The oldest building on earth. The strangest and most mysterious buildings in the world

Thursday, September 1, 2011

Moscow is an ancient city, and sometimes, walking along the old streets, examining the ancient churches and chambers of the 17th century, we ask ourselves: “Which house is the oldest in Moscow? Well, that is, absolutely the oldest? It is not so easy to answer this question, because many ancient houses have been rebuilt for centuries, and it is not always easy even for restorers to establish the exact time of construction. But, nevertheless, we will try to systematize the selection of the oldest buildings in Moscow according to various parameters. The list can be divided into two parts: the first - ancient buildings (the oldest chambers, the most old church, etc.), and the second one is the oldest building in other respects, for example, the first gas station, railway station, etc. They are already relatively modern buildings in themselves. Also, let's not deprive the attention of the lost buildings. So, the oldest houses and buildings in Moscow —>

Most ancient building Moscow (and the oldest temple) - the Spassky Cathedral of the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery. Years of construction: 1420-1425.

It is considered the most ancient temple in Moscow, although not completely preserved. And, accordingly, the oldest building in Moscow, because at that time almost no stone civil buildings were built, at least nothing has survived to our time since the beginning of the 15th century. And the oldest fortifications are the Kremlin wall, already at the end of the 15th century. According to chronicles, the monastery itself was founded in 1357. After the fire of 1368, in which the original wooden cathedral of the Andronikov Monastery burned down, the stone Spassky Cathedral was built from the plinth, from which white stone reliefs with fragments of zoomorphic and plant compositions, archaic in their style and execution, have been preserved. Between 1420 and 1425 the Cathedral of the Savior was rebuilt again, and the white-stone temple of that time has survived to this day. It is a single-dome, four-pillar, three-apse temple. Andrei Rublev and Daniil Cherny took part in the painting of the cathedral (only fragments of floral ornaments on the slopes of the windows have survived from the original frescoes). In the 19th century, the cathedral underwent significant changes, which began with a partial restoration of the destruction that occurred in 1812. In 1846-1850, according to the project of the architect P. Gerasimov, the porches were rebuilt, two chapels were built from the north and south of the cathedral, a tent top was built above it, and significant alterations were made inside the building. And, the twentieth century the temple met in this form:

In 1934, in connection with the proposed demolition of the entire Spaso-Andronikov Monastery, the monument was measured and examined by the architect P.N. Maksimov and drafted a restoration project. The work on this monument, published in 1940 by the Academy of Architecture, finally gave everyone a clear idea of ​​the architectural value of the Spassky Cathedral. In 1959-1960. the building of the cathedral was reconstructed in its original forms according to the project of L.A. David and S.S. Podyapolsky. However, the reconstruction of the lost upper part of the temple (the number of kokoshniks at the base of the drum, the shape of the dome, the proportions of the drum) and pre-portal stairs remain controversial. Compared old photo with a view after the reconstruction, you can judge what is left of the original temple of the XV century:

In conclusion, it should be said that the Spaso-Andronikov Monastery itself is by no means the oldest in Moscow. The most ancient is considered Svyato-Danilov, founded by the Moscow prince Daniil Alexandrovich (Daniel of Moscow), the youngest son of Prince Alexander Nevsky at the end of the 13th century. But, such ancient buildings were not preserved there.

The oldest civil building in Moscow is the faceted chamber in the Kremlin. Years of construction: 1487 - 1491.


Photo taken from here: http://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chamber of Facets

Built in 1487 - 1491 by decree of Ivan III by Italian architects Marco Ruffo and Pietro Antonio Solari. The name is taken from the eastern facade, finished with faceted stone rust (diamond rust), characteristic of Italian Renaissance architecture. Sometimes it is mistakenly considered that the name comes from the main hall of the chamber, located on the second floor. The hall is covered with cross vaults resting on the central pillar, which give the ceiling a kind of “cutting”. It was originally called the Grand Chamber. It was built on the site of an ancient gridni (dining room). The Great Chamber was the front waiting room of the palace. Next to the Grand Chamber, the Middle Chamber was built. In front of the Middle Chamber, the Upper Porch (Front Passages) was built. Between the staircase at the Great Chamber and the middle staircase was the Red Gate, which led from the inner courtyard of the palace to the square. middle stairs led to the vestibule of the Middle Chamber. The Middle Chamber has been called the Middle Golden Chamber since 1517, or simply the Golden Chamber. Behind the middle chamber was the Dining Hut. Behind the Dining Hut there were towers. In 1681, the Dining Hut and the Middle Golden Chamber were dismantled. In the 16th century, the walls and vaults in the interior of the chamber were painted with frescoes. In 1668, the painting was resumed by Simon Ushakov, having compiled a detailed inventory of the plots. Contemporary painting was made by Palekh icon painters in 1881 in accordance with the inventory of Ushakov. The Faceted Chamber was redesigned in 1684 by the architect Osip Startsev. The double lancet windows were hewn and decorated with ornate white stone architraves with columns entwined with vines. During the construction of the Grand Kremlin Palace in 1838-1849, the building was integrated into the complex with the Terem Palace and the Grand Kremlin Palace. Through the Holy vestibule it connected with the Vladimir Hall. The Faceted Chamber is the main ceremonial reception hall of the Grand Duke's Palace. It hosted meetings of the Boyar Duma, meetings of the Zemsky Sobors, festivities in honor of the conquest of Kazan (1552), the victory at Poltava (1709), the conclusion of the Nystadt peace with Sweden (1721). Here, at the Zemsky Sobor in 1653, a decision was made to reunite Ukraine with Russia. For the queen and the children of the king, a secret viewing tent was set up in the Faceted Chamber. The observation tent was located on the western side of the chamber, above the Holy Entrance Hall, opposite the royal place (throne). A viewing grill was inserted into the window. The lattice was hung with a curtain. In the observation tent, the queen and children watched various magnificent ceremonies, including the receptions of ambassadors. On south side facade is a staircase, which is now called the "Red Porch". Russian tsars and emperors passed along it to be crowned in the Assumption Cathedral. The last procession took place during the coronation of Nicholas II in 1896. In 1930, the staircase was removed by order of I. V. Stalin and in 1994 restored again. The area in front of the entrance to the Faceted Chamber was called the Red Porch. All petitioners who brought petitions addressed to the tsar were to stand at the Red Porch. Petitions collected duma clerks. At the Red Porch and in the cellars of the Faceted Chamber there was a guard of archers. Currently, the Faceted Chamber is one of the representative halls at the Residence of the President of the Russian Federation.

