Similarities and differences in Christianity (Orthodoxy), Islam, Judaism. The most beautiful temples of the world of different religions

Religious issues are probably one of the most complex and controversial in our history. And although the essence of all the major religions known to human civilization comes down, in general, to one goal - to do good and be a Human, the paraphernalia, rituals and rituals that accompany them can outwardly differ significantly. For example, even prayer places (mosques, synagogues, temples), where believers of different religions gather, are not at all similar to each other.

We will not go into complex religious issues. But it is quite in our power to explain how a mosque differs from a temple. This question often arises both on the Internet and in everyday communication. Many people guess that there is some difference between these two "prayer houses", but they absolutely do not know what it is. Let's try to fill this gap.

Temple

History reference

Temple is the common name for places of worship in Christian religion. The early Christians could not build individual buildings for the joint performance of religious rites. As we know, Christianity originated during the pagan Roman Empire and was severely persecuted by local and higher authorities. Therefore, worship services were held in secret and often in places not adapted for this. For example, the fact of performing Christian rites in the catacombs is widely known - this is how underground burials were called in those distant times. By the way, they were widespread not only in the enlightened Roman Empire, but also in the “barbarian” East, where they also disliked the first followers of Christ, rightly seeing them as a threat to local cults.

Roman laws considered burial vaults inviolable, and therefore they were rarely visited. Just walking around the cemetery, as is customary in our times, was considered by the Romans to be an extremely unethical act. Therefore, there was no better place for illegal meetings of adherents of the new religion.

Christianity gained recognition in the 4th century AD. The official date is 313 AD. e., when Emperor Constantine the Great gave the go-ahead to legalize the young religion. After that, not immediately, but rather quickly, the construction of official Christian churches began throughout the Roman Empire. Takova Short story the emergence of churches and the development of norms of behavior in them among Christians.

Architecture

The first "legitimate" temples had the shape of an elongated quadrangle, where the main design element was the columns. Subsequently, Christianity spread throughout Western Europe, broke into different trends - accordingly, there were different architectural styles for the construction of the "Houses of God" and some differences in the conduct of religious services.

Given that Russia is largely an Orthodox country, we decided to first focus on describing the architecture Orthodox church(churches):

The foundation of the temple may have different shape, but must match any christian symbol. For example, the appearance of an eight-pointed star represents the sign of the star of Bethlehem.
Symmetrical arrangement along the central axis.
The middle of the temple is made in a cubic form.
The structure of the temple consists of three connected rooms - the temple itself, the vestibule and the altar.
Be sure to have at least one dome. In fact, there can be a lot of domes, and their number is strictly symbolic. For example, on Trinity Hill there is a temple of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker, made of wood and crowned with 33 domes according to the number of earthly years of Christ. Domes also differ in shape (helmet or bulb) and color - again, all in strict accordance with certain religious symbols.
The tops of the domes are crowned with a cross - it is different in form for Orthodox and Catholics, but the essence of this symbol is the same - a crucifix.
Another essential element of any temple is the bell tower. Its main purpose is to call a Christian to prayer. Also used in various emergency situations (fires, natural disasters, epidemics, enemy invasion) or during religious holidays. There are in all Christian churches, regardless of faith.
Facades and interiors are decorated with arches and niches. Window openings are narrow.
The altar in the church faces east as a sign that "the Divine Light comes from there." You can go to the altar from three entrances: through the doors of the iconostasis (northern and southern) and through the main entrance - the so-called Royal Doors, located opposite the Throne, the most important part of the altar.
Outwardly, Orthodox churches look elegant, but no frills. However interior decoration even a relatively poor church impresses with its rich appearance, abundance of gilding and silver, expensive materials, as well as magnificent wall paintings.

We talked about the main features of the architecture of Orthodox churches. But, by and large, the system of arrangement of all Christian churches is almost the same, with the exception of some non-fundamental differences.

Rites and behavior

What can and cannot be done in the temple? What norms of behavior have been developed over almost 17 centuries of the official existence of Christian churches? There is general rules, which are the same for all cults of service - for Christians with Muslims, and for Jews with Brahmins: you can’t drink, smoke, swear, show disrespect to others and directly to the place of service. However, then the differences begin. Let us list some basic norms of behavior characteristic of Christian holy houses, as well as the order of worship. Recall that we are talking primarily about Orthodox churches:

