Religions and their temples. World religions

Since the dawn of civilization, humanity has been obsessed with the desire to understand what is above them. People believed in different gods and life after death, followed one or another tradition. With the rise of civilization, religion has become a major motivating factor for humanity - both good and bad. To pay tribute to God, people created simply amazing places of worship.

Since the birth of the first religions, nothing has changed fundamentally. Religious religious buildings are not just buildings, but original houses of gods and goddesses. So they just have to be great! Thanks to the need to glorify the gods, tourists have been given the opportunity to visit the most beautiful and inspiring places around the world.

When it comes to constructing religious buildings, the real expert is the Catholic Church. The architecture of cathedrals has changed a bit over the years, but the only thing that has remained the same over the centuries is that they were built purely for inspiration. Most Catholic cathedrals are very tall, pointing upward towards God.

One of the most famous cathedrals is, of course, Notre Dame. This is an early example of French Gothic architecture. Rejecting the simpler style of Romanesque cathedrals, Notre Dame features flying buttresses, beautiful stained glass windows, skyward spiers, and impressive sculptures. It took 200 years to complete the construction of the cathedral.

Baha'i is a little-known religion, although one of the fastest growing in the world with more than five million adherents. Due to their lack of worldwide fame, Baha'i religious buildings are often forgotten. But this is a huge mistake, because the places of worship dedicated to her impress with their solemnity and grandeur.

Baha'i religious sites can be found throughout the world. However, the two largest shrines are located in the northern part of Israel. Both the Temple of Bahá'u'lláh and the Temple of the Báb are the resting places of the remains of the early founders of the religion. There is a garden around the tomb of Bahá'u'lláh, forming a circle around the mansion. It was in this place, according to believers, that the saint stayed in the last years of his life. Israel's third largest city, Haifa, is home to the enormous domed Shrine of the Bab. Around it there are nineteen terraces with gardens stretching along the mountainside and reminiscent of the legendary Hanging Gardens of Babylon.

Built in the 17th century, Harmandir Sahib is the center of worship for all people professing the Sikh faith. Their fifth guru and religious leader built the temple as a place of spirituality for all monotheistic religions. As a sign of welcome to any person, the doors are open to all four cardinal directions. In the nineteenth century, the upper part of the temple was covered with gold, making the temple even more solemn, and giving it the nickname “Golden Temple”. Those who visit it will be able to see the Guru Sahib, the holy text of Sikhism.

One of the first religious sites known to mankind is Stonehenge, a mystical place surrounded by mystery. Scientists suggest that it may have been built 4-5 thousand years ago. Huge stones, installed according to some principle in the shape of a ring, simply amaze the world. Without modern technology and machines, moving and installing such huge boulders from the point of view of a modern person seems almost impossible. Today there are a huge number of assumptions regarding who, how, when and most importantly why Stonehenge was built. After ancient burials were found in this place, the idea of ​​Stonehenge religiosity found even more fans. Although the cultic meaning of the site was lost due to the spread of Christianity in England, the revival of pagan and Druid beliefs restores the religious significance and sanctity of the site.

In the sixth century, Hagia Sophia, the seat of power of the Eastern Orthodox Church, was built in Constantinople, the former capital of Byzantium. For almost a thousand years it was the largest cathedral in the world. Unfortunately for the church and especially for the Byzantine Empire, in the 15th century Constantinople was conquered by the Ottoman Turks. The city became Turkish and was renamed Istanbul, and the cathedral was turned into a mosque. Later, four minarets were added, which today form an integral part of the structure of the building. And only in 1935 a secular museum was opened here.

The most widespread religion in the world, with more than 2 billion people professing it, is Christianity. Approximately half of all Christians are Catholics. For many years the Catholic Church had great power. In the past it was one of the most powerful organizations in Europe, and although it has subsequently lost much of its control, it still retains an important place on the world stage.

In the center of the Italian capital of Rome is the independent city-state of Vatican City. It is the center of power of the Catholic Church, the home of the Pope and a simply stunning historical monument. It is impossible to choose just one place that is worth seeing in the Vatican, because both the Apostolic Palace and the house of the Pope, built in the sixteenth century, are located here. It is here that you can see the famous Sistine Chapel with frescoes created by the famous artist Michelangelo. It is also home to one of the holiest places for Christians - St. Peter's Basilica, the burial place of the first Pope, St. Peter.

