Why are domes erected on Orthodox churches? Is this done only in Russia or in all Orthodox countries? How many domes should a temple have and how many can it never have? What shapes do they come in and what color can they be painted? Let's talk!
Why do churches need domes?
The domes of Orthodox churches as we know them now are purely a matter of tradition. In the sense that this is how it happened: churches should have domes. Moreover, it worked out exactly for us. In Orthodox Greece, for example, many churches are built without the usual domes.
Here, for example, is a church on the island of Corfu: typical Orthodox Greek architecture.
Like this temple: also Greece
Then what do domes actually mean for a temple if they are not built everywhere, and why does the temple need them?
Initially, a dome is just one type of vault that a building can have. For example, this design would be ideal to enclose large spaces when supporting columns need to be avoided. This type of overlap has been known since ancient times. Even before Christianity, domes were erected in buildings of worship and importance for the state - in short, where a large number of people gathered to celebrate something or perform a religious ceremony.
Over time, domes began to be directly associated with “sacred” buildings. In the Christian tradition, the domed vault immediately began to symbolize the heavenly world, eternity, and the universe. Moreover, symbolism almost immediately became the main side of the dome, since in most temples (in those countries and cultures where it was used) the dome did not and does not have a constructive meaning and was simply the “crowning” of the structure.
Look: Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (now a mosque). It was built as an Orthodox church in the 6th century, but retained the “original” approach to the dome - as a full-fledged vault.
And here it is, Moscow. The dome is small, “symbolic”. The role of the vault is played by the roof-slab.
The fact that the dome can play a “symbolic” rather than constructive role has developed historically. For example, in Rus': the first churches themselves were almost all wooden and were made using the classic log house technique, so covering them with large domes was structurally illogical and impractical. The dome no longer played the role of a “roof”, but simply rose above the temple. Therefore, it is more correct to call them not domes, but chapters or “domes.”
This is not an ancient temple, but a modern one: in, but it well illustrates what has been said regarding the domes of wooden temples:
And here is an example of a temple design where the dome, on the contrary, actually plays a constructive role. Moscow. Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary near Prechistenka. The dome covers the entire chapel, although there is still a small turret above it, which is crowned with an “onion”.
Or in Kubinka near Moscow. Also: a large dome-shaped vault and a smaller “onion” above it.
Or the main cathedral of the St. John the Theologian Monastery in Moscow. Not the most clearly expressed example, perhaps, but nevertheless:
Domes have truly become an integral part of Russian tradition. Moreover, our domes are characterized by the “onion” shape. Some see this as a reminder of a burning candle. Maybe. But initially, such symbolism was not included in the onion-like shape of the dome - it was simply about a beautiful form that would harmoniously complete the image of the temple.
Holy Trinity Sergius Lavra in Moscow
How many domes does a temple have?
Generally speaking, as much as you want - in the sense that there are no dogmas or formulated laws on this matter. The number of domes is determined by the architectural concept of the temple. Another thing is that in the Christian tradition, some numbers contain symbolic meaning or associations, and therefore the number of domes in the vast majority of cases is limited to the following number:
- One dome symbolizes the One God
- Three domes symbolize the Holy Trinity
- Five domes- The Savior and the four evangelists
- Seven domes remind us of the seven Sacraments of the Church
- Very rare: nine domes symbolize the nine angelic
- Even rarer: 13 domes- Jesus Christ and his twelve apostles
- Surely there is a temple with 33 domes: according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life.
Dome colors: what are they?
What the color of the dome in the Church should be is also not determined by any rules or canons. That is, it can be anything (at St. Basil’s Cathedral on Red Square they are generally colorful), but again, traditionally in the Russian tradition domes are like this:
Gilding- one of the most common ways to decorate a dome. There is no symbolic meaning here: it is simply very beautiful, majestic.
Blue domes(most often with stars). Such domes crown churches dedicated to the Blessed Virgin Mary. And the stars remind us of the Nativity of Christ from the Virgin Mary.
