (late 10th c.) and Χylourgou Monastery (early 11th c.) (fig.5), belonged to the cross-in-square type. The vast majority of Athonite cross-in-square type churches belong to the complex cross-in-square type variation. These are the Katholika of the monasteries of Zygou (late 10th c. ?), Hagios Prokopios (mid 11th c.), Χenofontos (late 10th and mid-11th c.), Hagios Nikolaos Chrysokamarou (late 10th c. ?), the co-called old Katholikon of Esfigmenou (early 11th c. ?), the late mid Byzantine (?) second phase of the church of Timios Prodromos in Iviron Monastery, and possibly the original phase of the Katholikon of Stavronikita Monastery (11th c. ?) (fig.6).
Apart from the vast majority of typical complex cross-in-square type churches of Mount Athos, there are also three churches which present the rare peculiarity of omitting the parabemata (pastophories). These are the chapels of Hagioi Tessarakontes and Hagios Nikolaos of the Katholikon of Megisti Lavra (c. 963 or early 11th c.), and the chapel of Hagios Dimitros of the Katholikon of Vatopedi (first half of the 11th c..) (fig.7). Very few simple, four-column, cross-in-square type churches are known to us in Mount Athos. These are the chapel of Panagia of the Katholikon of Pantokratoros (3rd quarter of the 14th c.) and the, now destroyed, old Katholika of the monasteries of Hagiou Pavlou (1440s) and Grigoriou (late 14th or early 15th c. ?) (fig.8).
Only one church, namely the Katholikon of Voroskopou Monastery (early 11th c.) (fig.9), belonged to the cross-in-square with contracted west cross-arm type. Five medium or small size churches belong to the contracted cross-in-square type. These are the chapel of Hagios Nikolaos in the Katholikon of Iviron Monastery (first half of the 11th c.), the chapel of Hagios Ioannis Prodromos in the Tower of Hagios Savvas of Chelandariou (early 14th c.), the Katholinon of the small monastery of Hagios Vasileios Chelandariou (c. 1350), the chapel of the Holy Archangels of Chelandariou (1347-1348), the chapel in the Kalentzi Tower (mid-14th c.) (fig.10), and, most probably, the chapel of the Three Hierarchs of the  Katholikon of Pantokratoros (second half of the 14th c.).
Some of the largest and most renowned cross-in-square type churches in Mount Athos were originally built in the so called Athonite church type. These are the Katholika of Vatopedi (c. 980), Iviron (980-983), Chalkeos (?) (mid-11th c.), Chelandariou (early 14th c.) and Pantokratoros (1357 or 1362/1363) (fig.11) Monasteries. It must be noted here that the Katholikon of Megisti Lavra, considered to be the prototype of this type, is a peculiar cross-in-square church with lateral apses, which in no way is typical of the so-called Athonite church type. The Athonite church type most probably originated in Constantinople. Its spread in Mount Athos during the middle Byzantine period was limited, while no known specimens of the type are to be found outside Athos until the 14th century.
Both functional as well as symbolic reasons appear to have played a part in the dissemination of the church type in consecutive centuries. It must also be noted here that along the Athonite type churches, one encounters also in Mount Athos single-nave triconch churches, that could be termed as contracted Athonite type churches. These are the Katholikon of Melissourgeiou (c. 1030), the chapel of Hagios Nikolaos of the Katholikon of Vatopedi (mid-11th c.) and the chapel of Hagios Dimitrios of the Katholikon of Xenophontos (early 14th c.) (fig.12). The Katholikon of Thessalonikeos (second half of the 14th c.) (fig.11H) has been posited to belong to the simple, four-column cross-in-square type churches with lateral apses (choroi). If this proves to be the case, it then appears likely that this Athonite church might be the prototype of post-Byzantine churches in Serbia, which, even though not of the Athonite type, do possess lateral apses (choroi).
The chapel of the Taxiarchs of the Katholikon of Iviron (between 1005 and 1028), as well as the two small funerary chapels of the Katholika of Melissourgeiou (c. 1030) and Zygou (11th c.) Monasteries (fig.13) belong to the rather rare in Byzantine church architecture types of single-nave domed type  and of the mausoleum type. Lastly, the building phase of the church of Timios Prodromos in Iviron Monastery, dated around the year 980, must have belonged to the simple octagon type, according to Ploutarchos Theocharidis.
A good number of the largest Athonite churches have undergone additions throughout their history, often soon after their original erection, which in many cases have transformed them into intricate building complexes (figs.14,15)
Byzantine Athonite church architecture can be considered to belong within the architectural framework of the greater regions of Macedonia and Thrace, in which the peninsula actually belongs, and does not constitute some separate sort of local “School” . Moreover, many early Athonite churches appear to possess elements of the so-called “Pre-Helladic School”. The lofty Athonite architecture also often possesses a rather Constantinopolitan character, which is particularly evident both in their typology and morphology, as well as the construction of the churches themselves. At times, the architecture of Mount Athos also receives influences from Thessaloniki, and its greater area of influence, which during the 14th century extended all the way to Serbia.
Interesting specimens of the well-known in Byzantium architectural practice of copying prototypes and imitating lofty churches are often encountered in Mount Athos. Lastly, sources provide evidence as to the activity of local building workshops, many of which were composed of or at least included monks, and the important role several important figures from the monastic communities themselves played in the choices and design, but also in the realization of the construction of these buildings.