The oldest civil building outside the Kremlin is the English Court in Zaryadye. Years of construction: late XV - early XVI century.

These white-stone residential chambers appeared in the 15th century and belonged to the bed-keeper Ivan Bobrischev, also known by the nickname "Yushka". Since the latter, apparently, left no heirs, in the next century the building became state-owned and was somewhat rebuilt. In 1553, Sir Richard Chancellor discovered the northern sea ​​route connecting England with Russia. In 1556, Tsar Ivan the Terrible, who was interested in establishing trade relations with Europe, “welcomed the British in Moscow by court”, giving them the right to free and duty-free trade in all Russian cities, serious customs benefits, and a number of other trade privileges. This state of affairs served as the basis for the creation in London in 1555 of the trading Moscow company. The British supplied Russia with weapons, gunpowder, saltpeter, lead, pewter, and cloth. In return, they exported wood, hemp, ropes, wax, leather, blubber, and furs. As premises for the Moscow office, the British merchants were given a house in Zaryadye. Like many merchant houses of that era, the building combined front rooms with extensive storage and utility rooms (goods using a simple block rose along the wall to the warehouse window). For its maintenance, the English embassy daily received a quarter of an ox, 4 rams, 12 chickens, 2 geese, one hare or black grouse, 62 loaves of bread, 50 eggs, a quarter of a bucket of Mediterranean wine, 3/4 buckets of beer, half a bucket of vodka and 2 buckets of honey. Trade relations with England were severed in 1649, when the execution of King Charles I in Great Britain provoked a deep diplomatic crisis between Russia and England. By decree of Tsar Alexei Mikhailovich, British trade and diplomatic representatives were expelled from the country, and the property of the Moscow Company was confiscated. After the British, the chambers were owned by a relative of the tsar, boyar I.A., for 20 years. Miloslavsky. After the death of Miloslavsky, the chambers again became the property of the state and were assigned to the Posolsky order, and at the end of the 17th century they were allocated under the metochion of the Metropolitan of Nizhny Novgorod. At the beginning of the 18th century, Tsar Peter I organized here one of the first Arithmetic Schools in Russia. In the middle of the 18th century, the chambers passed into private ownership, and during the 18th-20th centuries, representatives of various merchant families (Solodovnikovs, Milas, etc.) owned the building. Various owners constantly rebuilt the building, and by the middle of the 20th century, the chambers of the Old English Court on Varvarka had completely lost their original appearance and were considered irretrievably lost. In Soviet times, the house was used for residential apartments and various institutions. From 1949 to 1966 it housed the Foreign Literature Library. This is how the rebuilt and built-on English Court looked before the restoration of the 1960s:

In the mid-1960s, when Zaryadye had already been demolished, the restorer Pyotr Baranovsky discovered this monument of history and culture behind later layers. Baranovsky insisted on preserving the monument, since a car ramp was supposed to be built in its place. In the course of his research in 1968-1969, the historical basis of the monument, hidden by the structures of later additions, was revealed, and a comprehensive study was carried out. Then, based on the information collected in 1970-1972, the chambers were returned (with a certain degree of approximation) to the appearance that they had at the end of the 16th century. According to the data preserved in the masonry itself, window and door openings, hewn at a later time, as well as lost decorative elements, were restored. Where evidence of the most ancient forms did not survive at all, later reconstructions were left. For example, wide window openings of the end of the 18th century were left on the eastern facade of the building.

The oldest civil building outside the Earthen City - travel palace Basil III. Years of construction: end of the 16th century.