On the banks of the Nerenyana River lies Bodh Gaya, the home of an ancient tree known as the Mahabodhi Tree, as well as the Mahabodhi Temple. It was under the ancestor of this tree that Gautama Siddhartha sat and meditated until he achieved enlightenment, becoming the Buddha. Of the four Buddhist pilgrimage sites, Bodh Gaya is the holiest. According to Buddhist teachings, Bodh Gaya is the holiest place on Earth and is considered the navel of the world. When visiting Bodh Gaya, you can also see the amazing Mahabodhi Pyramid, covered with gold.

Built on the banks of the Ganges River, Varanasi is one of the oldest cities in the world. For Hindus and Jains it is sacred. The spiritual capital of India is considered the city of the main Hindu deity, Shiva. The settlement is also closely connected with Buddhism, as it was here that Buddha preached his first sermon.

Buddha is not the only famous person associated with the city, as many great spiritual leaders lived in Varanasi and important sacred texts were written here. This is a city of temples. Here, visitors can visit Kashi Vishwanath, the famous temple dedicated to Lord Shiva, as well as Vishalakshi, the temple of the main female deity of Hinduism. The Ganges River, on which the city is built, is itself a sacred place for the god Ganges. However, despite such popularity, you cannot swim in the river, because it is one of the dirtiest in the world.

Each year, Muslims around the world gather in the holy city of Mecca for a religious pilgrimage known as the Hajj, in honor of Hagar, the mother of Ishmael, and the Muslim prophet, Muhammad. At the end of the journey, the pilgrims arrive at the holy city, a place where they all offer prayer. The main attribute of Mecca is the Kaaba - a cube-shaped building, the Islamic mosque Al-Masjid al-Haram. Muslims believe that the Kaaba was built by Ibrahim (Abraham) as the first place of worship of Allah.

Many ancient maps show Jerusalem as the center of the world. From this we can judge how important the city was in those days. It is a holy place for the three major monotheistic religions of the world. It was there that Abraham tried to sacrifice Isaac, Solomon built the Jewish Temple, Muhammad went to Mecca, and Jesus preached and was crucified.

Visitors to Jerusalem can see several holy sites. For Jews, this is the city of King David. They can visit the Western Wall, the ruins of Solomon's Temple, which the Romans destroyed two thousand years ago. At the city's highest point, you can see the Muslim Dome of the Rock and Al-Aqsa Mosque, associated with the night of Muhammad's flight. Just a few blocks from these holy sites, Christian pilgrims can visit the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, built on the site of Jesus' crucifixion. And in Israel there is an amazing woman who managed to raise

900 year old Borgund Stave church
(Borgund Wooden), Norway

Stave Church in Borgund (Borgund Stave Church) is an ancient wooden church supposedly built in 1150-80. in honor of the Apostle Andrew the First-Called. This unique structure is one of 28 frame churches that have survived to this day in one form or another, of which at least one and a half thousand were built in Norway.

Ivolginsky datsan, Buryatia, Russia

Ivolginsky datsan “Khambyn Sume” (“Abode of the Wheel of Teaching that brings happiness and full of joy”) is a Buddhist monastery-datsan, the center of the Buddhist traditional Sangha of Russia.
Monument of history and architecture. Located in the village of Verkhnyaya Ivolga, 36 km west of the center of Ulan-Ude.
This is the first datsan opened in Soviet times, in 1945

Temple-lighthouse of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, Crimea, Russia

The lighthouse temple in the village of Malorechenskoye near Alushta was
built in memory of all sea travelers who died.
Opened June 18, 2006

Church of Las Lajas, Colombia

The structure, overlooking the Guaitara River, frames the rock icon of the Senora de las Lajas.
Legend has it that in 1754, near the cave where the church is now located, the Mother of God appeared and healed a deaf-mute girl named Rose. After this, an image of a woman with a baby in her arms appeared on the rock.

Church of St. Andrew the First-Called on Vuoksa, Russia

A small wooden tent church, eight feet from the ground, built in 2000 according to the design of architect Andrei Rotinov and consecrated on September 23, 2000.
Assigned to the Konevskaya Church in the village of Sapernoye.
It was included in the Guinness Book of Records as the only church in the world built on a tiny island, the foundation of which is a monolithic rock protruding from the water. A ferry runs to the shore from the temple. The church is active, services are held as scheduled.
By prior arrangement, christening and wedding ceremonies are performed in the temple.

