Landscape Design and Architecture of Wooden Churches in Ukraine

Authors

Valentyna Kuryliak, Ukrainian Institute of Arts and SciencesFollow
Volodymyr Dudarets, Ukrainian Institute of Arts and SciencesFollow
Valeriy Bulatov, Ukrainian Institute of Arts and SciencesFollow

Author ORCID Identifier

Valentyna Kuryliak ORCID: 0000-0001-5245-9700

Volodymyr Dudarets ORCID: 0000-0002-9619-9637

Valeriy Bulatov ORCID: 0000-0003-0832-2429

Abstract

The article examines the features of landscape design and architecture of wooden churches in Ukraine. Analysis of literary sources shows that the sacred wooden architecture of Ukraine is a source of inspiration for artists, art historians, writers, and other people interested in church buildings made of wood. During the research process, it was found that the natural landscape exactly complements the architecture of wooden temples, creating a natural environment for worshiping God. It is important to emphasize the following features, highlighted in the study of temple structures made of wood on the territory of Ukraine. First, the builders carefully selected the site for the location of the temple, as they tried to avoid creating artificial landscaping around the church building. Secondly, this was an attempt to accurately combine a religious man-made building with the creation of God, namely with nature. Thirdly, there are common features and distinctive features of the examined wooden temples in the external architecture and internal design of buildings. The commonality of the architectural features of wooden churches is associated with the life of the people and mentality of the Ukrainians, and the differences, in turn, were formed because in different periods the historical territories of Ukraine belonged to empires that had significant religious differences. The article focuses on the fact that wooden churches are national monuments of Ukraine, which attract researchers from all over the world.

Recommended Citation

Kuryliak, Valentyna; Dudarets, Volodymyr; and Bulatov, Valeriy (2022) "Landscape Design and Architecture of Wooden Churches in Ukraine," Occasional Papers on Religion in Eastern Europe: Vol. 42 : Iss. 1 , Article 4.
DOI: https://doi.org/10.55221/2693-2148.2317
Available at: https://digitalcommons.georgefox.edu/ree/vol42/iss1/4