Only males have access to the altar through the south or north doors. Only clergymen have the right to enter the Royal Doors and only during the service.
Divine service (liturgy) is served 3 times a day: in the evening, in the morning and in the afternoon. And exactly in that order. The church day is different from the secular. It starts at 18:00, so the morning service is not the beginning of a new day.
On average, the liturgy lasts 1.5-2 hours, but sometimes it takes much longer - depending on the number of those who take communion, confess, whether there is a holiday now, etc.
Approaching the church (temple), you should cross yourself on it and beat off the waist bow. You don't need to do it too earnestly and for a long time.
In front of the entrance to the temple there is a special platform - the porch. It is designed so that the believer can stop for a moment and overshadow himself with the sign of the cross.
To appear exactly at the beginning of the service is a bad form, you should come 10-15 minutes in advance. During this time, you can light candles, submit notes, pray in front of the icons.
During worship, men occupy the right side of the temple, women occupy the left, the order (line up) does not matter.
At the departure of the service, it is customary to stand (Orthodox) or it is allowed to sit (Catholics, and even then not everywhere).
There are some requirements for the appearance of believers who have gathered for worship. Clothing must be closed type. Shorts, T-shirts, tracksuits are not officially banned, but are condemned.
Men must take off their hats when entering the church, women, on the contrary, enter the temple with their heads covered (this applies to the Orthodox, Catholics allow women to be in the temple premises with their heads uncovered).

These are some of the rules of conduct and service in Christian churches.

Mosque

History reference

The emergence of Islam is dated to the year 610 of our faith, when the prophet Muhammad was visited by the angel Jabrail and revealed to him the first five verses Holy Book- Koran. The first mosque in the Islamic world was built in Saudi Arabia, near the city of Medina, in 622 and is known as the Mosque of the Prophet. Even then, the architectural style was created, according to which most subsequent mosques were built, with minor deviations.

Let us clarify right away that the “prayer house” among Muslims is not purely sacred place designed exclusively for prayer and worship. Some holidays that are not directly related to religion can be celebrated here. AT mosques prominent representatives of Islam often give speeches, competitions are held for the best reciter of the Koran. A tired traveler can always find here a shelter for rest and lodging for the night. In such nuances, a significant difference between a mosque and a temple is manifested.

The architecture of mosques, as we already wrote, was originally laid in the Mosque of the Prophet, so the basis and symbolism for all mosques is the same, with the exception of unprincipled details. Although, of course, external architectural delights can vary greatly. Let's go directly to this very architecture.

Architecture

External differences of mosques are mainly related to historical development Islamic world. The earliest style in the architecture of mosques includes the first prayer buildings on Arab East, learned a lot from the local building color. By the way, scientists believe that the appearance of some elements (domes, rounded lines, arches, etc.) of the first mosques was inspired by Byzantine culture.

The Ottoman Empire made a significant contribution to the appearance of these places of worship. In particular, the central dome (above the prayer hall) appeared exactly there, during the spread of Turkish influence over the entire Middle East.

In general, it can be said that each historical era that has taken place since the appearance of the first mosque has left a noticeable mark on styling these buildings. However, common elements are easily recognizable and are present to some extent in most mosques. Let's briefly list them:

The forms of the mosque are diverse - ranging from a triangular, square view to a multi-level and multi-angled structure, reminiscent of some kind of airy fantasy palace. However, for the most part, mosques have a square or polygonal outline.
Thin, towers carried upwards - minarets. Initially, they were used as beacons (a fire was lit inside) and an observation post for protection, then they passed into complete submission to spiritual authority and became a place from where the muezzin calls the faithful to prayer.
The number of minarets can be any. Muslims do not have any regulations regarding this. For example, in one of the most important shrines of Islam, the Al-Haram mosque, there are 9 of them. And somewhere they may be completely absent.
On the minarets and domes there is a symbolic sign of the crescent - the roots of its origin date back to the Ottoman Empire.
Walls encircling the entire mosque around the perimeter.
Vaulted halls (aivans) having three walls with a roof. Also called volumetric wall niches.
In a typical mosque there is a main hall, which necessarily overlooks Mecca, 3 auxiliary halls and 4 aivans.
Prayer niche (mihrab), where the direction to Mecca is indicated on the inner wall.
The inner courtyard is sahn (Arabic), around which all kinds of rooms are located, and in the center, as a rule, a small fountain beats.
The Koran forbids the use of images of humans and animals, so the walls of mosques are covered with intricate ligature - arabesques. They are admired for their harmonious beauty and painstaking work of the artist who created them.
The presence of large and small domes. Large domes are located above the main prayer hall and above the main trading hall, smaller domes cover small trading rooms.
Highly great importance attached to the exterior of the mosque. All kinds of balconies, arches and windows of various shapes, ramps, columns and other architectural delights are present in large numbers in all more or less significant mosques in the world. However, this is not a meaningless embellishment, but a well-thought-out structure of a religious building - each, even the smallest detail, carries a symbolic-semantic or useful load.
In the halls where prayer is performed, there are no pieces of furniture, everything looks, so to speak, in a Spartan way, although thanks to interior decoration, arabesques on the walls of the room look quite elegant and well-to-do. But still, simplicity is emphasized and comes first.