Текстът разглежда историята и развитието на най-старият запазен християнски храм в старопланинския град Карлово през епохата на Възраждането. Църквата "Св. Богородица" е построена през XVIII век насред някогашната българска махала в подбалканския град. През бурния XIX век, храмът има изключителна роля в културното и духовното развитие и самосъзнание на българите.

The chapel of St Peter and Paul in Zagreb`s central cemetery Mirogoj belongs to a group of the most interesting sacral buildings erected in Croatia`s capital at the end of the 19th century. It is one of the first monumental mausoleums ever built outside the Mirogoj`s arcades and one of the fi nest works by the architect Herman Bollé in his version of the neo-Byzantine style. It was erected in 1891 to serve as lieutenant general Petar Kukulj`s mausoleum by his widow Judita. Petar Kukulj was an Austro Hungarian field-marshal. Since such mausoleums were used by a small number of worshippers, there was no need to make them large. Moreover, the locations where they were going to be built were often very limited in order to leave more space for the cemetery. Therefore, during historicism such cemetery chapels were often erected as centrally planned buildings whether the mausoleums in question were Catholic, Orthodox, Evangelical or Jewish. Hence, Bollé was provided with an opportunity to practice designing centrally planned neo-Byzantine buildings. Since he had been working for the Orthodox Church he was mostly compelled to restore earlier buildings and build new ones of a longitudinal plan which could facilitate a greater number of believers. On those churches he hadn’t had a chance to build domes. The chapel of St Peter and Paul at Mirogoj cemetery is one of the Bollé`s most signifi cant neo-Byzantine centrally planned domed buildings. Looking at his work, we can see that Bollé`s neo-Byzantine style is infl uenced by Byzantine, Romanesque and even Renaissance elements. He also found a great inspiration in late Rundbogenstil (Round-arch style) of Berlin architecture of the 1860s and 1870s. Orthodox bishop Miron Nikolić commended his work in the chapel and it seems that it had convinced him to entrust Bollé with a comprehensive renovation work on his cathedral in Pakrac, as well as some other buildings in Pakrac eparchy (parish church in Bjelovar for example). Thanks to his work on Kukulj chapel and renovation work on parish church of Transfi guration in Zagreb, Bolle was later commissioned to renovate the Orthodox monastery Grgeteg on Fruška Gora, and the Church of Holy Spirit, Ruma, and so on. Immediately after the work in the chapel of St Peter and Paul was fi nished, the walls were painted and the interior was furnished. Zagreb Crafts School professor Josip Bauer is the author of all decorations on the walls and icons on the iconostasis. All the icons were made on a gold background showing Bauer`s relation to the Byzantine art of drawing. The author attended the Academy in Munich. Therefore, compositions of his works are inherently in correlation with the tradition of western painting but there is also a very strong infl uence of the Nazarenes. Bauer was obviously familiar with the orthodox iconography which resulted in numerous commissions by the Orthodox Church in Croatia. The position of icons on the iconostasis follows the usual rules of the Orthodox Church, but still there are some differences. In the bottom line we can see Annunciation in imperial court with icons of enthroned Christ and Virgin by its side. On the side doors we can see Michael the Archangel and Gabriel the Archangel. Saint Peter and Paul, to whom the chapel is dedicated, are painted on the left end of the row and Saint John the Baptist is on the right end. Two central rows of icons on the iconostasis depict the scenes from the life of Christ and Virgin Mary. The top of the iconostasis shows the prophets painted in round medallions and in the central axis we see the crucifixion of the Christ flanked by the Virgin Mary and Saint John the Baptist) painted above the icons showing the Holy Trinity and God the Father. Herman Bolle is the author of the design for the iconostasis as well as the entire chapel project. The estimated cost of the chapel was 14.000 forints (28.000 krones) which was a substantial amount in that time.

