Despite the relatively good condition (not least because it has been specially preserved) of the narrative mosaics at the Daphni Monastery in Greece, most of the marble panels that adorned the walls of this masterpiece of Middle Byzantine architecture, along with the ornamental mosaics, have long since disappeared.
Nevertheless, one of the largest and most visible fragments of this former luxury is still preserved in the apse of the temple.
Nevertheless, one of the largest and most visible fragments of this former luxury is still preserved in the apse of the temple.
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Protection of the Most Holy Theotokos church in the village of Kyarovo, Russia, is interesting not only for its unusual architecture - despite the fact that it was built at the end of the XVIII century, rather than during the reforms of Peter I and the first decades after them, it is basilical - but also because it remained open during the Soviet era.
This made it possible to preserve not only the original decoration, including stucco mouldings and choirs, but also the tomb of the temple's founder, Count Pyotr Petrovich Konovnitsyn, a hero of the War of 1812 and tutor to Emperor Nicholas I, as well as the tomb of the count's wife. Incidentally, before the revolution, the icon of the Theotokos above the tombs was decorated with a golden riza made from Peter Petrovich's award sword.
This made it possible to preserve not only the original decoration, including stucco mouldings and choirs, but also the tomb of the temple's founder, Count Pyotr Petrovich Konovnitsyn, a hero of the War of 1812 and tutor to Emperor Nicholas I, as well as the tomb of the count's wife. Incidentally, before the revolution, the icon of the Theotokos above the tombs was decorated with a golden riza made from Peter Petrovich's award sword.
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Perhaps one of the last large buildings in Saratov constructed before the revolution - the eclectic Ryazan-Ural Railway Administration building.
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Today, the Church commemorates the Presentation of the Lord, one of the Twelve Great Feasts, dedicated to the bringing of the infant Jesus to the Temple in Jerusalem.
Despite the importance of this feast, not many churches, especially significant ones, are dedicated to it - and yet today, as always, I have prepared a selection of the most notable among them.
We magnify Thee, Christ the Life-Giver, and we honour Thy Most Pure Mother, through whom Thou hast now been brought into the Temple of the Lord according to the law!
The photo shows a Middle Byzantine diptych with a later Gothic inscription depicting the Presentation.
Despite the importance of this feast, not many churches, especially significant ones, are dedicated to it - and yet today, as always, I have prepared a selection of the most notable among them.
We magnify Thee, Christ the Life-Giver, and we honour Thy Most Pure Mother, through whom Thou hast now been brought into the Temple of the Lord according to the law!
The photo shows a Middle Byzantine diptych with a later Gothic inscription depicting the Presentation.
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Let's start with the Presentation of the Lord Cathedral in Yalutorovsk, the first stone building in this small Siberian town. The temple was never a cathedral in the strict sense of this word, but rather in its Russian renditions, as the main church of the settlement. However, its Siberian Baroque architecture was considered so remarkable even before the revolution that there were plans to officially recognize it as a historical monument.
During the Soviet era, the church was destroyed, but fortunately, it has been restored to its former glory on its original foundations. Despite its provincial nature, Yalutorovsk takes a very competent approach to its historical heritage. Next to the cathedral, the fort that gave rise to the city has been recreated, albeit in a much freer style than the cathedral itself. Preserved pre-revolutionary photographs and descriptions will allow the cathedral's interiors to be recreated in the future.
During the Soviet era, the church was destroyed, but fortunately, it has been restored to its former glory on its original foundations. Despite its provincial nature, Yalutorovsk takes a very competent approach to its historical heritage. Next to the cathedral, the fort that gave rise to the city has been recreated, albeit in a much freer style than the cathedral itself. Preserved pre-revolutionary photographs and descriptions will allow the cathedral's interiors to be recreated in the future.
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Let's continue today's selection with a full-fledged cathedral temple - the Cathedral of Kalamata, Greece, built in the Neo-Greek-Neo-Byzantine style characteristic of Greece in the XIX-XX centuries.
Externally, however, the "antique" elements are not so striking, but inside, the arches are supported by pillars with massive metal capitals. The frescoes of the temple are modern and fairly typical in their execution, but the equally modern Neo-Byzantine carving of the iconostases and the bishop's throne is distinguished by its complexity and even such an atypical phenomenon for Greek Neo-Byzantine art as free (albeit small) sculpture.
Externally, however, the "antique" elements are not so striking, but inside, the arches are supported by pillars with massive metal capitals. The frescoes of the temple are modern and fairly typical in their execution, but the equally modern Neo-Byzantine carving of the iconostases and the bishop's throne is distinguished by its complexity and even such an atypical phenomenon for Greek Neo-Byzantine art as free (albeit small) sculpture.
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