Green domes. In general, in our Church tradition, green is a symbol of the Trinity or the Holy Spirit. But in the case of domes there is no such direct relationship. Here, for example, is the Church of St. Nicholas in, next to the Lenin Library metro station in Moscow.
And finally: black domes. Someone says that they symbolize monasticism and are found in monastery churches, but this is not so. There are quite a few city, “parish” churches with black domes. For example, the Old Believer Church of the Intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Turchaninov Lane - which is a stone's throw from the Park Kultury metro station.
Copper domes also become black over time: over the years, copper acquires a very beautiful black color.
Read this and other posts in our group at
Why are the domes of Orthodox churches different colors?
The tradition of domes came to us from the Byzantine Empire. For believers, they are symbols of the heavenly (sphere) and the eternal (circle). In Rus', the most popular color for domes has always been the gold color; besides this, blue, green and even black domes are found in churches.
What does the golden color of the domes symbolize?
The gold color in the Orthodox tradition is a symbol of heavenly glory. That is why in our country there were golden domes at the main temples and at the temples dedicated to Christ and the Twelve Feasts. It is natural that the main temple of modern Russia - the Moscow Cathedral of Christ the Savior - has domes of exactly this color. The domes of the Church of the Intercession of the Mother of God (St. Basil's Cathedral) - the main temple of Red Square - were also originally gold.
Gilding of domes is present only in Orthodox traditions; you will not find this in other faiths. For an Orthodox person, gold is primarily a symbol of eternity, incorruptibility, royalty and heavenly glory. In this regard, we can recall that one of the three gifts brought by the wise men to the baby Jesus, along with frankincense and myrrh, was gold.
What do the blue domes symbolize?
The blue domes with stars indicate that the temple is dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Blue or blue color symbolizes heavenly purity and innocence, and the stars are reminiscent of the Star of Bethlehem, which announced the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary.
Which temples have green domes?
Green domes crown churches dedicated to the Holy Trinity, because green in the Orthodox tradition is the color of the Holy Spirit. Also, green domes may indicate that the church is dedicated to some saint. In addition, the domes of the temple dedicated to the saint may also be gray or silver.
In which churches can you find black domes?
Black domes are present on monasteries. This is the color of monasticism. They can be seen, for example, at the famous Intercession Monastery, where the relics of the Holy Blessed Matrona of Moscow rest, and where thousands of pilgrims flock daily.
What does the number of domes on the temple mean?
Not only the color, but also the number of domes on the temple has a certain symbolism. So, one dome symbolizes the One God, three - the Holy Trinity.
The five domes represent the Savior and the four evangelists. The seven domes speak of the seven sacraments of the Church (baptism, confirmation, communion, repentance, priesthood, wedding and unction).
The nine domes symbolize the nine ranks of angels. Thirteen - the Savior and 12 apostles. And 33 domes (yes, there are such temples) are erected in memory of the 33 years of the Savior’s earthly life.
What does the color of the temple mean?
The color of the temple often gives the answer to the question - what holiday, or what saint is this or that church dedicated to.
The white color of the temple means that it is consecrated in honor of the Transfiguration or Ascension of the Lord.
Blue Walls - the church was built in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
The Red Temple is usually dedicated to the martyr(s).
If the color of the church is green, then it was most likely consecrated in honor of the saint, and if it is yellow, then it was built in honor of the saint.
However, we must understand that in this case we are talking about traditions, not rules. In our lives, it happens that the covering of the dome depends on the financial resources of the parish. And it happens that climatic conditions make their own adjustments. For example, the Orthodox church in honor of the Holy Trinity in Antarctica, not far from the Russian polar station Bellingshausen, does not have green domes. It is made entirely of wood and its color is natural. Wood in Antarctica does not rot because there are no bacteria in this area that are dangerous to this material. Accordingly, there is no need for additional processing. This temple is the Patriarchal Metochion of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra and the southernmost Orthodox church in the world.
It is easy to find an Orthodox church in any city by the shape of the dome and its color. Interestingly, there are light and decorative drums, and domes located on a decorative base are called domes.
Domes and their number
The head of the church is usually called the covering of the dome located on the so-called drum. The number of chapters above the temple is also not a random number.