The travel palace of the Grand Duke of Moscow Vasily III (father of Ivan the Terrible) was discovered on Staraya Basmannaya Street (house 15). The find was a real scientific discovery, because it was previously believed that this was a beautiful legend, and nothing remained of the former palace. The modest-looking mansion turned out to be a double monument. As it turned out during the restoration, the building served as the basis for the construction of the Golitsyn estate. Now the house of the Golitsyn estate of the 18th century is located on top. Inside is a travel palace, as historians suggest, the father of Ivan the Terrible Vasily III. The white-stone masonry of the end of the 16th century was discovered when the restoration of the later part, the Golitsyn part, began. The layout of the palace has been preserved almost completely. Historians found out that they built this kind of royal hotel in a special place. Here they met the famous icon of the Vladimir Mother of God in 1395, which, according to legend, saved Rus' from the invasion of Tamerlane. Unfortunately, historical monuments suffered from the invasion of unprofessional restorers. At first, time worked on the appearance of the house on Staraya Basmannaya, and then plasterers and painters from neighboring countries. This is how the building looked before the recent unsuccessful restoration:

It is impossible to get inside the building: the new tenants of the royal chambers prefer to keep the doors locked. So far, the priceless white stone vaults have been sealed with drywall. Restorers do not lose optimism: the owners change, but the building remains. It is hoped that in the future it will be possible to carry out some more work.

The oldest residential building today is the Golitsyn Chamber. Years of construction - the second half of the XVII century.

Chambers Golitsyn (Krivokolenny pereulok, 10) - the oldest of the buildings that are still residential. Three stone buildings (the main building and two long side wings) with fragments of buildings of the late 17th - early 18th centuries constituted a city estate, from the 1760s. owned by P.F. Golitsyn and already then had a symmetrical layout, which makes it an early example of building according to an ordered planning scheme. The outbuildings are placed on the red line with their ends, the main building is moved deep into the yard. Previously, it was believed that the 17th century chamber was preserved only on the first floor of the main house, but a few years ago, restorers discovered that the second, and even the third floors were also built at the same time, in the 17th century! Vaulted chambers with 2-sided lighting, fragments of profiled brick cornices were found in the outbuildings. In 1859 the buildings were expanded with extensions and received their own modern look. The house is still inhabited to this day. From the side of the courtyard, a very picturesque front garden with a hammock and tables adjoins the house:

Competitor to this building, until recently, were the built-on chambers of the Guryevs, who stood in the neighboring Potapovsky Lane. Also a residential building, but due to a fire in 2009, it was evicted.

The oldest five-story building is the malting house in the Simonov Monastery. Years of construction: XVI - second half of the XVII centuries.


Photo taken from here: http://fotki.yandex.ru/users/alex-raduga/view/33947/?page=0

The height of this building is really impressive - we see a five-story building of the 16th-17th centuries! Four floors, and a high attic, which is essentially the fifth floor. According to surviving documents, this building was intended to store the monastery's food supplies. For all the modesty of its architecture, the hand of an experienced architect is also visible here, skillfully using the arrangement of window openings for the rhythmic articulation of the facade and building a spectacular gallery that once existed on pillars with a wide staircase. From the east, to the end wall of the building, at one time richly decorated with a figured pediment, a second staircase rose, leading to the third floor, which was due to the unwritten rule to have external rather than internal stairs. The first floor of the dryer, which consisted of two chambers on the sides of the vestibule, testifies to the influence of the layout of residential buildings. The hall rooms of the second and third floors (the vaults of the second are now broken), striking with an abundance of light, speak of the impact of the new planning forms of public and industrial buildings of that time. The competitor to this building is the Terem Palace in the Kremlin, which, in fact, is also 5-storey, but everything is not so obvious there, the upper floors were built in the 17th century on earlier chambers, and its volume turned out to be stepped, not as vertical as the malt shop.

Part 2.
The second part is represented by relatively new buildings, but nevertheless, according to certain parameters, they are the oldest - this is the very first train station, the oldest mosque and Catholic church, the oldest gas station that has survived today.

The oldest railway station is Leningradsky (Nikolaevsky). Years of construction - 1844-1849.

The station building was built in 1844-1849 according to a single project of architects K. A. Ton and R. A. Zhelyazevich. The construction was carried out by the Board of the IV District of Communications and Public Buildings, the sole contractor was the merchant of the 1st guild A. L. Torletsky. Built for the Petersburg (later Nikolaevsky) railway station in Moscow and the Moscow railway station in St. Petersburg Petersburg-Moscow railway, the movement of which began in 1851. In 1934, the Oktyabrsky railway station was refurbished: ticket offices expanded, inquiry Office, post office, telegraph, savings bank, room for transit passengers. In the former royal chambers, a room for mother and child was organized. In 1948-1950, the interior of the station was renovated, the interiors were re-finished. The next major restructuring took place in 1977 - the station was reconstructed, new buildings were built. Near the station from the side of the Yaroslavsky station there is a ground pavilion of the Komsomolskaya metro station.

This is how the Nikolayevsky railway station looked like in the middle of the 19th century. Leningradsky railway station has 10 tracks, 5 of which serve long-distance trains, 5 - suburban trains. Initially, the station had a landing stage where trains entered. However, in the mid-70s, the landing stage was liquidated, and in 1977 the Great Hall of the Leningradsky railway station was built in its place.

