Belarusian Gothic
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Belarusian Gothic () is the
architectural style An architectural style is a set of characteristics and features that make a building or other structure notable or historically identifiable. It is a sub-class of style in the visual arts generally, and most styles in architecture relate closely ...
of ecclesiastical buildings and fortified structures of the 15th and 16th centuries in modern
Belarus Belarus,, , ; alternatively and formerly known as Byelorussia (from Russian ). officially the Republic of Belarus,; rus, Республика Беларусь, Respublika Belarus. is a landlocked country in Eastern Europe. It is bordered by ...
, Lithuania, eastern Poland and
western Ukraine Western Ukraine or West Ukraine ( uk, Західна Україна, Zakhidna Ukraina or , ) is the territory of Ukraine linked to the former Kingdom of Galicia–Volhynia, which was part of the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth, the Austria ...
.Православная архитектура ВКЛ начала XVII в. Стиль и традиция.
/ref> Although these buildings have features typical of
Gothic architecture Gothic architecture (or pointed architecture) is an architectural style that was prevalent in Europe from the late 12th to the 16th century, during the High and Late Middle Ages, surviving into the 17th and 18th centuries in some areas. It ...
such as lofty towers,
flying buttresses The flying buttress (''arc-boutant'', arch buttress) is a specific form of buttress composed of an arch that extends from the upper portion of a wall to a pier of great mass, in order to convey lateral forces to the ground that are necessary to pu ...
, pointed
arches An arch is a vertical curved structure that spans an elevated space and may or may not support the weight above it, or in case of a horizontal arch like an arch dam, the hydrostatic pressure against it. Arches may be synonymous with vault ...
and
vaulted In architecture, a vault (French ''voûte'', from Italian ''volta'') is a self-supporting arched form, usually of stone or brick, serving to cover a space with a ceiling or roof. As in building an arch, a temporary support is needed while ring ...
ceilings, they also contain elements not typically considered Gothic by Central and Western European standards.


Terminology

The term was introduced by Belorussian historian Mikoła Ščakacichin in his work "Essays from the history of Belarusian art" in 1920s. Initially supported by Belorussian historians, in 1960s-80s it gained recognition amongst some of the Russian and Lithuanian historians. Depending on the area it can also be referred to as Ukrainian and Lithuanian.