Lotus Temple, New Delhi, India

The Lotus Temple is one of the most beautiful temples. The most original sacred structure in the world: it is built in the shape of a snow-white blossoming flower and does not have a single straight line. Around the stone “lotus” there are flower beds and 9 huge pools: it seems that it really grows out of the water.
The official name of this temple is the Baha'i House of Worship. This religion is the youngest in the world (appeared in the mid-19th century). She professes the unity of God and the unity of religions, therefore a person of any religion and nationality can come to the Bahai temple and pray to the God in whom he believes.

Hallgrimskirkja, Reykjavik, Iceland

According to the architect Goodjoun Samuelson, the Lutheran church building was supposed to symbolize a volcanic eruption, when rising lava rises to the sky.
Organ music impresses with its purity and beauty. The mechanical instrument was created by Bonn master Johannes Klais especially for the church. It is 15 m long and 25 tons in weight and has more than 5250 pipes, thanks to such huge dimensions it makes a unique impression on its faithful listeners. Like the building itself, the sounds fly somewhere high, leaving only a slight trace of joy in the soul.
Organ music evenings are held regularly here.

Wat Rong Khun, Thailand

Wat Rong Khun is one of the most unusual temples, located in the Thai city of Chiang Rai: the architect Chalermchai Kositpipat has been building it since 1997 and is going to add new details and mythological creatures to the building until his death,
hoping that the snow-white temple will give him “eternal life.”

Ad-Dair, Petra, Jordan.

Ad-Dair (translated from Arabic as “monastery”) is a Nabataean rock temple of the 1st century AD. e., preserved near the city of Petra. It is a monumental building carved entirely out of rock. It measures 50 meters wide and about 45 meters high. After the adoption of Christianity in the 4th century, the building was used as a monastery. This is evidenced by the altar carved into the rock and the ornament in the form of crosses. Ad-Dair is visited less frequently than the other Nabatean temple of Al Khazneh,
because the path to it leads along a staircase with several hundred steps.

Milan Cathedral, Italy

Milan Cathedral, or Duomo di Milano. This cathedral was built over 5 centuries, from 1386 until the 19th century, when Napoleon Bonaparte ordered the façade of the cathedral to be completed.
This is the only cathedral that has survived from the Gothic architecture of Italy.

White Mosque, Abu Dhabi, UAE

The Grand Mosque of Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, made of white marble with 82 domes (or, as it is also called, the White Mosque) is a real miracle and one of the most amazing structures.
The uniqueness of the mosque is not only in its striking architecture, dazzling wealth and impressive dimensions (it is one of the six largest mosques in the world) - it is also one of two such buildings in the world, which is open to everyone, regardless of their nationality and religion. Only Muslims are allowed into all other mosques.

Temple of Heaven, Beijing, China

The Temple of Heaven (XV century) is one of the embodied ideas about the world in terms of traditional Chinese culture. It was believed that the earth has the shape of a square, and the sky - a circle, and in line with this worldview, two buildings were created: the Temple of Heaven, by the way, the only religious building of a round shape in all of Beijing, and the Temple of the Earth, respectively square,

Pura Tanah Lot Temple,
Bali island, Indonesia

Pura Tanah Lot is one of the most interesting and main attractions of Indonesia. Today it is a functioning Hindu temple, a very popular place among travelers, as well as a cultural symbol of the country. Translated from the Balinese language, Tanah Lot literally means “land in the sea”. Rock Temple According to legend, the temple was built by the Hindu Brahmin Nirarthi in the 15th century. The temple is connected to land by a narrow isthmus, which can only be crossed at low tide. Only believers can climb the stairs carved into the rock and enter the temple.
Tourists can only visit the lower part of the rock.

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Some of these temples were built several centuries ago, others are the creations of modern architects. The implementation of some ideas took decades and even centuries. Others needed only a few years. All these buildings have one thing in common - their architecture is unique, and this attracts millions of people, regardless of their beliefs.

website brings you some of the most architecturally significant places of worship from around the world.

Milan Cathedral, Italy

Holy Trinity Church, Antarctica

The Russian Orthodox Church was built in Russia in the 1990s and then transported to a Russian station in Antarctica. This is one of 7 churches on its territory.

Taktsang Lhakhang, Bhutan

Sheikh Zayed Grand Mosque, United Arab Emirates

Hallgrimskirkja Church, Iceland

The Lutheran Church in Reykjavik is the fourth tallest building in Iceland. It is located in the center of Reykjavik and is visible from any part of the city.

