1 August 1993: The old
church was replaced by this new church in 1962.
"The
Three-Barred Cross existed very early in Byzantium, but was adopted by
the Russian Orthodox Church
and was especially popularized in the Slavic countries. The upper arm
represents the inscription over Christ's
head, and the lower slanting bar represents His footrest. The origin of
this slanted footboard is not known, but
in the symbolism of the Russian Orthodox Church, the most common
explanation is that it is the pointing
upward to Paradise for the Good Thief on Jesus' right who acknowledged
Him and downward to Hell for the
Thief on His left (Luke 23)."
"A
peculiar feature of Russian Orthodox churches is the presence of
onion-shaped domes on top of the cupolas.
Historians are not in agreement as to the origin of this particular
style, but some point to the possible influence
of Persia on this peculiar feature of Russian church architecture, while
others argue that since this style was
more popular in the far North of Russia, it had a practical application,
in that the shape was particularly suited
to shed the large amounts of snow common in the region."
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