The paper will present the contemporary practice of church architecture in Bulgarian, Romanian, Russian and Greek orthodox churches, at the end of the XX and the beginning of the XXI century, and analyse the relationship of traditional and contemporary elements, with the aim of determining main trends and development tendencies. Free development of sacred architecture was interrupted by long reigns of authorities opposed to Orthodox Christianity. After the downfall of Communist regimes, conditions were created for the unobstructed construction of sacred buildings in all Orthodox countries, while the issue of traditional church architecture re-emerged as important. Further development of Orthodox church architecture may be affected by some issues raised in relation to the structure and form of liturgy, regarding the internal organisation of the temple. The freedom of architectural creation is strongly supported by the richness of forms created throughout history. Traditionalist approaches to the architectural shaping of churches are dominant even nowadays, tradition being understood and interpreted individually. At the same time, efforts to introduce contemporary architectural expression into church architecture have been increasing and gaining strength.

The perception of Byzantine churches was defined by image-paradigms
which existed over and above figurative depictions. In this article I analyse the image paradigm of the ‘Holy Mountain’, which significantly shaped the perception of both the outer aspect and internal spaces of Byzantine churches. A key element of the holy mountain image-paradigm was the ambo, located in the space under the cupola. In early Byzantium, it was a significant iconic image which dominated the interior of the church. The article discusses multiple hierotopic and symbolic functions of Byzantine ambos as witnessed by contemporary sources. Particular attention is given to the ambo of the Hagia Sophia which was a complex spatial structure with its own  arrangement of inner sacred zones. In closing I describe the single preserved exemplar of Russian Medieval ambos, the Novgorod wooden ambo dated 1533. Although being far from Byzantine models both geographically and historically,  it epitomizes the same persistent image-paradigm of the Holy Mount.

The article defines prevailing tendencies in Belarusian Orthodox Christian church architecture of the late 20th and early 21st century and the influence of identity that dominates among contemporary Russian Orthodox Church parishioners on current development of church design. It deals with trends in Belarusian church architecture that are based on the interpretation of local building traditions and trends that characterize post-Soviet Russian Orthodox Church as a whole.

Статья посвящена актуальной проблеме определения основных тенденций в современной православной храмовой архитектуре Беларуси. Автор рассматривает направления развития белорусского храмостроения, основанные на интерпретации национальных традиций культового зодчества и тенденций, характерных для постсоветской сакральной архитектуры Русской Православной Церкви. В статье исследуется вопрос влияния идентичности, доминирующей в среде прихожан и духовенства Русской Православной церкви конца ХХ – начала ХХI в., на формирование канона православного храмостроения.

