An architect is a craft, profession or vocation?

Any adult, even very far from art and architecture, even from the school bench knows that the architect is a design engineer, a master, an architect and a builder in one person. In the XIV century, according to the research of Academician AI Sobolevsky, the word "architect" came to the Russian literary language from the book South Slavic. Until this time, the craftsmen who designed and built churches that decorated and painted them were called church masters.

History of Russian architecture

Most historians of architecture called the time of the beginning of the formation of Russian stone architecture of the XI century. After the end of the 10th century, Prince Vladimir began to introduce Christianity in Russia, along with the spread of this religion, the construction of churches and temples began to develop. For any city of Ancient Russia, a good architect is the most important person on whom the size and beauty of churches and churches depend, and, consequently, the level of influence and power of the one whose means they were built. Until now, from the stone works of architectural creativity of the time only the St. Sophia's Cathedral in Kiev and Veliky Novgorod, the Chernigov Savior-Transfiguration Cathedral and the Gate Trinity Church in the Pechersky Monastery in Kiev have reached.

The emergence of Russian tradition

In the period from XI to XII centuries. Every Russian architect is first and foremost a student who studied examples of Byzantine church architecture and the creation of his predecessors, tried to reproduce the samples to the best of his abilities, strengths and talents.

Grand ducal and princely construction projects in Veliky Novgorod in the 12th century became the last "imitative". The second quarter of the 12th century is the time when our own, Russian art schools arise and develop.

Until the middle of the 12th century, stone churches and temples were not built. And only with the advent of Yuri Dolgoruky begins active construction of Christian religious buildings of stone. His successor, Andrei Bogolyubsky, seeking to increase the glory of the Vladimir principality, also conducts stone construction.

Today it can be argued that during the reign of Andrei Bogolyubsky Russian school of architects was formed, which later managed to extend its influence to the masters of other principalities that arose in the period of feudal civil strife and the fragmentation of Russia.

Two schools of Russian architecture

Under Prince Vsevolod the Big Nest, who ruled on Vladimir-Suzdal land after Bogolyubsky, new features appear in the artistic and technical receptions of the architects, which in the future will lead to the emergence of two architectural schools. The first, the so-called Vladimir school, continued the classical traditions of white stone construction, in this case a complex carved decoration was performed. Her representatives worked in Yuriev-Polsky, Suzdal and Nizhny Novgorod. The second school, Rostov, was distinguished by an effective combination of masonry made of brick and details of white stone. Its adherents built in Yaroslavl and Rostov the Great.

Novgorod-Pskov tradition

This school originated, according to historians, as far back as the 11th century, when the St. Sophia Cathedral was built in Novgorod. However, the flourishing of this tradition dates back to the second half of the 14th century - the time of the maximum power and prosperity of the Novgorod Republic. The most notable and significant examples of this period are the churches of the Savior's Transfiguration on Ilin Street and Fyodor Stratilat on the Stream.

Pskov architectural tradition is very close to Novgorod, but experts distinguish it from its own characteristics. The most vivid creations of the Pskov architects are the churches of Nikola from Usokhi, Vasily on Gorka, Kuzma and Demyan from Pristoi, etc.

Architecture of Moscow Principality

In the XIV-XV centuries, the political significance of Muscovy increased markedly, which led to the blossoming of construction and architecture. Traditions of architecture, formed in the Vladimir-Suzdal principality, were successfully adopted by Moscow specialists. The end of the XV century can be considered the time of the birth and formation of the Moscow architectural school. This period is represented by the Uspensky Cathedral, which has survived to the present day, on Gorodok in Zvenigorod.

The heyday of the Moscow architectural school fell during the reign of Ivan III, at the end of the XV century. The great architect of that time, the Italian Aristotle Fioravanti, built the Assumption Cathedral in the Moscow Kremlin.

Architectural traditions of the Russian kingdom

Ivan Ivan the Terrible's acceptance of the tsar's title and the transformation of Russia into a kingdom that occurred in the 16th century became a powerful impetus for the development of all spheres of society's life, including architecture. At this time, the architect - this is not only a builder of churches, churches and princely chambers. The first stone fortresses-kremlin-began to be built. One of the most famous architects-builders of such fortresses was Fedor Kon, who built the walls of the White City in Moscow, the Smolensk Kremlin, as well as the walls of Pafnutievo-Borovsky, Boldinsky and Simonov Monasteries.

In addition, the brightest work of architectural creativity is the Cathedral of St. Basil the Blessed (Pokrovsky), which, according to one version, was built by Pskov architect Postnik Yakovlev on the orders of Ivan the Terrible.

The Age of Peter

Art historian and artist IE Grabar called Russia a country of architects. In full measure, this statement can be attributed to St. Petersburg, which, in the opinion of Emperor Peter I, was supposed to contribute to the transformation of Moscow Rus to Europe. During the construction of the "child of Petrova" - Petersburg - architects and Russian architects invited from different countries cooperate, interact and compete with each other. Such names as Domenico Giovanni Trezzini and Jean Baptiste Leblon, Carlo Bartolomeo Rastrelli and Georg Johann Mattarnovi, are forever inscribed in the architectural history of the city on the Neva. Peter I, in every possible way attracting foreign masters for the construction of the new capital, meanwhile made them a condition that they teach their Russian assistants and students the crafts and "arts" that they themselves own. One of the first such "home-grown" architects became assistant and student Trezzini Zemtsov and Eropkin. In the further development and construction of the city participated such world-famous architects of Petersburg as Bartolomeo Francesco Rastrelli (son of Karl Rastrelli), Antonio Rinaldi, Nikolaus Gerbel, SI Chevakinsky, Carl Ivanovich Rossi, and many equally great architects.

Instead of concluding

Russian architecture for centuries has not only developed in its special, national channel. Change in political, religious and social life, interaction with different cultures - all this had a huge impact on the formation not only of Russian and Soviet, but also of Russian architecture. Today the whole world admires not only creations of F. Konya, Rossi, Voronikhin, Bazhenov and Kazakov. The architect Vlasov, Fomin, Pyasetsky, Savin and many others demonstrated with their creativity and skill the high level of otchestvennogo architecture.