BETA
Chapter 1
The parting of East and West
Chapter 2
Windows to the divine
Chapter 3
Sacred architecture and spaces
Chapter 4
Rituals, mysteries, and the calendar
YOUR GOAL
Master of The Eastern Orthodox Church
Ch 3 · Sacred architecture and spaces
renaissanceman Eastern Orthodox Architecture
Through the icon screen, so grand and tall, Heaven's mysteries enchant us all.
renaissanceman Orthodox services rely entirely on a cappella singing, believing that the human voice is the only instrument pure enough for God.
renaissanceman The iconostasis is a grand, multi-tiered screen of icons that divides the main congregation from the altar sanctuary.
Fun Fact
Byzantine time: On Mount Athos, the day begins at sunset rather than midnight, following the ancient Byzantine clock system.
Glossary
iconostasis (noun)
A screen or wall decorated with icons that separates the sanctuary from the nave in a church. In 1747, Kyiv craftsmen fashioned a famous gilded silver royal gate for Saint Sophia Cathedral's main iconostasis.
A screen or wall decorated with icons that separates the sanctuary from the nave in a church. In 1747, Kyiv craftsmen fashioned a famous gilded silver royal gate for Saint Sophia Cathedral's main iconostasis.
Quiz
Where is the famous 'Monastic Republic' of twenty Orthodox monasteries located?
Quiz
Which animal is famously banned alongside women on the holy peninsula of Mount Athos?
Quiz
Why are musical instruments traditionally forbidden in Eastern Orthodox liturgical services?
Quiz
What Greek title, meaning 'Ruler of All,' is typically given to the image of Christ painted inside the central dome?
Quiz
What is the name of the onion-shaped domes popular in Russian Orthodox architecture, designed to shed snow?
Quiz
What traditional shape, representing the cross, is the foundation of most Eastern Orthodox church floor plans?
Quiz
What is the name of the decorative, icon-covered screen that separates the sanctuary from the nave in an Orthodox church?
Quiz
What are the central doors on an iconostasis called, which only priests may pass through during services?