33-domed church in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord in the Ust-Medveditsky Monastery, Volgograd region
The number, symbolism and colors of the domes - the dedication of the temple to God, the Holy Trinity, the Mother of God or one of the saints or martyrs.
- one dome is a symbol of the One Supreme Creator;
- three - Holy Trinity;
- five chapters symbolize the Savior and the apostles close to Him;
- seven domes above the temple - a symbol of the seven church Sacraments;
- nine ranks of Angels - seven chapters;
- Jesus and the 12 apostles are a prototype of the thirteen-domed temple.
The specific shape of the domes of Orthodox churches
Historians do not have a common opinion regarding the appearance in Rus' of temples with a spherical top and an elongated top. The keeled top resembles an ancient Russian helmet and is similar to the buildings of Byzantine architects.
Historical drawings show that church buildings in pre-Mongol Rus' were covered with vaulted domes, which were borrowed from Byzantium. Such chapters were met in Kyiv, Chernigov, Smolensk.
The helmet-shaped shape of the dome was reminiscent of the spiritual battle waged by the Church against the forces of evil
The Vladimir-Suzdal region was rich in helmet-shaped heads of churches in the 14th-16th centuries, then they began to appear in the principalities of Moscow and Tver, and then throughout Rus'.
From the middle of the 16th century, Russian churches began to be covered with onion domes. It is difficult for a simple Christian who does not have deep architectural knowledge to see the difference between these heights at first glance.
Bulbous heads differ from helmet-shaped ones only in the ratio of the diameters of the dome and drum.
For the former, the diameters of the drums are smaller than the diameter of the dome, and for the helmet-shaped ones, it’s the opposite. The height of the bulbous top is equal to its diameter, and the helmet-like heads are wider than they are high.
The sphere-like shape of the temple covering, borrowed from Byzantium, stretched over time, transforming into the likeness of a helmet - a symbol of protection and onion domes reminiscent of the shape of fire or candles.
Onion heads of the temple - a symbol of a candle flame
How to determine its dedication by the color of a dome
Orthodox architects agree that the sphere of the head of the temple is a prototype of heaven, therefore not only the shape of the top is important, but also its color:
- The heads of churches dedicated to Jesus and the 12 great Orthodox holidays are covered with gold, a symbol of the glory of the Lord. Such a covering in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. The wise men brought three gifts as a gift to the newborn Jesus, incense, myrrh and gold, a symbol of eternity, reign and glory.
- Silver domes mean that this building has a patron in the form of a saint; buildings in honor of the Transfiguration of the Lord and His Ascension are famous for their white coverings.
- Blue coverings with yellow stars are reminiscent of the birth of Jesus on Christmas night; churches of the Blessed Virgin Mary are easily recognizable by the blue color of their domes, a symbol of purity and the Immaculate Conception.
- The color of eternal life is green - dedication to the Holy Spirit, the Holy Trinity.
- It is rare to find churches with red covering, a symbol of blood and martyrdom, the holy martyr is the guardian of such a church.
- The bright colors and intricate shapes decorating St. Basil's Cathedral symbolize the Heavenly Jerusalem.
- In monasteries, it is customary to paint the chapters black; an example is the Pokrovsky Monastery, custodian of the relics of the Holy Matronushka of Moscow.
Symbolism of Orthodox dome crosses
Dome - what does the number of domes and their colors mean?
Dome (Italian) cupola- dome, vault, from lat. cupula, diminutive of cupa - barrel) - a spatial covering of buildings and structures, in shape close to a hemisphere or other surface of rotation of a curve (ellipse, parabola, etc.). The tradition of constructing one or more domes over the main building of the temple came to us from Byzantium. The dome is a symbol of the heavenly (sphere) and eternal (circle). The exterior of the temple often reflects its dedication - to the Lord, the Mother of God, some saint or holiday. For example:
- Bely - a temple consecrated in honor of the Transfiguration or Ascension of the Lord
- Blue - in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary
- Red - dedicated to the martyr(s)
- Green - to the Reverend
- Yellow - to the saint
However, it should be noted that all this is not a dogma, but only a tradition, not observed everywhere and not always.
