Tented roof

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Tent roofs atop St. Barbara's Church, Kutná Hora, Czech Republic.

A tented roof (also known as a pavilion roof) is a type of polygonal hipped roof with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak.[1] Tented roofs, a hallmark of medieval religious architecture, were widely used to cover churches with steep, conical roof structures.

In the

octagonal base with steeply pitched slopes rising to a peak, usually topped with a finial.[1][2]
A distinctive local adaptation of this roof style was widely used in 16th- and 17th-century
architectural form is also applied to bell towers
.

The term "tent roof" may also be applied in modern architecture to membrane and thin shell structures comprising roofs of modern materials and actual tents.[3]

Russian tent-like churches

World Heritage
sites.

The "tent-like church" (шатровая церковь) is a national type of church that was developed in late medieval Russia. It marks a sharp departure from the traditions of Byzantine architecture which never put emphasis on verticality. Sergey Zagraevsky has argued that tented roofs have something in common with European Gothic spires. This architectural development has been described as a Russian parallel to the Gothic architecture of Western Europe. In this local adaptation of the tent roof it took the form of either:

Tented roofs are thought to have originated in the Russian North, as they prevented snow from piling up on wooden buildings during long winters. In wooden churches (even modern ones) this type of roof is still very popular. The earliest specimen of such a church was recently transported to an abbey in Vologda. Another notable example is an 18th-century church in Kondopoga, Karelia.

The Ascension church of

Alexandrov, built in 1510s.[4]

The rocket-like church at Ostrov near Moscow is considered typical for Boris Godunov's reign.

Tented roof design has been prone to most unusual interpretations. Some scholars, for example, view hipped roofs of this variety as

phallic symbols. It's more likely, however, that this type of design symbolised high ambitions of the nascent Russian state and liberation of the Russian art from Byzantine canons after Constantinople's fall to the Turks
.

Tented churches were exceedingly popular during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Two prime examples dating from his reign employ several tents of exotic shapes and colours arranged in a complicated design. These are the Church of St. John the Baptist in Kolomenskoye (1547) and Saint Basil's Cathedral on the Red Square (1561). The latter church unites nine hipped roofs in a striking circular composition.

Hodegetria church in Vyazma is one of three major churches with three tents placed in a row.

In the 17th century tented roofs were placed in a row, sometimes producing astonishing decorative effects. The first instance of this type is the Marvellous Church in

Nativity church at Putinki (Moscow
) this trend was pushed to its limit, as there are five major and three minor tents used in the construction.

It is said that

Moscow Kremlin. Only in the late 19th century was the ban lifted, and the tented roof design was revived in such remarkable monuments as the Church of the Savior on Blood in Saint Petersburg and St. Peter and Paul's Cathedral in Peterhof
.

See also

References

External links