The article defines prevailing tendencies in Belarusian Orthodox Christian church architecture of the late 20th and early 21st century and the influence of identity that dominates among contemporary Russian Orthodox Church parishioners on current development of church design.
В статье исследуется вопрос влияния идентичности, доминирующей в среде прихожан и духовенства Русской Православной церкви конца ХХ – начала ХХI в., на развитие основных направлений в современной православной храмовой архитектуре Беларуси.

In this paper we are dealing with the church of St.
Nicholas in the village of Vranche, Prilep. The area
around the village was settled as early as the oldest
times, to which the New Stone (Neolithic) Age surface findings near the site of Stari Lozja, as well as
late antiquity findings all bear witness. The second
half of the XIX and the first half of the 20th century were periods of Vranche’s greatest development.
The village developed economically, which resulted
in the building of the village church of St. Nicholas
in 1874. It is a single aisle building with a gallery
on the west side. On the west side there is a porch
over which a bell tower rises. The church was built in
1874 and painted in 1875.
It is a church that is partly protected by the Republic Institute for the Protection of Monuments, primarily its icons. As far as the frescoes are concerned,
a great number of the original frescoes by the painter
Petre Debranin and his son Gligur from Tresonche
have been destroyed. From those preserved, only the
workmanship of the authors can be seen. Later on,
some of them were restored by Milan M. Dukic from
the village of Osoj, in 1926.
St. Nicholas church in Vranche has a lovely collection of old icons. Several icons are also signed by
the famous painter from the second part of the XIX
century, Adamche Zograf. There are also many books
in the Slavic language in the church. According to
the recordings in these books, we can conclude that
at one time the church was one of the better equipped
churches with religious service books in the region
of Prilep.

Во трудот се осврнуваме на црквата "Св. Никола" во селото Вранче, Прилепско. Црквата е подигната во 1874, а живописана во 1875 година. Оригиналните фрески се дело на Петре Дебранин и неговиот син Глигур од Тресонче, а подоцна, дел од нив се реставрирани од Милан М. Дукиќ од селото Осој, во 1926 година. Црква-та поседува убава колекција на стари икони, а не-кои од нив се потпишани и од познатиот сликар од втората по ловина на XIX век Адамче Зограф. Исто така, во неа се наоѓаат повеќе книги на словенски јазик. Врз основа на евидентирањето на овие дела кои се засолнати од дофатот на ве-рниците во споменатиот креденец, можеме да заклучиме дека своевремено црквата била една од подобро снабдените со богослужбени книги, а самата црква била центар на словенската кул-тура и просвета во прилепскиот крај.

This article presents the outcomes of the observation and non-destructive survey of the semi-ruined late-medieval church of St. Petka in the village of Balsha, Bulgaria. Making use of contemporary photographic techniques, the examination allowed the authors to further and deepen the available information on the architecture and wall paintings of the church, while the analysis of the collected data led to reevaluation of the arguments supporting its dating.

Barbara N. PAPADOPOULOU: The Basilica of Alkisson. The archaeological research of the last years.