Let us now talk about how one should behave in the mosque and how the service is performed there.

Behavior

The general rules of conduct in Muslim prayer places are similar to those in Christian churches:

you need to behave modestly and not defiantly;
you can not make noise, scandal, talk loudly;
clothing must be closed;
do not smoke, come drunk or under the influence of drugs;
should be in a calm, peaceful state.

However, there are differences, and quite significant:

You must come to prayer clean. There are two types of ablution - full (ghusl) and small (taharat). Any mosque has a special room for taharat. If you need to perform a ghusl, then you should go to the bathhouse or take a full bath before visiting the mosque.
It is allowed to cross the threshold of the mosque only with the right foot. In this case, you need to pronounce certain words.
Entering the mosque, the believer should say hello: “As-salamu alaikum (Peace be upon you!”). Even if there is no one in it, a greeting is obligatory - it is believed that angels are always present here.
Parishioners of Muslim temples take off their shoes before prayer, leaving them in special places or lockers, the floor in the mosque is covered with carpets.
Almsgiving is given with the right hand and is accompanied by a wish uttered to oneself. The one who accepts alms also does it with his right hand, saying in his soul: “Bismillahi Rahmani Rahim (in the name of Allah, the Gracious and Merciful).”
Women cannot come to the mosque when they are "unclean" (critical days).
From a person who is about to go to the mosque, there should not be a strong smell, such as a strong perfume, onion or garlic. You can only come when there is no smell. This is what the Prophet Muhammad said.
People with a mental disorder cannot visit Muslim temples.
They leave the mosque with their left foot, saying the phrase: "Allah, forgive my sins."
The rules listed above must be followed by all visitors to the Muslim temple - regardless of their religion and the purpose of the visit.

Service

The performance of the service in the Muslim world also differs in many ways from the Christian rites:

Namaz (prayer) among Muslims is carried out 5 times a day at exactly the time allotted for this. Prayer lasts 5-10 minutes, during which any extraneous movements that are not related to prayer are prohibited. The beginning of the prayer, or rather the invitation to it, is announced from the minaret by a special minister - the muezzin. The obligatory prayer is Friday prayer (Juma prayer), at noon. All adult men are required to attend it, in order to miss it, a very good reason is needed.
Prayer consists in the pronunciation of certain suras (chapters) from the Koran. Such a prayer is read in Arabic.
Postures during prayer are strictly defined and regulated by raakat (a structural unit of prayer), there are six of them in total, starting with upright standing and ending with bow to the ground. In addition to spiritual renewal, these postures have physical health benefits. For each of the 5 daily prayers, there is a certain number of raakat.
As a rule, Muslims bring a clean “sajjada” rug with them to prayer, on which they sit while reading the sacred lines of the Koran.
During prayer, men and women stand separately and are fenced off from each other, or women are in another room (in large mosques). Moreover, a visit to the mosque is not necessary for a woman - she can pray at home or in any place suitable for this.
Before prayer, believers line up behind the imam (priest) in strict rows. Everyone's faces should be turned towards the Muslim shrine - Mecca, where the heart of Islam, its main sanctuary, the Kaaba, is located. In the mosque, this direction is given by the mihrab (see above), next to which is located (on the right) the minbar - a place, a platform, from where a sermon is conducted.

Comparison

Above, we have collected quite extensive material about the temples of the Islamic and Christian religions. Naturally, it is not necessary to talk about a full-fledged analysis of this issue due to the limited volume of the article and the vastness of the topic being described. We briefly covered the main facts, and even then not all. However, even this little knowledge will be quite enough not to get into trouble and feel confident both in the church and in the mosque.

In order to finally consolidate what we have read, we will create comparison table, in which we build the information in a logical series.

