Shapes and meanings of domes in Russian Orthodox temples

The research team in Turin, for a long time been involved in the study of shapes and meanings of “domes in the world”, is going to study systematically Russian domes. The survey deals with the issue through an historical period of several types of dome, based on documentation found on site. As a first approximation we can assume that the symbolism of the domes of Orthodox temples appears in number: the single dome represents The One True God; three domes symbolize the Holy Trinity (Cathedral of Christ the Saviour), five domes are related to Christ and the four evangelists (Church of St. Nicholas), and so on, till the Seven Sacraments of the Catholic Church (St. Basil’s Cathedral). Onion domes symbolize candle flame, which reminds us the Christ’s words: “You are the light of the world”, and even colours are used to represent concepts: for instance, gold stands for the Glory of Heaven, blue recalls to the Virgin Mary.