One of the most important monuments of the early Christian Nicopolis is Basilica B, the so-called Basilica of the bishop Alkisson (Pl. 1, Fig. 1). It is a large sized 72.80 x 46.80 m, luxurious, five-aisled basilica, with a transept, an atrium and annexes, of which only those in the southwest have been partially excavated, surrounding a smaller atrium. The main church is divided by four colonnades into five asymmetrical aisles. It has a tripartite transept, which does not extend from the sides and ends to the east in a big semi-circular apse, with three radial buttresses. To the west extends a big atrium with porticos on the south, north and west side (Pl. 2). To the east of the atrium and in contact with the west wall of the narthex, there is a fountain with wash-basins on both sides. Basilica B has been dated by previous researchers to the middle or the second half of the 5th century; however, the monument has accepted many posterior additions and repairs. It formed part of a larger ecclesiastical complex, which according to our current knowledge covered a surface of some 5,900 m2. Due to its luxurious construction as well as its size, the monument was identified by many scholars as the cathedral church of Nicopolis.
The excavations at Basilica B started again in 1998 and focused on the southwest annexes and the small atrium, as an extensive part of them had not been excavated, and also on the north part of the Basilica, in order to explore the building remains, which were located there. The west side of the monument was also investigated and there was discovered an impressive stoa-road, which extends parallel along the full width of the Basilica and its annexes. Parallel to the excavation research, reconstructive work took place in order to support the monument walls, which were facing serious problems. Moreover, a major part of the architectural sculptures, the number of which reaches today 5,060 members, were recorded.
The southwest annexes: To the southwest of the Basilica a small-sized atrium is formed, surrounded in its three sides by a peristyle, perimetric of which rectangular and apsidal places are arranged (Pl. 3, Fig. 2).
The apsidal place E, which is in contact with the south wall of the narthex, was excavated (Pl. 2). It is an elongated hall (16.80 x 7.70 m), with an apse to the west, which is inscribed in the rectangular ground plan of the building. The floor of the hall is covered with a mosaic, ornamented with small square screens, with depictions of birds, flowers, baskets and vases full of fruits (Pls. 5, 6). In the semi-circular space of the apse there is a marble tesserae, with irregular pieces of marble. The wall-paintings with the aniconic decoration are of particular interest. A large part of them still remains in the apse and the sidewalls of the hall and they are the only preserved frescos of Epirus, known up to now (Pls. 7, 8). The apsidal place E seems to have initially been a rectangular hall, which was built soon after the erection of the Basilica, possibly at the end of the 5th century. The apse to the west and the mosaic floor were added in a second phase. The excavations did not provide sufficient indications concerning the use of the place, but its position to the south of the Basilica and close to the small atrium allow us to identify it with the Diaconicon of the Basilica.
To the west of place E, place Z was excavated, sized 10.50 x 4.40 m (Pl. 2, Fig. 13). There is a tribelon in the north side, of which the stone stylobate, two marble bases (of Ionic type), two marble columns with flutings, and Ionic capitals with the innate suffixes, still remain in situ. In the west wall an opening, with a two-columned tribelon, led to the stoa-road. At first the place was open to the south, but the opening was gradually walled. The floor of this place is covered with a mosaic. The north end of the west portico of the atrium was probably arranged, in correspondence with place Z. The stylobate of the possible tribelon was found.
To the west of the small atrium a second apsidal place, which is named conventionally place ST was excavated, sized 16.20 x 9.20 m (Pl. 2, Figs. 15, 16). This place presents many building phases. In the interior, the space apart from the apse is divided in two almost equal sized rooms. To the east the place communicates with the west portico of the small atrium. Later the building was covered by groin vaults, whole pieces were found in the fillings of the interior. Finally, a rising staircase, discovered at the north side of place E, proves the existence of an upper level, above place ST. The excavation of place ST has not yet been completed, but the research, so far, has brought to light interesting findings, among which two belonging parts of a flat relief, with the depiction of hunting (Fig. 17). Another stairway was excavated to the southwest of the place – the walls still remain to a height of some 3 m.
The Stoa-Road: The excavations to the west of the Basilica brought to light a large sized portico, in the N-S axis (Pls. 1, 3, 4, Figs. 22, 23, 28). It is an impressive place of 66.85 m length, 7.30 m width, and height which varies from 3.00 to 0.50 m. It extends along the full length of the west side of the Basilica and the southwest and northwest annexes, parallel to the west part of the of the early Christian walls. We believe that here was the end of an important street of Nicopolis. The stoa-road has two monumental main entrances at the south and north sides, with tribelon in each side. A major part, if not the whole portico, was roofed and had an upper level. At the two long sides of the portico there are 24 pillars, while at the southwest part there is a colonnade, possibly belonging to a previous construction, which had been incorporated into the portico. At the east side there were five openings and at the west wall of the portico there were six other openings. The floor of the stoa-road is paved with rectangular limestone. In several parts the floor has subsided, because of a sewer-pipe, under the full length of the portico’s paving. It is of particular interest that imprints of the wooden joists of the roof, which were destructed by fire, were detected on its floor.
The Synthronon: Of equal importance were the results of the excavation research east of the synthronon. At the semi-circular wall of the podium two entrances are opened, which lead to equal in number places, under the form of a quarter of a circle (Fig. 30). From these places-crypts only the north one was excavated. Its major part was filled in by glass tesserae of varous colors. The excavations also brought to light parts of mosaic floors of a previous building of roman dating, above which was erected the Basilica (Pl. 6, Fig. 31).
The Baptistery: To the north of the Basilica the remains of a building were excavated. The architectural type, the position and other indications led us to identify it as the Baptistery. If this assumption stands, then it is the only baptistery that has ever been found at one of Nicopolis’ Basilicas. Its size is 20.00 x 15.20 m. It communicates directly with the narthex, as well as with the main church, from openings at the north wall of the Basilica. At the east side of the building, there is a central plan hall, formed by a circular core, which is inscribed in a square construction, in the angles of which equal in number semi-circular niches are opened. The excavation of the place has not yet been completed (Pl. 7). 
The excavation research of the last years at the Basilica was very productive. It offered important clues concerning the form of this complex and the repairs and additions that it acepted from time to time. Of special interest was the location of the baptistery, since it is the only one that has been found in Epirus. The study of the pottery and the coins will further help our better understanding of the different phases of the Basilica.