Table
Temple	Mosque
Purpose
A place for prayer and other rituals related to faith	A place for prayer plus serves as a public and social center
Architecture
The temple consists of at least three connected rooms: temple, vestibule, altar	There are more rooms in a typical mosque: the main hall, 3 auxiliary halls and 4 aivans
The top sign of any church, temple is a cross	Mosques also have their own sign - a crescent
Bell towers used to call to prayer and announce other events with the help of bell ringing. Holidays, illnesses, wars, natural disasters, solemn and sad events - a bell can tell about all this Christian temple	There are no bell towers in the mosque. There is a minaret. He has no special equipment for addressing believers. This is done by the muezzin, having risen to his upper platform. Its main purpose is to announce the imminent beginning of prayer. Today, in many mosques of the world, the voice of the muezzin is recorded on a tape recorder and voice acting is carried out through amplifiers.
The altar in the temple faces due east	The mihrab (analogous to the altar) has a pointer to Mecca, i.e. not to the side of the world
Rich decoration inside the temple. In many churches, the main church premises are richly decorated with gold and silver decorations.	Simplicity, minimalism are the primary features of the interior of mosques
Many icons with images of Christ, angels, apostles, etc. There are images of mythical and real animals	The complete absence of any images human faces or bodies, as well as animals. It is forbidden
Painting the walls and ceilings of the temple with scenes from various biblical scenes	Only Arabic script and calligraphy with excerpts from the Koran
All rooms in the temple are standard (4 walls and ceiling)	Three-walled iwans with (or without) roofs are important elements mosques
In some temples there are decorative fountains, intended mainly for beauty or maximum to quench your thirst and rinse your face.	Patio with a fountain, the presence of special rooms for ablution, where you can fully wash yourself before prayer
Requirements for believers
Women stand apart from men, but are not separated by anything	Here, women are separated from men by a partition (screen) or even are in another room.
Women and men come to the service equally equally - in this regard, there are no gender differences among Christians	The requirements for men are more stringent than for women. A man should, if possible, attend a mosque (especially for Friday prayers). There are a number of restrictions for women, for example, on critical days you can’t come to the mosque at all
The believer can eat garlic and go to the service. Of course, this is not entirely cultural, but not prohibited. Strong-smelling perfume is also not welcome, but it is quite acceptable.	Go to prayer with a strong or bad smell it is forbidden. And by the way, this is one of the legitimate reasons why you can even skip the obligatory Friday prayer.
Going in and praying right after hard work, rinsing only your hands (and even then not always), is not considered shameful or something egregious. Although it is also impossible to say that it is approved.	Only clean people are allowed to enter the mosque. If it is not possible to wash outside its walls, then in every typical Muslim temple there is at least a fountain where this necessary ritual should be performed.
The Christian Church is quite loyal to mentally ill people when they visit the temple	Believers with mental disabilities are not allowed to enter the mosque
The church does not pay attention to whether you have shoes on or not. The main thing is that it should be more or less clean.	Muslims must take off their shoes in the mosque
Holding a church service
The bell announces the beginning of the liturgy (worship, sacred services, services)	Instead of a bell, Muslims are invited to pray by a muezzin from the top of the minaret
The service for Christians takes place 3 times a day, and the countdown starts at 18:00 and it lasts, as a rule, 1.5-2 hours. Time can increase significantly when holiday prayers are celebrated	Prayer (namaz) among Muslims is performed 5 times a day. The duration of prayer is on average 5-10 minutes. The exception is the obligatory Juma prayer for men, which takes place on Fridays. It takes about 1 hour or a little more
During the service, it is generally customary for Christians to stand and (and) sit. There are other poses for worshipers, but here a lot depends on the temple belonging to a particular branch of the Christian religion, as well as on the type of worship. There are quite a few differences in this matter.	In mosques, the postures of worshipers are strictly regulated for prayers and all body positions are applied. These rules are the same for all Muslims. By the way, there is no sitting on benches, as is customary in many Christian churches.
When there is a divine service, the parishioners are in front of the priest. The face of the worshipers is turned to the east	Believers pray, located behind the back of the imam, facing towards Mecca

March 08, 2017

For believers of different religions and denominations, temples are a place of worship and prayers and rituals. For many centuries, people have been building and decorating temples that satisfy not only their spiritual, but also aesthetic needs...

The main temples of various religions are, as a rule, also outstanding monuments of world architecture; each of them attracts numerous pilgrims and tourists from all over the world.

Jerusalem Temple (Israel)

Believing Jews all over the world, according to the canons of Judaism, have only one temple. And that one is actually non-existent. Until the 1st century AD, it was located in the center of Jerusalem, on the Temple Mount.

Now on the site of the Jerusalem temple is the Muslim mosque Kubbat as-Sahra, and the Jewish shrine was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD, after which, as the legend says, the Jews scattered around the world.

However, in memory of the Temple in Jerusalem, every synagogue in any place of the earth repeats the design of the Temple in the basis of its internal structure. Including the oldest one, which is, oddly enough, not in Israel, but in the capital of the Czech Republic, Prague, and is called the Old New Synagogue.

St. Peter's Basilica (Vatican)

The main and largest temple of all Catholics in the world.

The ceremonial and spiritual center of the Roman Catholic Church. It is located in the center of the capital of Italy, on the territory of the smallest state in the world - the Vatican.

