Religion:Octagon on cube

From HandWiki
A Naryshkin style church
The Church in Petrovsko-Razumovskoe

Octagon on cube (also octagon on the quadrangle) is a type of architectural composition in which a building is designed so as the upper octagon-shaped part is placed on the lower cube-shaped part.[1] This composition has been mainly used to design Russian Orthodox churches.[2][3]

History

Initially, this architectural solution became widespread in Russian wooden church architecture. At the end of the 17th century, the style firmly established itself among architects of the Moscow Baroque.[4] The combination of contrasting forms of this type of church gives striving upward look as dynamism is a characteristic of the Baroque style. Octagon-on-cube churches continued to be built in Russian provinces until the end of the 18th century.[citation needed]

Evolution of Moscow Baroque

With regard to the Moscow Baroque, there are several different types of octagon-on-cube churches. The main one is a stand-alone, multi-level church, built mainly by the Russian nobility for their suburban estates. The essential attribute of these buildings is a combination of church and bell tower in a single composition. Directly over the octagon level was arranged an open level with eight bells. This type of churches are the starting point for all other versions of the composition.[5]

See also

  • Naryshkin Baroque
  • Octagon house
  • Russian church architecture

References