The oldest gas station. Years of construction - 1930s.

The oldest of the currently operating gas stations in Moscow, the only gas station within the Boulevard Ring, is located on Volkhonka, opposite the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, a stone's throw from the Kremlin. There is a version that her project was created by the famous architect Alexei Dushkin. A few years ago, almost antique speakers stood on it - like in the old Soviet films. Now, instead of them, modern devices, but everything else - the roof, columns, booth with a cash register - remained untouched. The gas station is still in operation, but, as before, gasoline is dispensed only for cars from the Kremlin garage, so an ordinary person will not be able to refuel here. There is also the same gas station in the area of ​​Clock Street, but it is now standing in the yard and abandoned ...

The oldest Catholic church. Years of construction: 1833-1835.

This is the oldest surviving Catholic church. Located at the address: Malaya Lubyanka, 12/7S8. In 1789, the French living in Moscow filed a petition for permission to build a Catholic church. After receiving permission from the Moscow authorities and its approval by Empress Catherine II, a small wooden church was built on the site between Malaya Lubyanka and Milyutinsky Lane. The consecration of the church in the name of the French King Louis IX Saint took place on March 30, 1791. In the 19th century, the construction of a modern temple building was carried out on the site of the former one. Construction began in 1833 and completed two years later. The temple was built according to the project famous architect A. O. Gilardi. The consecration took place, however, only on June 17, 1849, as evidenced by the marble plaque in the altar of the church. At the church of St. Louis, there were two gymnasiums - the men's gymnasium of St. Philip Neri and St. Catherine; as well as the charitable shelter of St. Dorothea. It should be noted that the Church of St. Louis was not closed after the October Revolution, and the service in it (though with very significant interruptions) continued. In 1992, the entire complex of buildings that belonged to it until 1917, including the building of the lyceum, was transferred to the church. It is worth saying that the first Roman Catholic church in Moscow was the church (church) of Peter and Paul, opened in 1705 in the German settlement at the direction of Peter I. But this church lasted only until 1838.

The oldest mosque is "historical" in the Tatar settlement. Years of construction - 1823, rebuilt in the 1880s.

The Moscow Historical Mosque is the oldest mosque in Moscow, founded in 1823, although the mosque existed on this site before the fire of 1812, at least in the 18th century. Located at the address: Bolshaya Tatarskaya street, 28 (inside the block), in historical center Tatar community of Zamoskvorechye. The mosque that existed in Moscow at the turn of the 18th-19th centuries in the courtyard of the translator of the Foreign College, Prince Shulamit-Murza Siminei, after the plague, when most of the mosque's parishioners, including the prince himself, died, was sold by his heirs to the merchant Shchukin and destroyed by fire in 1812 of the year. In August 1816, Muslim merchants petitioned to allow the construction of a new mosque, but were refused. Only at the end of 1823 did the community receive permission to set up a prayer house in the possession of Nazarbay Khashalov, a merchant from outside Moscow, on the condition that it "would not be called a mosque ..." and "... being ordinary with other houses, it did not have the slightest sign of a mosque on the outside." The mosque operated under the guise of an ordinary one-story house until 1880, when permission was received to rebuild it with a minaret and a dome. Imam-hatib of the mosque were Rafik Ageev, Khayretdin Ageev and Abdulla Shamsutdinov. In 1939, the historical mosque was closed, the minaret was demolished, even earlier in 1936 the last imam of the mosque, Abdulla Shamsutdinov, was repressed and shot. The building of the mosque housed the military registration and enlistment office and workshops. The mosque has been operating again since 1993.

This is how the mosque looked at the beginning of the 20th century. View from Bolshaya Tatarskaya Street (now the mosque and the street are separated by a Soviet five-story building).

Part 3. Lost.
Many ancient buildings, both temples and chambers, as well as city walls, built in the XIV-XV centuries, have been lost, and have been lost for quite a long time. All of them in the XV-XVII centuries were replaced by new ones. But there is one example ancient church, which lasted until the 1930s ...

The oldest building in Moscow (destroyed) is the Cathedral of the Savior on Bor. Years of construction: 1328-30.

Cathedral of the Transfiguration on Bor - a monastery cathedral located in the Moscow Kremlin, in the courtyard of the Bolshoi Kremlin Palace. The name "on Bor" came from those surrounding the temple coniferous forests, which gave the name to the Borovitsky hill itself. According to some information, a wooden temple on Borovitsky hill ("on the Bor") was built in 1272, a small stone cathedral - in 1328-30. Grand Duke Ivan I Kalita founded the Spasoborsky Monastery under him, transferring monks from the Danilov Monastery to it. In 1490 the monastery under the name of Novospassky was transferred to a new location. Initially, the single-domed three-apse cathedral was repeatedly supplemented with new parts and rebuilt: in 1350, the western narthex and the northwestern chapel appeared, in 1478 - a new refectory, in the middle of the 16th century. - aisles of the Three Saints (northern) and Guria, Samon and Aviv (southern). At the end of the XVIII century. the cathedral was restored by M.F. Kazakov. Some researchers believe that he dismantled the temple and rebuilt it from bricks in the forms of the 16th-17th centuries. The Church of the Savior-on-Boru was demolished on May 1, 1933, despite the protests of such prominent restorers as P. D. Baranovsky. The ancient bells from the belfry entered the funds of the Moscow Kremlin. A 5-storey service building was built on the site of the cathedral. Starting with the book "Forty Forties", the assertion spread in popular literature that toilets for the nomenklatura were erected on the site of the temple. Plans for the restoration of one of the oldest temples in Moscow are not yet considered. There is an urban legend according to which fate unique temple decided the servility of Stalin's officials. As if once Stalin was driving by in a car, and saw from the window that firewood was lying next to the temple. "Disgrace, remove!" he muttered. Since no one dared to ask again what exactly to remove, the firewood was taken out, and the church was demolished.