В статье освещены основные тенденции в архитектуре православных храмов Восточной Польши конца ХХ – начала ХХI в., определены её особенности в сравнении с современным храмостроением Беларуси.

The article describes major tendencies in late XX – early XXI century Polish Orthodox Christian Church architecture and underlines its’ specific traits in comparison with Belarusian church architecture of the same period.

В статье освещены вопросы влияния концепций «канон», «традиция» и «каноническая традиция» на формирование образа православного храма, выявлена зависимость этого влияния от исторической ситуации.

SUMMARY
The article covers the influence that concepts like «canon», «tradition» and «canonical tradition» («Sacred tradition») had on Orthodox Christian church architecture depending on historical situation.

Since three centuries a peculiar architectural tradition arisen from Byzantine culture complex - scattered throughout the country - has been eternized. There are Serbian orthodox churches in settlements along the Danube and Baranya County, the most concentrated in the regions of Budapest and Szeged.
These churches built mostly in the 18th and 19th centuries are well definable architectural monuments within the Hungarian history of architecture.  Their form is typically that of the western middle-towered single-nave baroque churches standardized by Austrian architect Lorenz Landner's designs.  Their interiors exhibit, however, the world of decorations of eastern Christian, byzantine sacral spaces.
These relics in Hungary are unique for the Serbian orthodox church architecture.  In the 18th century an outstanding development of Serbian culture and so of architecture shifted to Hungary. Delivered from strict constraints typical of eastern Orthodox Christian architecture this peculiar byzantine tradition alloyed with baroque animation.  This well definable building period provided for further development and historical continuity of Serbian sacral architecture.
In our research paper we focus on the main category element of typological formation, the position of choir (pevnica). The specified investigation focusing on architectural planning gives us possibility to underline periodization of development in composing representative church typical of that type in Serbian sacral architecture of 19th century.