Temple of All Religions, Kazan, Russia

This unique structure miraculously combines a Christian cross, a Muslim crescent, a Star of David and a Chinese dome. True, no rituals are performed here, because this is not a functioning temple, but just a building that looks like a residential building inside. In total, the project includes domes and other iconic elements of religious buildings of 16 world religions, including disappeared civilizations.

Lotus Temple, India

For the people of India, the lotus means purity and peace. This is one of the most visited buildings in the world.

Kul-Sharif Mosque, Kazan, Russia

The designers of the new mosque tried to recreate the main mosque of the Kazan Khanate, destroyed in 1552 by the troops of Ivan the Terrible.

Cathedral of Las Lajas, Colombia

The neo-Gothic cathedral is built directly on a 30-meter arched bridge connecting the two sides of a deep gorge. The temple is cared for by two Franciscan communities: one is Colombian, the other is Ecuadorian. Thus, the Cathedral of Las Lajas became a pledge of peace and union between the two South American peoples.

Kamppi Chapel of Silence, Finland

It is intended for privacy and meetings. There are no services in the chapel. Here you can hide from the bustle, enjoy peace in one of the busiest places in the capital and meditate in an environmentally friendly space. Due to its appearance and materials, the chapel of silence is often called the “sauna of the spirit.”

Church of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, Slovenia

The church is located on the only island in all of Slovenia. To get inside, you need to cross the lake by boat and climb 99 steps.

Air Force Academy Cadet Chapel, USA

The chapel's unique design is a classic example of modernist architecture. The magnificent interior brings together several different areas of worship under one roof, including Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Buddhist chapels. Each of them has its own distinctive symbolism, ammunition and its own exit.

Paoay Church, Philippines

St Patrick's Cathedral, Australia

St Patrick's Cathedral is the tallest and largest church in Australia.

Church of the Transfiguration, Kizhi, Russia

The church was built in the traditions of Russian carpentry, that is, without nails. It is crowned with 22 domes and its height is 37 meters.

Green Church, Argentina

The most ordinary Catholic church became famous thanks to its rich living ivy decor, which turned the facade into an allusion to the biblical Garden of Gethsemane.

St. Andrew's Church, Ukraine

The church is located on a steep hill, offering a beautiful view of Kyiv. According to legend, it was built on the spot where St. Andrew the First-Called erected a cross. This is just one of the many legends that surround St. Andrew's Church.

California Mormon Temple, USA

The huge building is made in dazzling white. And this color scheme is no coincidence, because white color is traditionally perceived as a symbol of purity and purity. Tourists and simply curious people are not allowed inside the Mormon Temple itself; only members of the community can enter the premises of the sacred building.

Crystal Mosque, Malaysia

It is located on an artificial island. The mosque is made of steel and glass, so it feels like it is made of crystal.

Let's go through the temples of different religions or, as it is correct to say, denominations. In the review I didn’t mention Orthodox churches for obvious reasons, and I didn’t even get to the new mosque near the Prospekt Mira metro station - I just took a photo of it from the outside. But in one day we managed to get around a lot of other temples, and even visit a little inside. Let's start with the synagogue.

The Moscow Choral Synagogue is located on Bolshoy Spasogolinishevsky Lane. Opened June 1, 1906. It has four prayer halls. Tours can only visit the second floor, where from the balcony you can watch and survey what is happening below. Women can also be there on the balcony. Downstairs, they are not allowed to enter the prayer hall.
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In general, strictly speaking, a synagogue is not a temple, since in Judaism (unlike, for example, Christianity) there is only one Temple. It is written with a capital letter, but, as you know, it is destroyed. The temple was located in Jerusalem on the Temple Mount.

The dome of the synagogue was restored in 2001. It was demolished at the beginning of the 20th century by order of the Governor General of Moscow.
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The Moscow Choral Synagogue was built almost 120 years ago at the expense of the owner of metallurgical and sugar factories, Polyakov. His brother built the same synagogue in St. Petersburg. Of the 18 synagogues that existed in Moscow, the choral synagogue was the largest.
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05 The second floor is called ezrat ours.

Usually, any synagogue also holds Torah lessons, so the walls of the synagogue are usually lined with bookshelves with prayer books and books for study.
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08. Books lie here and there on the benches.

