CULT ARCHITECTONICS AS THE CORE ELEMENT OF RITUALIZATION IN THE GEOSPACE OF CHRISTIANITY: CULTUROLOGICAL-PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSCRIPTION

Abstract

In this scientific study, multifunctionality of religious buildings and mechanisms of suggestive influence of sacred actions are analyzed. The author of the article points out that the iconic architecture does not only personify the poles of the ideal and the real, the concept of matter and ideal, but also reproduces the essence of transformations and the dialectic of complementarity in the process of ritual. The main purpose of architectural structures in general is to serve as a spatial environment for social processes (labor, life, culture, religious worship or other needs), predetermined by life and interests of this community. Besides, the diverse needs of the society of past epochs were so closely interwoven that religious structures carried out not only functions directly assigned to them, but also were multifunctional buildings. The fact that ancient and medieval temples performed not only functions directly assigned to them is widely known. Many dining halls and even bell tower of churches performed quite social functions. The wide coverage of religious influence of various aspects of social life meant that the contents of these «sanctified» forms of life were religious ceremonies, but they symbolized and included the content of domestic, political, cultural and many other social processes in these forms. In religious buildings in the Middle Ages not only religious ceremonies took place. Thus, not only the masses were served in the Gothic cathedrals, but also the meetings of burghers and workshop collections of artisans were held, sometimes public disputes were arranged (and not only on theological themes), moral and educational performances (mysteries) took place and even trade agreements could be made. This was the case both in Western Europe and in ancient Russia, where in the Middle Ages the churches were, apparently, next to feudal castles and city fortresses, architectural structures that were widely publicly designated. Separate church buildings and complexes could play a defensive role in wartime. It is known that during the devastating invasion of the Tatar-Mongol hordes, the last Kiev advocates died heroically in a destroyed and burned-out Tithing Church after a long siege. The temples served as places for treasure storage. According to historical facts, sometimes the temples kept the wealth of the boyars and merchants, that is, the religious building was a peculiar place for storing wealth – church and secular one. In other words, in the architecturally-figurative expressiveness of religious structures, we could observe manifestation both of a pronounced civil-secular basis, and mystical-religious one. However, first of all temples carry out the functions of religious-preaching, liturgicalritual, that is, religious in their main social content. It is these functions that determine the architectural-spatial relationship and, at the same time, the demarcation of the sacral part of the temple (sanctuary, altar) and a place intended for the congregation. That is, there should be a place in the temple both for religious preaching of the priest, and for group rituals and individual prayers. Any temple provides conditions for this mystical unity of man with God and in general plays the role of a real sign of the presence of the spiritual world for believers.