Belarusian Gothic


Belarusian Gothic is the architectural style of ecclesiastical buildings constructed during the 15th and 16th centuries in parts of modern Belarus, Lithuania and eastern Poland. The term is disputed and considered a product of Belarusian nationalism, and used by Belarusian historians only. It describes the fact that in the Slavic regions of the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, many of them forming present day Belarus, some Gothic buildings were built for Eastern Orthodox congregations and landlords. 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.

History

With the baptism of the Grand Prince Vladimir the Great and the "Christianization" of the Kievan Rus, the architecture of the region became heavily influenced by Byzantine architecture.
During the 13th century and the first decades of the 14th century, the principalities in present-day Belarus are eventually subjugated by the Grand Duchy of Lithuania, a pagan state which was fighting against expansion of Teutonic Order. The Grand Duchy became a dominant power in the 14th century, featuring a developed nobility. Lithuanian rulers started to build Brick Gothic castles and established churches for their Catholic citizens, which were also constructed in Brick Gothic. Contacts with the Teutonic order and Europe allowed to hire experienced architects. Old Chancery Slavonic was used for legal code and documentation.
After the Union of Krėva in 1386, the countries of Poland and Lithuania were united with personal union, which caused a christianization of Lithuania and an increase in communication in western and southern Europe. Christianization of Lithuania led to more intensive expansion of Western culture and namely, Gothic 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..

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.