Global Journal of Human-Social Science, A: Arts and Humanities, Volume 23 Issue 1

Features of the Programs of Murals of Modern Ukrainian Orthodox Churches Yuliia Khlystun Abstract- The article is devoted to the analysis of features of the programs of murals o f modern Ukrainia n Orthodox churches, mainly in the East of Ukraine, from the point of view of cultural studies. Changes in the programs of church murals, changes in the styles and techniques of murals are taken into account. Among the modern trends in the murals of Orthodox churches painted in the 21st century, the following can be distinguished: a special severity of the dedication of the temple in the program of its painting, the possibility of a creative approach by customers and icon painters in compiling one or another program for painting the temple, the preference of the Byzantine style to other styles, the revival of interest in fresco. It should be noted the results of the influence of the visual turn on the monumental church painting. The author of the article has been studying the painting of Orthodox churches in the East of Ukraine over the past two years, and now many of these churches are completely destroyed or damaged as a result of hostilities on the territory of Ukraine. This adds value to her research materials. Keywords: monumental church painting, church painting program, church art, orthodox church, iconography, iconographic plot. Methods: iconographic, iconological, cultural, hermeneutical, historical-comparative, observational, analysis and synthesis, interview, semiotic. I. I ntroduction ince the program for painting an Orthodox church can reflect not only the historical and cultural situation that has developed in a particular geographical region, but also the spiritual needs of society at a given time stage, periods of spiritual revival are marked by an increase in interest in ancient Christian traditions in church paintings, the enrichment of iconographic plots with symbols, depicting the events of church history, while periods of decline in spiritual life are characterized by some formality and stereotypes in monumental church painting. This phenomenon is especially revealed when studying the reflection of the dedication of an Orthodox church in the program of its painting. According to the Orthodox tradition, churches can be consecrated in honor of the Lord's or Mother of God feasts, miraculous icons, saints. The names of the ancient Sophia Cathedrals are of Greek origin (for example, Sophia of Constantinople, Sophia of Kyiv), these churches are dedicated to St. Sophia the Wisdom of God and glorify Jesus Christ. It is interesting to note that the Church of Hagia Irene in Turkey (tur. Aya İrini, Greek Αγία Ειρήνη , Agia Irini) is one of the earliest surviving churches in Constantinople, dedicated to the “Holy Peace”, and not Saint Irene. The first Christian basilica on this site was erected at the beginning of the 4th century on the site of the ruins of the ancient temple of Aphrodite under the Roman emperor Constantine and was the main temple of the city before the construction of Hagia Sophia. Both temples were named after deified abstract concepts - Peace and Wisdom, respectively. The main theme in the painting programs of the first Eastern Christian churches was the Incarnation. In particular, it is known that the mosaic decoration of Sophia of Constantinople under Justinian II (565-578) consisted of a plot cycle revealing the theme of the Heavenly glory of Jesus Christ, emphasizing His Divine dignity, in connection with the victory over the heretics Arius and Nestorius at the First Ecumenical Council. The painting program of the temple, which is dedicated to the saint, can depict the cycle of life, sometimes the disciples of the saint, scenes from church history associated with this saint. There is an assumption that the chapel of St. Clement in the Church of the Tithes in Kyiv was painted with scenes from his life, the iconography of which was formed after the glorification of St. Cyril and Methodius and is known from a number of monuments of the 9th- 11th centuries 1 . It is known from history that the remains of St. Clement were laid in the Church of the Tithes, and Clement himself began to be revered as an enlightener and heavenly patron of Russia. His veneration was so great that in the German Chronicles of Titmar, Bishop of Merseburg (circa 1018), the Church of the Tithes is called the temple of Pope Clement 2 . Over the following centuries, the church glorified new saints, to whom temples were dedicated, temple construction developed, introducing new elements into the architecture of the temple, both in the internal space and in the external appearance. As a result, the dedication of the temple, its architecture and painting became completely independent of each other. In the 1 Popova O.S., Sarabyanov V.D. Painting of the End of the X - the Middle of the XI Century. p. 185. 2 Popova O.S., Sarabyanov V.D. Painting of the End of the X - the Middle of the XI Century. p. 185. S Volume XXIII Issue I Version I 27 Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2023 ( ) A © 2023 Global Journals Author: The faculty of cultural studies, Volodymyr Dahl East Ukrainian National University, Ukraine. e-mail: julittain@gmail.com