The golden domes symbolize Divine glory. Therefore, temples dedicated to the Lord's holidays are most often decorated with gold-domed ones.
The blue or blue color of the dome symbolically depicts heavenly purity and purity. These domes crown churches dedicated to the Mother of God.
The domes of churches dedicated to the Most Holy Life-Giving Trinity are, as a rule, green. Temples consecrated in honor of saints also have green domes.
We must remember that we are talking about tradition, not rules. In reality, the covering of the dome often depends on the financial resources of the parish.
The number of domes on temples is also symbolic:
- 1 - symbolizes the One God
- 3 - Holy Trinity
- 5 - The Savior and the Four Evangelists
- 7 - seven sacraments of the Church
- 9 - according to the number of angelic ranks
- 13 – The Savior and the twelve apostles
- 33 - according to the number of years of the Savior’s earthly life.
The shape of the dome also has a symbolic meaning.
- The helmet-like shape was reminiscent of the army, of the spiritual battle waged by the Church with the forces of evil and darkness.
- The shape of the onion is a symbol of the candle flame, turning us to the words of Christ: “You are the light of the world.”
- The intricate shape and bright colors of the domes on St. Basil's Cathedral speak of the beauty of Heavenly Jerusalem.
The color of the dome is also important in the symbolism of the temple:
- Gold is a symbol of heavenly glory. The main temples and the temples dedicated to Christ and the twelve feasts had golden domes.
- Blue domes with stars crown churches dedicated to the Mother of God, because the star recalls the birth of Christ from the Virgin Mary.
- Trinity churches had green domes, because green is the color of the Holy Spirit.
- Temples dedicated to saints are often topped with green or silver domes.
- In monasteries there are black domes - this is the color of monasticism.
One of the most important elements of Christian architecture is the dome. It is the dome of the church that gives it its recognizable appearance and distinctive splendor.
In Orthodox doctrine, such a wedding of churches symbolizes the heavenly world and is often decorated with images of God, saints and angels.
Despite the similarity of structure, the domes of the church amaze with the variety of shapes, sizes and colors.
Variety of dome shapes
The first dome structures appeared in ancient times, even before the advent of Christianity. These were the so-called belt domes, formed by a stepped vault. With this method of laying, each new layer protrudes above the previous one. A classic example is the ancient Treasury of Atreus at Mycenae.
Today there are several main types of domes known:
As you can see, the shapes of the domes are very diverse. This is due to different stages of development of architecture and the exchange of experience between cultures of different countries. In addition to the variety of shapes, domes have other differences.
The meaning of the color of the domes
A distinctive feature of Orthodox churches is the richness of the color palette of their “tops”. The use of a certain color not only decorates the appearance of the church, but also carries a sacred meaning.
For example:
The variety of colors is what attracts Russian churches and what makes each church unique and inimitable. What other information about the temple can be obtained by knowing about the features of its chapters?
The value of the number of domes
Each individual dome is already a work of art. If you take all the domes into account at once, even more meaning will emerge. After all, their number is not accidental and has great symbolism. Thus, a single dome on the temple personifies the One God. If the church has domes:
Thus, the domes can be called a kind of “passport” of the temple. From it you can learn about the history of the church, who it is dedicated to and what meaning it wants to convey to people. Having dealt with the symbolism of church domes, let’s move on to the technical part, namely their production and design.
How domes are made
A dome is a very “useful” structure that is highly valued in architecture. The use of this structure allows you to cover large spaces with minimal use of additional supports. A modern church dome typically consists of a metal frame, fiberglass shell, and roof cladding.
Today, only the name remains of most golden domes. Due to its high cost and fragility, natural gold is used less and less. It was replaced by titanium nitride, which is used to coat stainless steel plates. This material is not much inferior to gold in beauty, but is superior in reliability and ease of processing. Titanium nitride-coated panels are attached to the dome support, after which it rises to the top.
There is no doubt that dome building is a unique craft. It combines the genius of architectural thought and the depth of biblical implications.
