Tradition or renovationism? Construction of Orthodox churches with open altars in Russia in the 1990s – 2010s
https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2024-4-156-169
Abstract
Type of a through iconostasis, which opens the inner space of the altar to view, has repeatedly appeared in Russian church architecture. Its origins lie as far back as Byzantine architecture. In the 20th century the appeal to that type of iconostases turned out to be consonant with the ideas of liturgical revival, most popular among the Russian emigration. In the 1930s – 1960s in Europe, iconostases of Orthodox churches with very wide portals were created. In some churches, the iconostases disappeared, revealing the altar. In the Soviet Union, on the contrary, preference was given to high-blind type iconostases. The first attempts to construction churches with open altars in post-Soviet Russia date back to the 1990s. They met with fierce opposition from the conservative part of the church community. It is surprising that such experiments found support from the hierarchy of the Russian Orthodox Church. During the 2000s–2010s, a number of temple complexes with open altars were created in Russia. The design is varied: from imitations of Byzantine altarpieces open- work wrought-iron iconostases-lattices. At the same time, the official Church press justified the admissibility of such type of altar screens from the point of view of Orthodox theology.
About the Author
K. V. Posternak
Shchusev Museum of Architecture
Russian Federation
Russian Federation
Kiril V. Posternak
5/25, Vozdvizhenka St., Moscow, 119019
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Review
For citations:
Posternak K.V. Tradition or renovationism? Construction of Orthodox churches with open altars in Russia in the 1990s – 2010s. RSUH/RGGU Bulletin: “Literary Teory. Linguistics. Cultural Studies”, Series. 2024;(4):156-169. (In Russ.) https://doi.org/10.28995/2686-7249-2024-4-156-169
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