Outstanding artists and sculptors of the Renaissance - Bernini, Raphael, Michelangelo and others - participated in the creation of St. Peter's Cathedral. The dome of the Cathedral is the highest in the world, 136.6 meters.

Al-Haram Mosque (Saudi Arabia)

The main mosque of all Muslims of the world is located in Mecca, in Saudi Arabia.

In the inner courtyard of the Al-Haram mosque is the most revered shrine of Muslims - the sacred stone of the Kaaba, thanks to which millions of pilgrims from all over the world visit the mosque every year.

The area of the entire temple complex is 357 thousand square meters, up to a million pilgrims can be accommodated here at the same time. Near the mosque in 2011, the world's largest complex of skyscrapers, Abraj al-Beit, was built.

Borobudur (Indonesia)

This giant building is the largest Buddhist temple in the world.

Borobudur is located on the island of Java, Indonesia. It is noteworthy that this amazing temple, built around 800 AD, after a volcanic eruption and a strong earthquake, was abandoned for about 800 years, covered with volcanic dust and overgrown with jungle.

The restoration of the temple began only in 1907. There are more than 500 statues of Buddha and about 1500 stone bas-reliefs with religious scenes in Barobodur.

Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow (Russia)

Full name: Cathedral Church of Christ the Savior. It has the highest status among Russian Orthodox churches - the Patriarchal Compound. Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill is the rector of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior.

The current temple, built in the 1990s, is an external recreation of the temple of the same name, built for us in this place in the center of Moscow in the middle of the 19th century in memory of the war of 1812 and completely destroyed during Stalin's rule in 1931. The temple building can accommodate 10,000 people.

Religion can be changed not only by people. In the course of history, mosques became temples, synagogues became mosques, and Christian monasteries were settled by Buddhists.

Magoki Mosque

The mosque was built from the 10th to the 14th century. The building is located in the Uzbek city of Bukhara, on the site of an old bazaar, where spices and idols were traded in the old days. They also talk about an ancient pagan sanctuary at this place. archaeological excavations. Local literature says that on the site of this mosque there was a Buddhist monastery, then a Zoroastrian temple of the Moon, which was rebuilt into a mosque. Bukhara is the oldest of the cities of Central Asia, and indeed in ancient times there were Buddhist communities and temples of fire worshipers. For some time, before the construction of the synagogue, Bukharian Jews prayed in this mosque separately from the Muslims who visited it.

Synagogue del Transito

The oldest synagogue of Toledo is a city in the very center of Spain. Built in 1357. After the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, it became the monastery of San Benito, where the knights of the Order of Calatrava prayed and lived. Today it is a museum.

As-Sunna Mosque

Once a numerous monastery of Yemenite Jews, the synagogue in Djibla was rebuilt into a mosque in the 16th century. Together with the mosque in honor of Queen Arva, it is the dominant feature of the city.

Hagia Sophia

The main Christian cathedral of the Middle Ages, a symbol Byzantine Empire. Here, in 1054, Patriarch Cerularius was excommunicated and the churches were divided. So the cathedral became the main Orthodox church. For some time (1204-1261) it was under the rule of the Crusaders. After the conquest of Constantinople in 1453, Hagia Sophia became a mosque.

Seville Cathedral

The largest Gothic cathedral in Europe, was built for a hundred years on the site of a mosque in the city of Seville. The cathedral is the hallmark of the city, especially its main tower - the Giralda, rebuilt from a minaret typical of the Arab countries of North Africa. From the Muslim building remained: a portal decorated with bronze plates, a courtyard and a fountain (built for the first time by the Visigoths).

Lala Mustafa Pasha Mosque

Located in Cyprus in the city of Famagusta. The temple in the mature Gothic style was built at the turn of the 13th-14th centuries by the descendant kings of the Crusaders. After 1571, the temple was turned into a mosque, which was called the Magus Hagia Sophia.

Intercession Cathedral in Vitebsk

At the beginning of the 19th century it was built as a Catholic church. However, already in the middle of the century it was closed and rebuilt as an Orthodox church: domes were added and murals were added.

Church of Michael the Archangel in Smolensk

The temple was built at the end of the 12th century in a style very significant for Polotsk-Smolensk architecture. This style arose under the influence of European Gothic and gave the building a "rushing upward" character. After the conquest of the city by the Poles in 1611, he served as a church for about a hundred years. Later again passed into the hands of the Orthodox.

Believers of many religions live in our country. And often, even out of curiosity, we go into the temples of representatives not of our faith.