09. In the middle of the synagogue there is a bimah - a raised platform, and on it there is a table on which the Torah scroll is placed for reading.


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12. We leave the synagogue and move along Bolshoy Spasogolinishevsky Lane towards Lubyanka.

We cross two streets: first Maroseyka, then Myasnitskaya, and after walking along Furgasovsky Lane we turn onto Malaya Lubyanka.
And here is the goal of our trip - the Cathedral of St. Louis of France on Lubyanka - one of three operating Catholic churches in Moscow.
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In 1789, the French living in Moscow submitted a petition for permission to build a Catholic church. After receiving permission from the Moscow authorities and its approval by Empress Catherine II, a small wooden temple was built on the site between Malaya Lubyanka and Milyutinsky Lane. The consecration of the church in the name of the French King Louis IX Saint took place on March 30, 1791.

In the 19th century, the construction of a modern church building was carried out on the site of the previous one. Construction began in 1833 and was completed two years later. The temple was built according to the design of the famous architect A. O. Gilardi.

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18. Stained glass with the image of St. Joseph. 1883 The only surviving stained glass window from those times. There are also new stained glass windows, they are on the next walls in the altar part of the temple.

On the altar of the left nave in the center there is a sculpture of St. Louis, to his left is a sculpture of St. Bernard of Clairvaux, on the right is St. Francis de Sales. Slightly to the right, on a separate pedestal, is a sculpture of St. Anthony of Padua. Also in the altar of the left nave are small sculptures of the patron saints of France: St. Joan of Arc and St. Therese of Lisieux.
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The sculptor S.P. also took an active part in the construction and decoration of the temple. Campioni.
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And if, standing in the park facing the temple, you turn your head to the left, then you can find an interesting detail on the facade of the house.

Malaya Lubyanka street, building 12, building A.
Sundial on the orphanage building near the Temple of St. Louis. The motto from Psalm One Hundred and One is translated “like a retreating shadow.” The entire line is “My days are like a retreating shadow, and I am withered like grass.” "sicut umbra declinaverunt" - "Dies mei sicut umbra declinaverunt, et ego sicut fnum arui." The dials are slightly turned around so that the watch shows the time correctly.

Mystical stories are associated with many sundials in Moscow. The most famous of which tells about the magic clock of Jacob Bruce on Spartakovskaya Street. I heard a legend about this watch. Allegedly, under certain conditions, they show the time of the remaining life, and allegedly in 1938 Genrikh Yagoda looked at them. Anything is possible, Lubyanka is a two-minute walk from here.
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25. Another Roman Catholic Church of the Immaculate Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Malaya Gruzinskaya Street. Neo-Gothic.

The main volume of the temple was built in 1901-1911. Money for construction was collected by the Polish community, whose number in Moscow at the end of the 19th century reached 30 thousand people, and by Catholics of other nationalities throughout Russia. The cathedral fence was built in 1911 according to the design of the architect L. F. Dauksha.

In 1938, the temple was closed and was in a dilapidated state for a long time.
Restoration began in 1996, ending on December 12, 1999.
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27 St. Andrew's Anglican Church is the only Anglican church in Moscow. Located in Voznesensky Lane, built in 1882 - 1884.
28. Angels at the entrance arch.

30. Lowlighting the face always looks quite dramatic.

31. Through the tower there is a passage to the temple.

32. Vault of the first floor of the tower.

33. Church furniture is installed in the vestibule.

34. The service is going on, today is Sunday, there are a lot of cars in the churchyard, some with red embassy license plates.

35. The wooden vaults of the temple create a feeling of moving back in time to past centuries.

36. Let’s take a look at the tower again and continue the journey that we interrupted at Lubyanka. Now we will move from Malaya Lubyanka Street to Milyutinsky Lane.

In Milyutinsky Lane there is another church, or rather a former Catholic church of the 19th century. the work of Gilardi, now here is an institute.

The Catholic Church was closed in 1937. The priests were sent to camps, where they died. After the church closed, the building was turned over to a cinema, which never began to function. During the Great Patriotic War, a bomb hit the former church. The destruction was so great that the house was practically rebuilt, incorporating what little remained.

From 1946 to this day, the Giprougolmash Institute has been located here. He also rebuilt the building for his own needs.
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We walk to the boulevards, pass Chistye Prudy and turn into Arkhangelsky Lane. There is a narrow passage between the buildings, and the Menshikov Tower opens into view. This is an Orthodox church, but is closely associated with Freemasonry, which is why it took its place in our review.

