There are words that are so meaningful.it’s a lot of meaning that you won’t figure it out right away. And if you do not get into the very essence, then you have to guess from the context. Take, for example, the word "cathedral". What is this, you immediately say? What does the person who says it mean? Agree, it is necessary to listen to the proposal in order to understand the essence. After all, the term means a lot of things. Let's see, the cathedral is what is it?
Look through the dictionaries
Even the most simple theoretical researchit is customary to begin with primary sources. The meaning of words is contained in special books, we turn to them. According to the special literature, a cathedral is a building, a meeting of citizens, a meeting of responsible persons, held with a specific purpose. As a rule, the term is usually associated with a religious topic. For example, everyone knows St. Isaac's Cathedral. This is the name of a large Orthodox church in which the patriarch conducts service on holidays. However, in Russia, the cathedral was called secular events. A.S. Pushkin has the following lines: “Break the barbarians with bloody verses; Ignorance, being humbled, will lower the cold gaze of the Hyper rhetorians of an illiterate cathedral. ” This refers to a meeting that is far from resolving religious matters. But the Dictionary of Church Terms explains the meaning of the word, from the point of view of Orthodoxy. In it, the cathedral is both a building, a meeting of representatives of Christian communities, and a holiday. Therefore, it is necessary to understand our term in more detail.
The lexical meaning of "cathedral"
Science is trying to understand the concepts.thoroughly so that no questions remain. Under the lexical meaning of the word, if you believe the textbooks, they understand that image or phenomenon that is indicated by a set of sounds. And here we all come to the same ambiguity. Indeed, by the word "cathedral" our interlocutor can understand both a noun (temple) and a phenomenon (assembly). That is, the same term refers to different, in fact, things. On the one hand, it indicates the structure in which services are held, on the other hand, it calls for thinking about the congress of authorized representatives. Understand what exactly is meant, have to context. For example, when you hear the phrase: “I visited an Orthodox cathedral during an excursion,” imagine a building. Everyone understands that this is a large temple, decorated with icons and frescoes. Another thing, for example, Zemsky Sobor. This phrase is an anachronism. There are no such events now.
What is the Zemsky Sobor
To understand the essence of this concept, it is necessaryappeal to the meaning of power. The ruler must rely on some kind of force in order for his orders to be executed. The tyrant has troops and police, the president has the electoral system, the people and the parliament. In Russia of the XVI century, rulers preferred to consult with certain groups of the population when making important decisions that affect the entire population. People were collected at the place of residence by special orders. The Moscow rulers sent messengers to all parts of the country demanding to confer with representatives of the service and trading class. That is, ordinary peasants did not listen. Well-to-do people who had influence in their neighborhood or workshop were invited to the Zemsky Sobor. Probably, democracy was born in such a simple way. Zemstvo cathedrals operated for a long time, about one hundred and fifty years.
Church Concepts
Believers also organized the work of peculiaradvisory bodies. Christian councils are local, hierarchical, ecumenical. They differ in the status of participants and the level of decisions made. Thus, archbishops and simple believers came to the Local Council. We discussed issues of religion and morality. And in the work of the bishop's cathedral only church ministers take part. The common people were not allowed to him. Such meetings have replaced local ones over time. That is, questions of religious life and morality began to be discussed without taking into account the opinion of the laity. Great value of the Ecumenical Councils. This event is held infrequently. It attracts representatives of all local churches, that is, territorial branches. At such meetings, the most important issues of dogma and church organization are discussed. Last Ecumenical Council tried to hold in 2016. But most of the local churches, including the Russian Orthodox, refused to participate.
Building
The most common meaning of the word "cathedral" are associated withby the church. This is the designation of the building in which the patriarch or the archbishop sends religious rites. The building has a special, more fundamental architecture, that is, it stands out among others. It is decorated in such a way that believers can immediately assess the status of the temple. Its size should also be significant, since a large number of clergy take part in the service. It is customary to keep spiritual relics of great value in cathedrals. They attract believers who want to touch the relics or the miraculous icons. The main church in the large Orthodox monastery is also called the cathedral. She also stands out among the rest in size and decoration. It is in this temple that festive divine services are held, led by the abbot.
Celebration
Некоторые дни в христианстве тоже принято call cathedrals. The word changes its meaning again. For example, the Cathedral of the Blessed Virgin. This is the day after Christmas. During this period, special events dedicated to the Virgin Mary are held in churches. After the Baptism of the Lord, the Cathedral of St. John the Forerunner is celebrated. Believers come to church and praise this Saint. As you can see, our term has many meanings. Therefore, it should be properly used so that listeners understand what is being said. Of course, many now have no idea about the Zemstvo cathedrals, because such events have long disappeared into oblivion. However, even without this, there are many interpretations of the term.
Ecumenical Council, we repeat, this eventconducted with the purpose of solving fundamental religious questions concerning all believers, and St. Isaac's is a large temple. It should be noted that buildings with such a name must be constructed in the traditional architectural style of the country and period. So, the Cathedral of Notre Dame has the features of the Norman and Gothic styles characteristic of the time when it was built. The architects of all countries tried to endow their creations with characteristics consistent with the traditions of society in order to preserve its features for centuries.