All old photos are taken from http://oldmos.ru/
New made by us, unless otherwise signed.

Modern building technologies have evolved over the years, but I highly doubt that Metro or Pyaterochka will last as long as the ancient Egyptian pyramids.

10. Chivik Tomb, Sweden

The royal tomb was built in Scandinavia in bronze age about 3 thousand years ago.

The tomb, built 3,200 years ago, was only opened in 1975. During its study, archaeologists found the remains of a hundred people and their property - bronze bracelets and ceramic buttons.

The tomb was built in the Bronze Age, over 3250 years ago. The treasury of King Anreus until the construction of the Roman Pantheon was considered the largest domed structure of that time.

Caral is the ruins of an ancient large settlement, which are located in the Peruvian province of Barranca. Currently, Caral is considered the oldest city in America, built over 4600 years ago.

The pyramid was built for the burial of Pharaoh Djoser about 4700 years ago. This complex is the oldest stone building in the world.

The tomb was built approximately 5,000 years ago. Archaeologists found the remains of more than 40 people in the burial. Paleoanthropologists found traces of simple dental operations on some turtles.

This is a prehistoric monument and the oldest building in Ireland, which was erected approximately 5100 years ago.

The building was built between 5200 and 4800 years ago. Most likely, this grandiose monument was a temple or an altar.

The exceptionally well-preserved stone house is the oldest building in Europe. It was built approximately 5500 years ago.

Free-standing structures were built over 5,500 years ago and have been used as religious temples. They are considered the oldest prehistoric temples in the world.

It is generally accepted that the Ancient World is a collection of civilizations that existed on earth from prehistoric times to the beginning of the Middle Ages. The framework is very conditional - for them they have their own, for America - their own (the beginning of the colonization of the continent by Europeans).

Amazing Legacy

In this time period, there were several civilizations with their own culture. Have survived to this day famous buildings and buildings of antiquity. There are not so few of them, but the most striking heritage sites of the past include such as the "City in the Sky" or Machu Picchu in Peru, the temple of Jupiter Baalbek in Lebanon, the famous Egyptian pyramids of Giza, a suburb of Cairo. The list of antiquities includes the aqueducts of the Roman Empire, the glazed windows of Alexandria that arose in the first century AD, the remains of Greek temples, the Jervan aqueduct in Iraq, the concrete domes of Roman temples.

Civilizations close to us

Every continent has ancient objects. But for the inhabitants of Europe (in the geographical sense of the word), the ancient world is associated primarily with Greece and Rome, with the Egyptian Cleopatra, since both Julius Caesar and Antony loved her.

In addition, they and other ancient Roman emperors dreamed of subjugating Egypt. Russian literature and art until the beginning of the 20th century are associated with the myths of Greece and Rome. And the Mediterranean civilizations are considered the cradle of mankind. Therefore, to consider in more detail the famous buildings and buildings of antiquity, you need to start with Greece and Rome.

Acropolis - the pearl of world architecture

In Greece, there are a lot of monuments from prehistoric times, and the whole country is dotted with the ruins of ancient Greek palaces and places of worship. It is rather difficult to count them, but there are objects that are considered symbols ancient world. The most important of them is the Acropolis, located in the continental part of the country in the city of Athens. This is a kind of fortress standing on a hill, the height of which reaches 156 meters in height, it is 300 meters wide, 170 meters long. It is a well-fortified upper city, rising above the unprotected lower one. The Acropolis was the place where the temples of the gods, patrons this city, in which residents could hide during the war. Majestic athenian acropolis is His history is well studied.

Parthenon - dominant of the Acropolis

It should be noted that sculptures and statues from this Acropolis are in many museums around the world. It houses 21 objects, the most significant of which is the Parthenon - a visiting card not only of Greece, but of the entire Ancient World.

Included in the list of "The Greatest Temples in the World", it was built on the foundation of an older temple in the 5th century BC by the architects Kallikrat and Iktin. He rules over the whole area. This ideal, harmonious structure is rich in unique features. But dozens of books have been written about every smallest detail of it. The only thing that can be noted is that it is surrounded by columns around the perimeter (this form is called a peripter). This is what makes the temple irresistibly beautiful.