We compare architecture, traditions, customs. What is desirable to know when entering a religious building of Catholics, Orthodox, Muslims, Jews, Buddhists? What should be remembered in order not to inadvertently offend religious feelings?

Orthodox Church in the form of ... a ship

The religious buildings of Orthodox Christians are churches, cathedrals and chapels. For a long time, all Christian churches have been built in such a way that from a bird's eye view they look like a huge cross, a circle (a symbol of eternity) or a ship (Noah's Ark). According to tradition, an Orthodox church is always erected with an altar to the east.

The temple, as a rule, has one or more round, cruciform or octagonal domes. They are crowned with bell towers. Inside Orthodox churches there is an iconostasis - a partition with icons attached to it. It separates the altar, where only men can enter, from the porch and porch. Each temple also has a choir and choirs for singers, readers and sexton, and in the middle there is a lectern with icons.

When entering the temple, a man should take off his headdress and stand on the right side of the temple, and a woman should cover her head and take a place on the left side.

famous temple .Hagia Sophia was built in the 11th century in the center of Kyiv by order of Prince Yaroslav the Wise. At the turn of the 17th-18th centuries, it was rebuilt in the Ukrainian Baroque style. To this day, many ancient frescoes and mosaics have been preserved in it, including the famous mosaic of Our Lady of Oranta.

Catholic church - no iconostasis

Catholics pray in churches and cathedrals. Most often, these religious buildings were built in the Gothic or neo-Gothic style. Internal organization buildings are in many ways similar to Orthodox churches, but Catholics do not have an iconostasis. The central part of the temple is clearly distinguished - the altar, or, as it is also called, the presbytery. This is the very place where divine services are held and where the Holy Gifts are kept. It is marked with an inextinguishable lamp. Side aisles in honor of saints are often located near the central altar. In addition, in the premises of the Catholic Church there are separate place for choir and sacristy.

When entering the temple, men must remove their hats, but women are not required to cover their heads. Fingers right hand parishioners are dipped into an assayer - a vessel with holy water, which stands in front of the temple, and then they are baptized.

famous temple. The Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Lutsk is the oldest in Ukraine. Built in 1616-1639 by the famous architect Giacomo Briano as a church at the Jesuit monastery.

Synagogue "Looks" at Jerusalem

Jews conduct religious ceremonies in the synagogue, the facade of which must necessarily face Jerusalem. In Europe, this means orientation to the east. Outside, the synagogue is an ordinary building. Inside it, at the entrance, there is a washbasin where the clergymen wash their hands and feet before the start of the service, and an altar for animal sacrifice. Behind them is the Sanctuary in the form of a tent, where only clergy can enter. In the depths of the Sanctuary, behind a curtain, is the Holy of Holies with the Ark of the Covenant, on which the Ten Holy Commandments of the Jews are carved.

Crossing the threshold of the synagogue, the Jews must touch the mezuzah fixed on the door frame - a case in which a parchment with a passage from the Torah is inserted. Women and men enter the synagogue with their heads covered and pray in different rooms.

famous temple. In the village of Zhovkva, Lviv region, there is a unique synagogue-fortress built in the 17th century by order of the Polish king Jan Casimir in the Baroque style.

The mosque faces Mecca

The house of prayer for Muslims is a mosque. It is a round building square shape, which faces Mecca, with towers-minarets (numbering from one to nine). There are no cult images in the mosque, but lines from the Koran can be inscribed on the walls. On the right is the pulpit-minbar, from which the preacher-imam reads his sermons.

Believers pray in mosques five times a day. Before prayer, Muslims perform ablutions, and before entering the temple, they must take off their shoes. Also, everyone needs to cover their heads, and women also need to wear the most closed clothes. Men and women pray in different rooms.
famous temple. In 2011, the Ar-Rahma ("Mercy") mosque with huge 27-meter minarets was erected in Kyiv on Tatarka.

Buddhist temple collected iconic treasures

Being a Buddhist means taking refuge in the "Three Treasures" - the Buddha, his teachings and the community. The Buddhist temple is arranged in such a way that all the treasures are collected in one place. The temples are distinguished by an abundance of spiers, stucco decorations on the facade, as well as a special arrangement of cornices, which are gently and gracefully bent upwards.

The temple consists of three halls. In the "golden hall" statues and images of the Buddha are kept, and there is also an altar. The second hall - the pagoda - has three or five tiers, in the center there is a pillar from the trunk big tree. At its top is a particle of the remains of the Buddha. And the third hall, for readings, is intended for sacred scrolls and books.