The most important ancient toponomies in Turgutreis are Termera, a Classical Greek-Roman site at Asarlık Tepe, and Strobilos, Aspat or Çıfıtkale, a Byzantine fortress site. Strobilos was first mentioned in A.D. 724, making it one of the few known Anatolian localities to be established during the early Middle Ages on Halicarnassian Peninsula and hence, according to Clive Foss, “should reveal the appearance of a distinctively Byzantine site”. It is best known as a place of exile, as well as an important fortress and naval base of the Cibyrrhaeot Theme, which was twice attacked by the Arabs, in A.D. 924 and 1035. The existence of a monastery on the site is also attested in the 11th century.
The fortress was sacked by the Seljuk Turks around 1080, but it was recovered and refortified under the Komnenian emperors. It remained in Byzantine hands until 1269, when it was captured by the Turkish Emirate of Menteshe.
The focus of this paper is the former Greek church on a hill in Kadıkalesi or Peksimet, one of the most intact and best- conditioned Post-Byzantine religious buildings on Halicarnassian Peninsula. Peksimet is c. 4 km far from Turgutreis from where an unsealed road goes north to its shore. This little church of the 19th cent. will enlarge our perspectives of Ottoman Greek architecture in Caria.

В статье рассмотрены общие тенденции развития сакральной архитектуры Беларуси 1990-х – 2010-х гг. и определены особенности католического, протестантского и православного зодчества. Общей чертой всех конфессиональных направлений храмовой архитектуры современной Беларуси является поиск баланса между экспериментами в формообразовании и обращением к традиции, подразумевающий историзм и соединение традиционных и новаторских элементов в стилевых рамках постмодернизма. В православной архитектуре эти тенденции проявляются в конфликте устремлений к русской и белорусской храмостроительной традиции, постмодернистском переосмыслении собирательного образа крестово-купольного храма. Историческая архитектура католицизма переосмыслена в русле эклектики XIX в., авангардное направление объединяет стилистику постмодернизма, деконструктивизма и неомодернизма. Облик домов молитвы ориентируется на протестантскую архитектуру США последней трети ХХ в.; в исторических стилизациях используются приемы православного и католического белорусского зодчества. В современной сакральной архитектуре сохраняется исторически присущая Беларуси многовекторность, которая подразумевает интерпретацию культурных и религиозных влияний Востока и Запада.

Među brojne teme o kojima je pisala Lelja Dobronić spada i prvi monografski tekst o svakako najvažnijemu graditelju romantizma u Zagrebu i Hrvatskoj Franji Kleinu. Zahvaljujući njezinim istraživanjima osnovne su konture Kleinove biografije postale poznate, no cjeloviti uvid u plodnu djelatnost ovoga arhitekta još nedostaje. U ovome se tekstu pozornost posvećuje do sada manje poznatim aspektima djelovanja te opusa Franje Kleina nakon preseljenja u Zagreb 1859. godine, ponajprije pitanju točne godine osnivanja zajedničkog poduzeća s Jankom Nikolom Grahorom. Riječ je o jednoj od najplodnijih arhitektonskih tvrtki zagrebačke povijesti koja je izvela u 25 godina postojanja oko 120 građevina u tada još uvijek prilično malenome Zagrebu. U članku će se pokazati kako datum osnivanja zajedničkoga ateljea, do sada obično definiran 1867. godinom, treba pomaknuti na znatno raniju 1861. godinu. Govorit će se i o kadrovskim promjenama u ateljeu 1886., te o pojedinim Kleinovim radovima.

Mount Athos, an isolated peninsula stretching out in the Aegean Sea, attracted seekers of monastic solitude as early as the 9th century, if not before.  In the 10th and 11th century, larger monasteries, practicing communal life started to appear.  They brought architectural and spatial solutions that were found fitting the needs and requirements of such communities.  But, specificities of landscape, monastic organization, and historic development, coupled with a dynamic response of the resident monastics also led to certain innovations.  Due to the monastic republic’s religious and historical importance, these were disseminated beyond its borders in the Late Byzantine and Post-Byzantine periods.  And their usage, closely knit with the monastic life, continues today.  Some examples and aspects will be shown and discussed in this informal presentation.

В статье рассматриваются факторы, которые препятствуют реформе храмовой архитектуры Русской православной церкви: стереотип о существовании храмостроительного канона или канонической традиции, изобретение традиций в храмостроительстве 1990-х гг., доминирование собирательного образа белого храма с золотыми главами и крестово-купольной композиции; предлагаются возможные пути ее эволюции методами новейшей архитектуры, предполагающими применение локальных и региональных строительных материалов и переосмысление традиционных технологий их обработки.