Athens - a treasure trove of ancient architecture

Other structures Ancient Greece on the territory of the sacred center of the Acropolis are represented by such temples as the Erechtheion, dedicated to the legendary Athenian king Erechtheus, the Areopagus (authority), the temple of Athena Nike. On the territory of the entire capital there are ruins of many other temples, since all of Greece is a museum ancient culture under open sky. These are the temples of Olympian Zeus, Nike Aptera, Apollo in Delphi, Poseidon at Cape Sounion, Hera on the Peloponnese, Demeter in Eleusis. These are the most famous structures and buildings of antiquity created in Greece.

Priority of places of worship

In a later period, one of the first meteorological structures was built in Athens - the Tower of the Winds, 12 meters high, with a base diameter of 8 m. The parameters of these ancient museums are perfect, they underlie all architecture and are studied by all architects of the world.

Of all the above objects of antiquity, only the Areopagus is an administrative building, all the rest are places of worship. The largest sanctuary is Olympia, which is located on the Peloponnese peninsula. It was dominated by the cult of Zeus.

The main visiting card of Rome

Great Roman Empire - oldest civilization Mediterranean originating from Ancient Greece. According to legend, the direct descendants of Aeneas, the hero of the Trojan War, the brothers Remus and Romulus, fed by a she-wolf, founded Rome and the greatest empire, which gave the world a great culture.

The structures of ancient Rome in this article are presented by the 10 greatest architectural examples that many inhabitants of the Earth are familiar with, even far from scholarship. Who does not know the Colosseum - main character Rome? A half-destroyed outer three-tiered wall surrounds an oval arena. In ancient times, the total number of arches on the wall is 240, 80 of them are in the lower tier. In the arches of the first and second floors there were sculptures - the work of the best masters of Rome.

The brightest and most characteristic

The Appian Way is also familiar to many, because the sad death of the companions of Spartacus, chained alive to the pillars located along it, is known from the school bench. And the final shots of the cult American film touched film lovers in many countries of the world.

Famous buildings and buildings of antiquity, located in ancient capital, adequately represents the Roman Forum, which already during the reign of Tarquikios the Proud became the center of the political, cultural and religious life of the Roman Empire. Here are the temples of Vesta, Vespasian and Saturn. Tragic or happy pages are associated with each of them. ancient history. The well-preserved Trajan Column belongs to the beginning of the 2nd century AD. 185 steps located inside go to the observation deck, located at the 38th height. The sculptor Apollodorus of Damascus erected it in 114. It symbolizes the victory over the Dacians.

Next on the list

The Roman Pantheon is unique - the temple of all the gods. Built in 126 AD, it dominates the Piazza della Rotonda.

You can find out what the famous buildings and buildings of antiquity looked like by looking at the marble Arc de Triomphe of Titus. This oldest building was erected in 81 in honor of the capture of Jerusalem. An arch rises over Via Sacra. Single-span, it has a height of 15.4 meters, width reaches 13.5 m, the depth of the span is about 5 meters, its width is 5.33 meters. Any chariot, including a quadriga, could enter such a gate. Bas-reliefs depicting Titus with trophies have been preserved. The Jewish temple was completely destroyed by him, and the winners got its main shrine - the minor. All this can be seen on the bas-relief.

Famous Roman baths and unique temples

Continue the list of masterpieces of ancient Roman architecture. Where did this name come from? Caracalla is the nickname of someone who lived in the 3rd century AD. The ancient Roman baths are special world where the elite of society had fun, went in for sports, conducted intellectual disputes, concluded contracts. The surroundings matched: the walls and the actual fonts were made of the best varieties of marble, sculptures stood everywhere, including the statue of Apollo Belvedere.

The seventh line in the list "Architectural structures ancient rome"is occupied by a composition of two temples of different configurations - rectangular and round. These temples were erected in honor of Portun (patron of ports) and Hercules. They are located on the left bank of the Tiber, in the very place where ships used to moor.

Mausoleum and catacombs

Under the eighth number is the Field of Mars - the left bank of Rome. Behind him is the Mausoleum of Hadrian - an architectural monument-tomb for the imperial family. On a square pedestal with a side equal to 84 meters, there is a cylinder with a diameter of 64 meters, crowned with a statue of the emperor in the form of the sun god, controlling a quadriga (team of 4 horses). This huge building was not used for its intended purpose, it became a strategic object.

Last on the list of the most important architectural masterpieces The Roman Empire go famous Catacombs. This is a network of buildings (60 in total), interconnected and intended for burials (about 750,000 burials), with a total length of 170 km. Most of of which stretches along the Appian Way.

Masterpieces of the East

The greats of the world are adequately supplemented by another grandiose monument. This is the Great Wall of China, the length of which from edge to edge is 21,196 kilometers. Erected by one-fifth (exactly one million) of the country's population in the 3rd century BC, it clearly fixed the borders of the state and made China impregnable. This is a unique monument of antiquity. And the pagodas and Buddhist monasteries of India? These are also monuments of the ancient past.

The first Russian pearls of architecture

All of the above, as well as structures Ancient Rus', belongs to the great world heritage. Only our civilization is young compared to others. The most ancient in our country is the architecture of Novgorod, Pskov and Kyiv, in which from 989 to 996 the Church of the Tithes, destroyed by Batu, was erected.