Before entering the golden (altar hall), women and men need to take off their hats, go to the altar in the direction of the sun (from left to right). During a religious service (khural) one can sit on benches or on a carpet in the lotus position, but one cannot cross one's legs, stretch one's legs towards the altar.

famous temple. The largest Buddhist temple in Europe "White Lotus" was founded by followers of the kung fu school in 1988 in Cherkassy.

Recall that we said earlier that .

Glossary

Sacristy- a place where liturgical objects, including robes, are stored.

Lectern- a table on which books, icons and other church supplies are placed.

What comes to mind when you think of the word mosque? Yes, of course, domes and graceful minarets, with candles going up, as if squeezed by neighboring buildings. A narrow cylinder made of stone, with a narrow spiral staircase inside, along which they climbed high to the sky and from there, from a carved balcony, similar to a lace frill, they glorified the name of the prophet and called the faithful to prayer. Most mosques have one, two or four minarets.
In Christianity, a temple is a place where divine services are performed, where there is an altar and where sacraments are performed that connect people with God. In the Orthodox churches familiar to us, the altar is separated from the rest of the iconostasis, only clergy can enter there. The temple is surrounded by a halo of holiness. The mosque is just a room for collective prayer, there are no such special sacred places where parishioners cannot go, mosques are not consecrated. Translated from Arabic, this is a place where bows are given. In its wall there is a mihrab - a niche decorated around the perimeter, indicating ...

Similarities and differences in Christianity (Orthodoxy), Islam, Judaism

Sections: History and social studies, Elementary school, Moscow Art Theater and Fine Arts

At present, the problem of the formation of tolerant consciousness has become especially acute, and textbooks of the humanities in primary school contain a minimum of information on this problem and a minimum of material for work, which, in my opinion, indicates the absence of a system in solving this issue. Therefore, in the classroom, the teacher should use every opportunity to instill in children a sense of respect for someone else's way of life.

So when studying history in the 4th grade of the topic “Adoption of Christianity in Russia”, it is necessary to acquaint students with the content and essence of the three (out of the four main) religions of the world: Judaism, Christianity and Islam, which allows us to more fully substantiate the reason for the adoption of Christianity in 988 by Prince Vladimir " Red Sun.

Acquaintance with these religions can begin with the definition of architectural ...

What is the difference: church, temple? The difference between a cathedral and a temple.

The word Cathedral comes from the Old Slavonic words: congress, assembly. This is usually the name of the main temple in the city or monastery. The cathedral is designed for the daily service of God by at least three priests. Divine services of higher clergy are also held here: the patriarch, the archbishop, the bishop. The significant size of the cathedral allows a large number of parishioners and clergy to gather in one place. Although the area of the cathedral may not differ significantly from an ordinary parish church, it should be designed for the fact that mainly festive services will be performed by clergy from the staff of the temple. Ideally, there should be 12 priests in addition to the rector - the image of Christ and the 12 Apostles.

Cathedrals have their own gradation: monastic, cathedral. The church where the chair of the ruling bishop or bishop is located is called a cathedral. AT cathedrals there are numerous clergy, in the main churches of the diocese, ...

For believers, the status of the temple they came to hardly matters, because they come there first of all to gain peace of mind and to communicate with God. But still, many are interested in why some churches are called cathedrals, and some temples. We suggest you consider some of the differences between a temple and a cathedral.

Definition of temple and cathedral

The temple is a religious building. The purpose of the temple is to conduct religious ceremonies. There are temples in all world religions, but they have a different name. For example, in Judaism, the temple is called a synagogue, and in Islam - a mosque. In Christianity, temples are called and Orthodox churches and Catholic churches.

The cathedral is the main temple of the city, or a temple that is important in the religious life of the inhabitants. In addition, it is the main church in the monastery.

On Red Square in the center of Moscow stands St. Basil's Cathedral, considered the pride of Russian architecture. It is distinguished not only by the beauty and richness of architecture, this monument symbolizes Russian architecture in world architecture.

On October 2, 1552, after a two-month exhausting siege and a brutal assault, knocking down the Arsky gate, Russian army burst into the burning Kazan. There were battles on all city streets and squares. The path to the Khan's palace was blocked by the strongest resistance near the walls of the Kul-Sharif mosque. Madrasah students led by Seyid Kul-Sharif withstood several Russian attacks. But soon the defenders of the Muslim center of the Volga region were defeated, and Kazan

was captured.

Why did we start the conversation with the Kul-Sharif mosque in Kazan? The fact is that Tsar Ivan IV, having conquered Kazan, was fascinated by many buildings of the city, including the Kul-Sharif mosque. Historical sources claim that Ivan IV ordered the architects Posnik and Barma to build in the center ...