History

With the baptism of the Grand Prince
Vladimir the Great Vladimir I Sviatoslavich or Volodymyr I Sviatoslavych ( orv, Володимѣръ Свѧтославичь, ''Volodiměrъ Svętoslavičь'';, ''Uladzimir'', russian: Владимир, ''Vladimir'', uk, Володимир, ''Volodymyr''. Se ...
and the
Christianization Christianization ( or Christianisation) is to make Christian; to imbue with Christian principles; to become Christian. It can apply to the conversion of an individual, a practice, a place or a whole society. It began in the Roman Empire, conti ...
of the
Kievan Rus' Kievan Rusʹ, also known as Kyivan Rusʹ ( orv, , Rusĭ, or , , ; Old Norse: ''Garðaríki''), was a state in Eastern and Northern Europe from the late 9th to the mid-13th century.John Channon & Robert Hudson, ''Penguin Historical Atlas of ...
, the region's architecture became heavily influenced by Byzantine architecture. During the 13th century and start of 14th century, the Slavic principalities are eventually subjugated by the
Grand Duchy of Lithuania The Grand Duchy of Lithuania was a European state that existed from the 13th century to 1795, when the territory was partitioned among the Russian Empire, the Kingdom of Prussia, and the Habsburg Empire of Austria. The state was founded by Lit ...
, a pagan state which was fighting against the
Teutonic Order The Order of Brothers of the German House of Saint Mary in Jerusalem, commonly known as the Teutonic Order, is a Catholic religious institution founded as a military society in Acre, Kingdom of Jerusalem. It was formed to aid Christians on ...
's expansion. The Grand Duchy became a dominant power in the 14th century, featuring a developed
Lithuanian nobility The Lithuanian nobility or szlachta ( Lithuanian: ''bajorija, šlėkta'') was historically a legally privileged hereditary elite class in the Kingdom of Lithuania and Grand Duchy of Lithuania (including during period of foreign rule 1795–191 ...
. Lithuanian rulers started building Brick Gothic castles and establishing
Catholic The Catholic Church, also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.3 billion baptized Catholics worldwide . It is among the world's oldest and largest international institutions, and has played a ...
churches, which were also constructed in Brick Gothic. Contacts with the Teutonic order and Europe allowed to hire experienced
architects An architect is a person who plans, designs and oversees the construction of buildings. To practice architecture means to provide services in connection with the design of buildings and the space within the site surrounding the buildings that h ...
. The Act of Krėva in 1386 caused the
Christianization of Lithuania The Christianization of Lithuania ( lt, Lietuvos krikštas) occurred in 1387, initiated by King of Poland and Grand Duke of Lithuania Władysław II Jagiełło and his cousin Vytautas the Great. It signified the official adoption of Christianity b ...
and increased communication in western and southern Europe. Christianization of Lithuania led to more intensive expansion of
Western culture Leonardo da Vinci's ''Vitruvian Man''. Based on the correlations of ideal Body proportions">human proportions with geometry described by the ancient Roman architect Vitruvius in Book III of his treatise ''De architectura''. image:Plato Pio-Cle ...
and namely, Gothic style into Orthodox lands. During this period, the Gothic style came to the Slavic regions. In central and southern Europe however, it was already being displaced by
Renaissance architecture Renaissance architecture is the European architecture of the period between the early 15th and early 16th centuries in different regions, demonstrating a conscious revival and development of certain elements of Ancient Greece, ancient Greek and ...
. In 1346 the Orthodox Cathedral of the Theotokos, Vilnius in
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
, was constructed, before the Lithuanian state had become Catholic. (see history of Roman Catholic Lithuania). File:20090613 003 Наваградак (39).JPG, alt=Side of a white church, Cathedral of Ss. Boris and Gleb,
Navahrudak Novogrudok ( be, Навагрудак, Navahrudak; lt, Naugardukas; pl, Nowogródek; russian: Новогрудок, Novogrudok; yi, נאַוואַראַדאָק, Novhardok, Navaradok) is a town in the Grodno Region, Belarus. In the Middle ...
(1519–1630), southern façade File:Церква Святих Бориса і Гліба в Новогрудку.jpg, alt=Church interior with high, vaulted ceilings, Cathedral interior (1930 photo) File:Hniezna. Гнезна (2007).jpg, alt=Church exterior against a blue sky, Church of Saint Michael, Hnesna (de), 1524–1527 File:Belarus Mir Mir Castle Complex 8112 2100.jpg, alt=Large building against a partly-cloudy sky, The 16th-century Mir Castle File:Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos 2, Vilnius, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg, alt=Church interior with icons, Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos,
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
File:Suprasl orthodox church 3.jpeg, Church of Supraśl Orthodox Monastery,
Poland Poland, officially the Republic of Poland, is a country in Central Europe. It is divided into 16 administrative provinces called voivodeships, covering an area of . Poland has a population of over 38 million and is the fifth-most populou ...
File:Kodeń church1.JPG, alt=Simple brick Gothic church, Church of the Holy Ghost (1530) in Kodeń, Poland, near the
Bug River uk, Західний Буг be, Захо́дні Буг , name_etymology = , image = Wyszkow_Bug.jpg , image_size = 250 , image_caption = Bug River in the vicinity of Wyszków, Poland , map = Vi ...
File:Траецкі касьцёл у Ішкальдзі, 1472 год.jpg, Church of Holy Trinity in Iškaldź File:Vilnia, Trajeckaja. Вільня, Траецкая (J. Bułhak, 1917).jpg, Greek Catholic Church of Holy Trinity in
Vilnius Vilnius ( , ; see also other names) is the capital and largest city of Lithuania, with a population of 592,389 (according to the state register) or 625,107 (according to the municipality of Vilnius). The population of Vilnius's functional urb ...
File:Murovanka church.jpg, Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Muravanka File:Царква ў Мураванцы. Гатычныя скляпенні.jpg, Church in Muravanka


Architecture

Belarusian Gothic combines Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance architecture. Although some buildings have a north-German Brick Gothic design, others are plastered. Window arches are primarily pointed, but
blind arcade A blind arcade or blank arcade is an arcade (a series of arches) that has no actual openings and that is applied to the surface of a wall as a decorative element: i.e., the arches are not windows or openings but are part of the masonry face. It is ...
s and
Lombard band A Lombard band is a decorative blind arcade, usually located on the exterior of building. It was frequently used during the Romanesque and Gothic periods of Western architecture. It resembles a frieze of arches. Lombard bands are believed to h ...
s have round arches. Most churches have rib vaults, but there are also simple massive trunks such as those in Romanesque and Byzantine architecture. Most were fortified, with a short
nave The nave () is the central part of a church, stretching from the (normally western) main entrance or rear wall, to the transepts, or in a church without transepts, to the chancel. When a church contains side aisles, as in a basilica-type ...
and a small tower at each corner; others have an ordinary, high, Western bell tower.


References


Sources


Nigel Roberts, ''Belarus'', p. 185 (google books)

Rainer Lindner, ''Historiker und Herrschaft: Nationsbildung und Geschichtspolitik in Weißrußland im 19. Und 20. Jahrhundert'', Verlag Oldenbourg 1999
, S. 256, ''II. Nation und Geschichte im Stalinismus → 3. Rivalität der Mythen (Nation-building and policy of history in Belarus in the 19th & 20th centuries)'' – in German
Archives of Belarus, ''Church Architecture''

Беларуская готыка ў пабудове культавых будынкаў XV-XVI стст. – Belarusian Gothic in religious buildings of the 15th and 16th centuries (in Belarusian, very much illustrated)
{{Gothic architecture Gothic architecture in Poland Belarusian Gothic Renaissance architecture in Belarus Medieval Belarus