The next most ancient architectural monument of Kievan Rus by our standards is the Transfiguration Cathedral in Chernigov, well preserved even now, then the St. Sophia Cathedral in Kyiv. The first cross-domed structures were always based on the cross, and the temple was crowned with a dome. Such churches are the main type of ancient places of worship in Rus'.

Byzantine masters and their offspring

The first stone temples were built by craftsmen invited from Byzantium. Russian places of worship did not blindly repeat Byzantine architecture. Our churches have a strong personality. Yaroslav the Wise actively and on a grand scale engaged in construction. He, concerned that a huge country had just adopted a new religion, wanted to approve it with a grandiose construction of temples. The largest, which at that time had no analogues anywhere, even in Byzantium, was a 5-nave 13-domed building laid in 1017.

The triumph of Orthodoxy

It was followed by the Sophia cathedrals of Novgorod (1045-1050) and Polotsk (1060). They were also considered 5-nave, although most Russian churches are 3-nave. The dome was supported by internal pillars - hence the names: 4-, 6-, or even 8-pillar.

In 1073-1079, the Assumption Cathedral of the Kiev-Pechersk Lavra was built by specially invited Greeks. This temple, called the "Great Church", has become a model for Orthodox buildings being built throughout the country. Such religious buildings as the Vydubetsky Monastery in Kiev (1070-1081), Spas-on-Berest (1113-1125) belong to a new type of cathedrals, since they all had an extension (nartesque) with a staircase. The most ancient temples had no vestibules at all.

From the moment of the construction boom launched by Yaroslav the Wise, all the Grand Dukes were engaged in active urban planning. Except architectural monuments, the descendants were masterpieces of applied art and literature. The Tale of Bygone Years is first mentioned in 852.

We fly into space, race to build skyscrapers, clone living organisms and do a lot of things that until recently seemed impossible. And at the same time, they are still unable to unravel the mysteries of the builders and thinkers who lived millennia ago. An ancient cobblestone weighing a hundred tons surprises us more than a computer the size of half a palm.

Goseck Circle, Germany, Goseck

A ring system of concentric ditches and wooden fences was created between 5000 and 4800 BC. Now the complex is reconstructed. Presumably, it was used as a solar calendar.

Statues of "reptilians", French polynesia, Nuku Hiva island

Statues in a place called Temehea-Tohua in the Marquesas Islands depict strange creatures, the appearance of which in the mass consciousness is associated with aliens. They are different: there are large large-mouthed "reptilians", and there are others: with small bodies and disproportionately large elongated helmet-heads with huge eyes. They have one thing in common - an evil expression on their faces. Whether they were aliens from other worlds or just masked priests is unknown. The statues date from around the beginning of the 2nd millennium.

Stonehenge, UK, Salisbury

Altar, observatory, tomb, calendar? Scientists have not come to a consensus. Five thousand years ago, a ring ditch and ramparts around it with a diameter of 115 m appeared. A few centuries later, ancient builders brought here 80 four-ton stones, and a couple of centuries later - 30 megaliths weighing 25 tons. The stones were set in a circle and in the form of a horseshoe. The form in which Stonehenge has survived to this day is largely the result of human activity in recent centuries. People continued to work on the stones: the peasants chipped off pieces of amulets from them, the tourists marked the territory with inscriptions, and the restorers figured out for the ancients how they had it right.

Pyramid of Kukulkan, Mexico, Chichen Itza

Every year, on the days of the spring and autumn equinoxes, thousands of tourists gather at the foot of the sanctuary of the supreme Mayan deity - the Feathered Serpent. They observe the miracle of the "appearance" of Kukulkan: the Serpent moves down along the balustrade of the main staircase. The illusion is created by the play of triangular shadows cast by the nine platforms of the pyramid at the moment when the setting sun illuminates its northwestern corner for 10 minutes. If the sanctuary had been displaced even by a degree, none of this would have happened.

Karnak stones, France, Brittany, Karnak

In total, about 4,000 megaliths up to four meters high are arranged in slender alleys near the city of Karnak. The rows run parallel to each other or diverge like a fan, in some places they form circles. The complex dates back to the 5th-4th millennium BC. There were legends in Brittany that it was the wizard Merlin who made the ranks of Roman legionnaires turn to stone.

Stone balls, Costa Rica

Pre-Columbian artifacts scattered off the Pacific coast of Costa Rica were discovered in the 1930s by banana plantation workers. Hoping to find gold inside, the vandals destroyed many balls. Now most of the rest are kept in museums. The diameter of some stones reaches 2.5 meters, weight - 15 tons. Their purpose is unknown.

Georgia Guidestones, USA, Georgia, Elbert

In 1979, someone under the pseudonym R.C. Christian ordered a construction company to manufacture and install a monument - a structure of six granite monoliths with a total weight of more than 100 tons. On the four side plates are engraved ten commandments to descendants in eight languages, including Russian. The last paragraph reads: "Do not be a cancer for the Earth, leave a place for nature too!"

Nuraghi Sardinia, Italy, Sardinia

Semi-conical structures resembling huge beehives (up to 20 m high) appeared in Sardinia at the end of the 2nd millennium BC, before the arrival of the Romans. The towers were built without a foundation, from stone blocks superimposed on each other, not fastened with any mortar and held only by their own weight. The purpose of the nuraghe is unclear. It is characteristic that archaeologists have repeatedly discovered miniature models of these towers made of bronze during excavations.