There are churches: parish, cemetery, house, cross (church at the bishop's or patriarch's house) and cathedral. The cathedral got its name because the service in it can be performed by the clergy of several churches (cathedral service). Cathedrals in diocesan cities or the main church in large monasteries are usually called cathedrals.

Temple (from Old Russian “mansions”, “chramina”) - architectural structure(building) intended for worship and religious ceremonies. A Christian temple is also called a "church". The word "church" itself comes from the Greek ....

Archpriest Alexander Ilyashenko answers:

Hello Irina!

A temple (from the old Russian “mansions”, “chramina”) is an architectural structure (building) intended for worship and religious rites.

A Christian temple is also called a "church". The word "church" itself comes from the Greek ....

The Christian religion is based on Holy Scripture and the doctrine of the Holy Trinity - God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit. Islam (obedience to God) honors the one God Allah and the Prophet Muhammad, the founder of the religion. The principles of Islam are described in the Qur'an.

The pillar of faith of Christianity is the Creed, and Islam is built on five pillars of faith - prayer, shahada, fasting, pilgrimage, charity. In Islam, unlike Christianity, there are no priests. Prayers are performed by believers individually or under the guidance of a person who knows the Koran best of all.

Christians observe four fasts during the year, of varying duration. Muslims have one month of the year, Ramadan, to abstain from food. Islam adheres to so many strict prohibitions and ritual purity.

Both Christianity and Islam welcome charity, but Christians do it voluntarily. And for Muslims, this is one of the pillars of faith.

A Christian church is called a temple, and…

The prayer building of Muslims is called a mosque. The first mosque was a quadrangular courtyard with a canopy in the middle and resembled a tabernacle. The unusual appearance of the mosque took shape by the end of the 8th century, when a kind of tower (minaret) began to be attached to it to call the faithful to prayer. Minarets, like the bell towers of an Orthodox church, can form a single ensemble with a mosque, or they can stand separately.

Unlike Orthodox tradition When the Muslims are called to prayer with the help of bell strokes, the priest (muezzin) gathers the Muslims with special singing.

In one of internal walls mosques make a niche (mihrab), indicating the direction towards Mecca. The person praying should be turned there. Standing in front of the mihrab is like standing in front of Allah. According to Tradition, the mihrab should resemble a pearl, since it was it that God created first. Some mihrabs are lavishly decorated with gemstone inlays.

During their stay in the mosque, worshipers must observe ...

Everyone decides for himself to believe in God or not, to go to church or not to go, but it is useful for everyone to know the differences in the world of religion, because, as before, today religion occupies a large place not only in our country, but throughout the globe .

A temple (from the old Russian “mansion”, “temple”) is an architectural structure intended for worship and religious rites. The history of the appearance of an Orthodox church goes back to the event when the Last Supper of Jesus Christ with his disciples took place in an ordinary residential building, but in a special room. Here Christ washed the feet of his disciples and made the first divine liturgy- the sacrament of the transformation of bread and wine into one's body and blood, and talked about the mysteries of the church and the kingdom of heaven. So the foundations of the Christian church were laid - a special room for holding prayer meetings, communion with God and performing the sacraments.

The word "church" comes from Greek word"ekklesia" and in translation means the house of God, and ...

Dear Anna, the Armenian Apostolic Church belongs to communities that are not too far away from us, but are not in complete unity either. Due to certain historical circumstances, but, by the way, not without some human sin, after the IV Ecumenical Council of 451, she was among those communities that are called Monophysite, who did not accept the truth of the Church that in a single hypostasis, in a single person, incarnated The Son of God combines two natures: Divine and true human nature, inseparable and inseparable. It so happened that the Armenian-Gregorian Church was once part of a single Universal Church, did not accept this teaching, but shared the teaching of the Monophysites, who recognize only one nature of the incarnate God-Word - Divine. And although it can be said that now the sharpness of those disputes of the 5th-6th centuries has largely receded into the past and that the modern theology of the Armenian Church is far from the extremes of Monophysitism, but, nevertheless, ...

The most detailed encyclopedic material from the original source in the proposed publication.

Famous mosques - from the main ones in Mecca and Medina to the modernist Hassan II mosque in Casablanca - the highest religious building on the planet, from Cairo and Istanbul mosques to the mosque in Rome. The structure of the mosque and its role in the life of Muslims. Mosque related stories from the life of the Prophet historical context. All this is in the series of programs "Voices of the Islamic Republic of Iran" from Tehran, which sounded in Russian last year.

Each program is presented as one section of our publication. This section is preceded by a heading showing the topic. However, usually in each of the programs, and accordingly in each section, there was not only a description of one of the famous mosques, but also any other topic from the history or structure of these religious buildings was considered.

We have highlighted for readability in bold the main questions in each part.