Belarusian Gothic

Belarusian Gothic () is the architectural style of ecclesiastical buildings and fortified structures of the 15th and 16th centuries in modern Belarus, Lithuania, eastern Poland and western Ukraine.Православная архитектура ВКЛ начала XVII в. Стиль и традиция.
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Although these buildings have features typical of Gothic architecture such as lofty towers, flying buttresses, pointed arches and vaulted ceilings, they also contain elements not typically considered Gothic by Central and Western European standards.

Terminology

The term was introduced by Belorussian historian Mikoła Ščakacichin in his work "Essays from the history of Belarusian art" in 1920s. Initially supported by Belorussian historians, in 1960s-80s it gained recognition amongst some of the Russian and Lithuanian historians.

Depending on the area it can also be referred to as Ukrainian and Lithuanian.

History

With the baptism of the Grand Prince Vladimir the Great and the Christianization of the Kievan Rus', the region's architecture became heavily influenced by Byzantine architecture.

During the 13th century and start of 14th century, the Slavic principalities are eventually subjugated by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a pagan state which was fighting against the Teutonic Order's expansion. The Grand Duchy became a dominant power in the 14th century, featuring a developed Lithuanian nobility. Lithuanian rulers started building Brick Gothic castles and establishing Catholic churches, which were also constructed in Brick Gothic. Contacts with the Teutonic order and Europe allowed to hire experienced architects.

The Act of Krėva in 1386 caused the Christianization of Lithuania and increased communication in western and southern Europe. Christianization of Lithuania led to more intensive expansion of Western culture and namely, Gothic style into Orthodox lands.

During this period, the Gothic style came to the Slavic regions. In central and southern Europe however, it was already being displaced by Renaissance architecture.

In 1346 the Orthodox Cathedral of the Theotokos, Vilnius in Vilnius, was constructed, before the Lithuanian state had become Catholic. (see history of Roman Catholic Lithuania).

File:20090613 003 Наваградак (39).JPG, alt=Side of a white church, Cathedral of Ss. Boris and Gleb, Navahrudak (1519–1630), southern façade
File:Церква Святих Бориса і Гліба в Новогрудку.jpg, alt=Church interior with high, vaulted ceilings, Cathedral interior (1930 photo)
File:Hniezna. Гнезна (2007).jpg, alt=Church exterior against a blue sky, Church of Saint Michael, Hnesna (de), 1524–1527
File:Belarus Mir Mir Castle Complex 8112 2100.jpg, alt=Large building against a partly-cloudy sky, The 16th-century Mir Castle
File:Orthodox Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos 2, Vilnius, Lithuania - Diliff.jpg, alt=Church interior with icons, Cathedral of the Dormition of the Theotokos, Vilnius
File:Suprasl orthodox church 3.jpeg, Church of Supraśl Orthodox Monastery, Poland
File:Kodeń church1.JPG, alt=Simple brick Gothic church, Church of the Holy Ghost (1530) in Kodeń, Poland, near the Bug River
File:Траецкі касьцёл у Ішкальдзі, 1472 год.jpg, Church of Holy Trinity in Iškaldź
File:Vilnia, Trajeckaja. Вільня, Траецкая (J. Bułhak, 1917).jpg, Greek Catholic Church of Holy Trinity in Vilnius
File:Murovanka church.jpg, Church of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Muravanka
File:Царква ў Мураванцы. Гатычныя скляпенні.jpg, Church in Muravanka

Architecture

Belarusian Gothic combines Byzantine, Gothic, and Renaissance architecture. Although some buildings have a north-German Brick Gothic design, others are plastered. Window arches are primarily pointed, but blind arcades and Lombard bands have round arches. Most churches have rib vaults, but there are also simple massive trunks such as those in Romanesque and Byzantine architecture. Most were fortified, with a short nave and a small tower at each corner; others have an ordinary, high, Western bell tower.

References

Sources

Nigel Roberts, ''Belarus'', p. 185 (google books)

Rainer Lindner, ''Historiker und Herrschaft: Nationsbildung und Geschichtspolitik in Weißrußland im 19. Und 20. Jahrhundert'', Verlag Oldenbourg 1999
, S. 256, ''II. Nation und Geschichte im Stalinismus → 3. Rivalität der Mythen (Nation-building and policy of history in Belarus in the 19th & 20th centuries)'' – in German

Archives of Belarus, ''Church Architecture''

Беларуская готыка ў пабудове культавых будынкаў XV-XVI стст. – Belarusian Gothic in religious buildings of the 15th and 16th centuries (in Belarusian, very much illustrated)

{{Gothic architecture

Gothic architecture in Poland
Belarusian Gothic
Renaissance architecture in Belarus
Medieval Belarus