The church was originally built in 1707 by order of Alexander Menshikov. This is the earliest surviving Peter the Great baroque building in Moscow.
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Today, not much remains of the Masonic symbols, for example, this angel above the entrance. Why does he have one wing down and the other up? Some see this as some kind of secret sign.
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44. Church Theodore Stratelates.


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In 1723, the tower was struck by lightning and the fire completely destroyed the upper wooden part with the clock. The bells fell, breaking through the vaults and (partially) destroying the interiors of the naves. For half a century, services were performed only in small chapels (in the choir and refectory), while the main tower stood beheaded until 1773. In 1773-1779, the tower was restored by the freemason G.Z. Izmailov and acquired its current shape: instead of recreating the destroyed upper octagon, new architects replaced it with a compact but complex dome in the Baroque style.
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Meanwhile, we left Chistye Prudy behind and the dome of the tower disappeared behind the houses. This is Starosadsky Lane.
The Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul is one of two Lutheran cathedrals in Moscow, the second is located at the Vvedensky cemetery in Lefortovo.
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Parish of St. Peter and Paul was the largest among the Protestant parishes in Moscow. Among the community there were many wealthy industrialists, financiers, and representatives of the noble family.
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55 The chapel at the church was built in 1892 according to the design of the architect F. O. Shekhtel for funeral services for the dead. During the Soviet years it was closed along with the cathedral.

Khokhlovsky lane house 7-9. Bas-relief with an Assyrian deity. This deity is called Nisrokh. Anyone interested can google it, but I’ll tell you briefly.

This image is well known and is in museums in many countries around the world. In terms of genre, it belongs to Neo-Assyrian art (IX-VII centuries BC), which is considered the highest flowering of Assyrian art in general. There are quite a few variants of this relief, but the fundamental aspects of the design are preserved everywhere.

The main location of this character's finds is the razed city of Kalah (modern Nimrud in Iraq). In 1845-51. English archaeologist Henry Layard excavated the entire palace of the mighty Assyrian king Ashurnasirpal II there - and there, on the northwestern wall of this palace, a strange winged deity with the head of an eagle and obscure objects in his hands was discovered for the first time. It is dated to 883-859. BC

On the bucket of the bas-relief in Khokhlovsky Lane there is the inscription: “My name is Space.” Nobody knows where it came from and what this inscription means. It’s not on the old Google and Yandex maps; it appeared a year ago.

And here is Maly Trekhsvyatitelsky Lane, this is the end point of our little journey today.

Here is the Moscow Central Church of Evangelical Christian Baptists, which is one of the oldest and largest churches of the Evangelical Baptist brotherhood. In 1982, she celebrated the centenary of the evangelical movement in Moscow.
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The Moscow Central Church of Evangelical Christian Baptists is one of the oldest and largest Baptist churches in Russia, located in the White City (Kulishki) - a historical district of Moscow in building No. 3 on Maly Trekhsvyatitelsky Lane.

The church building was rebuilt in 1865 by the architect Hermann von Nissen from an 18th-century residential building and was intended for a Reformed church. In 1917, the building was transferred to the Evangelical Christian community.

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The Great Hall has been preserved completely in its historical form. The benches, except for the last 3 rows, were made of oak in 1867 and are still preserved in excellent condition. The pastoral pulpit is also made entirely of oak.

The church has a unique organ equipped with 38 registers. The instrument was made by the German company Ernst Rover in 1898. In 2012, the organ was reopened after a major overhaul.

You can listen to the organ for free :)
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Believers of many religions live in our country. And often, even out of curiosity, we go into churches of representatives of a faith that is not ours.

We compare architecture, traditions, customs. What is it desirable to know when entering a place of worship for Catholics, Orthodox, Muslims, Jews, and Buddhists? What should you remember so as not to inadvertently offend religious feelings?

Orthodox Church in the shape of... a ship

The religious buildings of Orthodox Christians are churches, cathedrals and chapels. For a long time, all Christian churches have been built in such a way that from a bird's eye view they look like a huge cross, a circle (a symbol of eternity) or a ship (Noah's Ark). According to tradition, an Orthodox church is always erected with the altar facing the east.