Saxahuaman, Peru, Cusco

The archaeological park at an altitude of 3700 meters and an area of ​​3000 hectares is located north of the capital of the Inca Empire. The defensive and at the same time temple complex was built at the turn of the 15th-16th centuries. Zigzag crenellated walls, reaching 400 meters in length and six in height, are made of multi-ton stone blocks, including 200-ton ones. How the Incas installed these blocks, how they adjusted them one under the other, is unknown. From above, Saxahuaman looks like the toothy head of the puma Cuzco (the city was founded in the form of a sacred animal of the Incas).

Arkaim, Russia, Chelyabinsk region

The settlement of the Bronze Age (III-II millennium BC) is located on the same latitude as Stonehenge. Coincidence? Scientists don't know. Two rows of circular walls (the diameter of the far one is 170 m), a drainage system and a sewerage system, a well in every house are evidence of a highly developed culture. The monument was discovered by students and schoolchildren from archaeological expedition in 1987. (In the photo - a model-reconstruction.)

Newgrange, Ireland, Dublin

The Celts called it Fairy Mound and considered it the home of one of their chief gods. A round structure made of stone, earth and rubble with a diameter of 85 meters was erected more than 5000 years ago. A corridor leads inside the mound, ending with a ritual chamber. On the days of the winter solstice, this chamber is brightly illuminated for 15–20 minutes by a ray of sun that enters the window above the tunnel entrance.

Coral Castle, USA, Florida, Homestead

The whimsical structure was single-handedly built in 28 years (1923-1951) by the Latvian immigrant Edward Lindskalnin in honor of lost love. How a man of modest height and build moved huge blocks in space remains a mystery.

Yonaguni pyramids, Japan, Ryukyu archipelago

Monuments of huge stone platforms and pillars located under water at a depth of 5 to 40 meters were discovered in 1986. The main of these structures has the form of a pyramid. Not far from it is a large platform with steps, similar to a stadium with spectator stands. One of the objects resembles a huge head, like the moai statues on Easter Island. There is controversy in the scientific community: many believe that the formations lying on the bottom of the ocean have exclusively natural origin. But loners like Masaaki Kimura, a professor at Ryukyu University who has repeatedly dived to the ruins, insist that a person was involved.

Great Zimbabwe, Zimbabwe, Masvingo

One of the largest and oldest stone structures South Africa was built from the XI century, and in the XV, for some unknown reason, it was abandoned. All structures (up to 11 meters in height and 250 in length) were built using the dry masonry method. Presumably, up to 18,000 people lived in the settlement.

Delhi Column, India, New Delhi

Iron column over 7 meters high and weighing over 6 tons - part architectural complex Qutub Minar. It was cast in honor of King Chandragupta II in 415. For unclear reasons, the column, which is almost 100% iron, is virtually indestructible. Scientists are trying to explain this fact by various reasons: the special skill and technology of ancient Indian blacksmiths, dry air and specific climatic conditions in the Delhi region, the formation of a protective shell - in particular, as a result of the fact that the Hindus anointed the sacred monument with oils and incense. Ufologists, as usual, see in the column another proof of the intervention of extraterrestrial intelligence. But the secret of "stainless steel" has not yet been unraveled.

Nazca Lines, Peru, Nazca Plateau

A 47-meter spider, a 93-meter hummingbird, a 134-meter eagle, a lizard, an alligator, a snake, other zoomorphic and humanoid creatures ... Giant bird's-eye images seem to be scratched into the devoid of vegetation rock, and as if with one hand, in the same style. In fact, these are furrows up to 50 cm deep and up to 135 cm wide, made in different time in the 5th-7th centuries.

Nabta Observatory, Nubia, Sahara

In the sands next to dry lake is the oldest archaeoastronomical monument on the planet, 1000 years older than Stonehenge. The location of the megaliths allows you to determine the day of the summer solstice. Archaeologists believe that people lived here seasonally, when there was water in the lake, so they needed a calendar.

Antikythera mechanism, Greece, Antikythera

A mechanical device with dials, hands and gears at the beginning of the 20th century was found on a sunken ship sailing from Rhodes (100 BC). After lengthy research and reconstruction, scientists found that the device served astronomical purposes - it made it possible to monitor the movement of celestial bodies and make very complex calculations.

Baalbek Plates, Lebanon

The Roman temple complex dates back to the 1st-2nd century AD. But the Romans did not build sanctuaries in an empty place. At the base of the temple of Jupiter lie more ancient slabs weighing 300 tons. The western retaining wall is made up of a series of "trilithons" - three limestone blocks, each more than 19 m long, 4 m high and weighing about 800 tons. Roman technology was not able to lift such a weight. By the way, not far from the complex for more than one thousand years there is another block - under 1000 tons.

Göbekli Tepe, Turkey

The complex on the Armenian Highlands is considered the oldest of the largest megalithic structures(approximately X-IX millennium BC). At that time, people were still engaged in hunting and gathering, but someone was able to erect circles from huge steles with images of animals.