Το κείμενο που ακολουθεί, αποτελεί μετάφραση άρθρου που δημοσιεύτηκε στο Αμερικάνικο διαδικτυακό περιοδικό, Orthodox Arts Journal, στις 3 Σεπτεμβρίου 2021. Ως συγγραφέας του άρθρου φέρεται ο πρεσβύτερος πατήρ John Finley, της Αντιοχειανής Ορθοδόξου Αρχιεπισκοπής Βορείου Αμερικής.

В статье продолжено исследование принципов и способов формирования пространства традиционного русского города как визуального текста. Такой текст имеет по преимуществу сакральное содержание. В нём выражаются религиозные установки, ориентиры и ценности, а также транслируются священные образцы и демонстрируются эсхатологические образы. Синтаксис городского визуального текста определяется ключевыми архитектурными доминантами, несущими на себе основную смысловую нагрузку. Такие доминанты в традиционном христианском городе - это собор и парадные ворота, объединённые в одну пространственную синтагму. Комплекс «собор-ворота» является прямой аллюзией на сакральную топику Иерусалима. Создание такого ансамбля является распространённым на Руси способом осуществления культурно-семиотического трансфера, то есть воспроизведения иерусалимской пространственной «программы». При этом специфика русской версии «новых Иерусалимов» заключается в особой конструкции ворот, соединяющих в себе проездную башню и надвратный храм. В статье критически анализируется тезис о происхождении русского надвратного храма от византийских образцов. Показано, что надвратный храм является чисто русским архитектурным «изобретением», а происхождение и широкое распространение этой конструкции объясняется решением семиотической задачи - стремлением создать «пространственную икону» Иерусалима как центра Святой Земли. В статье также предложена типология надвратных храмов. Цель такой типологии - уточнить объём и содержание понятия «надвратный храм», выделить и характеризовать разновидности этого сооружения, а также указать на те варианты композиции «храм-ворота», которые мы не можем отнести к категории надвратных храмов в точном смысле. Предложены пять типов надвратного храма и определены архитектурные сооружения, относящиеся к этим типам. Исследование призвано уточнить тезис о важнейшей роли рус-ского надвратного храма в создании сакрального пространства (иеротопии) восточнохристианского города.

In this article I continue to study the principles and methods of forming the space of a traditional Russian city as a visual text. Such a text has predominantly sacred content: it expresses religious attitudes, purposes and values, as well as conveys sacred patterns and demonstrates eschatological images. The syntax of urban visual text is determined by key architectural dominants that carry the basic semantic load. Such dominants in a traditional Christian city are the cathedral and the front gate, combined into one spatial syntagma. The “cathedral–gate” complex is a direct allusion to the sacred topic of Jerusalem. The creation of such an ensemble is a widespread Russian way to implement a cultural-semiotic transfer, that is, to reproduce the Jerusalem spatial “program”. At the same time, the specifics of the Russian version of the “New Jerusalems” is in the special design of the gate, which combines a travel tower and an overgate church. In the article I critically analyze the thesis that Russian overgate churches come from the Byzantine samples. I show that the overgate church is originally Russian architectural invention, and the creation and wide distribution of this building is explained by the solution of the semiotic problem – the aspiration to create a “spatial icon” of Jerusalem as the center of the Holy Land. I also suggest a typology of overgate churches. The purpose of this typology is to clarify the scope and content of the overgate church concept, to identify and characterize the varieties of this architectural structure, and also to indicate those variations of the “church–gate” composition, that are not possible to be attributed to the category of overgate churches in the exact sense. In the article I suggest five types of overgate churches and define architectural structures belonging to these types. This study clarifies thesis about the crucial role of Russian overgate churches in creating sacred space (hierotopy) of the Eastern Christian cities.