The temple, as a rule, has one or more domes of a round, cross-shaped or octagonal shape. They are crowned with bell towers. Inside Orthodox churches there is an iconostasis - a partition with icons attached to it. It separates the altar, where only men can enter, from the vestibule and porch. Each church also has a choir and choirs for singers, readers and sextons, and in the middle there is a lectern with icons.

When entering the temple, a man must remove his headdress and stand on the right side of the temple, and a woman must cover her head and take a place on the left side.

Famous temple.Hagia Sophia was built in the 11th century in the center of Kyiv by order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise. At the turn of the 17th-18th centuries it was rebuilt in the Ukrainian Baroque style. To this day, many ancient frescoes and mosaics have been preserved in it, including the famous mosaic of Our Lady of Oranta.

Catholic church - without iconostasis

Catholics pray in churches and cathedrals. Most often, these places of worship are built in the Gothic or Neo-Gothic style. The internal structure of the buildings is in many ways similar to Orthodox churches, but Catholics do not have an iconostasis. The central part of the temple is clearly distinguished - the altar, or, as it is also called, the presbytery. This is the very place where services are held and where the Holy Gifts are kept. It is marked by an unquenchable lamp. Next to the central altar there are often side chapels in honor of saints. In addition, the premises of the Catholic church have a separate place for the choir and sacristy.

When entering the temple, men must remove their hats, but women do not have to cover their heads. The parishioners dip the fingers of their right hands into the crypt - a vessel with holy water, which stands in front of the temple, and then cross themselves.

Famous temple. The Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lutsk is the oldest in Ukraine. Built in 1616-1639 according to the design of the famous architect Giacomo Briano as a church at the Jesuit monastery.

The synagogue “looks” at Jerusalem

Jews conduct religious ceremonies in the synagogue, the façade of which must face Jerusalem. In Europe this means facing east. From the outside, the synagogue is an ordinary building. Inside it, at the entrance, there is a laver where the clergy wash their hands and feet before starting the service, and an altar for animal sacrifices. Behind them is a tent-shaped Sanctuary, which only clergy can enter. In the depths of the Sanctuary, behind the curtain, is the Holy of Holies with the Ark of the Covenant, on which are carved the Ten Holy Commandments of the Jews.

Crossing the threshold of the synagogue, Jews must touch the mezuzah mounted on the door frame - a case in which a parchment with a passage from the Torah is inserted. Women and men enter the synagogue with their heads covered and pray in separate rooms.

Famous temple. In the village of Zhovkva, Lviv region, there is a unique synagogue-fortress, built in the 17th century by order of the Polish king John Casimir in the Baroque style.

The mosque faces Mecca

The house of prayer for Muslims is a mosque. It is a round or square building, which faces Mecca, with minaret towers (numbering from one to nine). There are no religious images in the mosque, but verses from the Koran may be inscribed on the walls. On the right is the pulpit-minbar from which the preacher-imam reads his sermons.

Believers pray in mosques five times a day. Before prayer, Muslims perform ablutions, and before entering the temple, they must remove their shoes. Also, everyone needs to cover their heads, and women also need to wear as closed clothing as possible. Men and women pray in different rooms.
Famous temple. In 2011, the Ar-Rahma ("Mercy") mosque with a huge 27-meter minaret was erected in Kyiv on Tatarka.

Buddhist temple collected cult treasures

To be a Buddhist means to take refuge in the "Three Treasures" - the Buddha, his teachings and community. The Buddhist temple is designed in such a way that all the treasures are collected in one place. The temples are distinguished by the abundance of spiers, stucco decorations on the facade, as well as the special design of the cornices, which are gently and gracefully curved upward.

The temple consists of three halls. The “golden hall” houses statues and images of Buddha, as well as an altar. The second hall - the pagoda - has three or five tiers, in the center there is a pillar made from the trunk of a large tree. At its top, a piece of the remains of Buddha is kept. And the third room, for readings, is intended for sacred scrolls and books.

Before entering the golden (altar) hall, women and men must remove their hats and walk to the altar in the direction of the sun (from left to right). During a religious service (khural), you can sit on benches or on the carpet in the lotus position, but you cannot cross your legs or stretch your legs towards the altar.

Famous temple. The largest Buddhist temple in Europe, "White Lotus", was founded by followers of the kung fu school in 1988 in Cherkassy.

Let us remind you that we previously told you that .

Dictionary

Sacristy- a place where liturgical objects, including vestments, are kept.

Lectern- a table on which books, icons and other church supplies are placed.