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Section 1. Decorative art
https://doi.org/10.29013/EJA-20-1-3-7
Akridina Anna Vladimirovna, postgraduate student of the department of fine arts of K. D. Ushinsky South Ukrainian National Pedagogical University
E-mail: sokol.olga.43@ukr.net
THE MONUMENTAL DECORATION OF ST. PANTELEIMON AND ST. ELIAS MONASTERIES IN ODESSA
Abstract. The monumental and decorative art in Odessa St. Panteleimon and St. Elias friaries, Athos monastery farmsteads in the past, is considered in the article. Their connection with the self-titled monasteries of Mount Athos in Greece is analyzed; subjects and stylistic features of the decoration are revealed.
Keywords: Monumental and decorative art, friaries of Odessa, Athos monastery farmsteads, Holy Mount Athos.
According to P. Florensky name is the thinnest flesh; it expresses a spiritual essence. It contains a generalized universal experience; history itself speaks in us and through us by means of the name [1, 133]. Major Odessa Orthodox shrines: St. Panteleimon, St. Elias cloisters and St. Andrew's farmstead that are located in the station area of the city are historically and spiritually connected with the eponymous Athos (The Holy Mountain) monasteries in Greece.
The needs of the pilgrimage necessitated the construction of farmsteads of the Holy Mountain Russian cloisters in the Russian and the Ottoman empires cities [2, 18]. Port city Odessa was a connecting link between Israel, Palestine and Athos Orthodox centres in the second half of the XIX century due to the peculiarities of its geographical location [3, 78-81]. The farmsteads of Russian St. Panteleimon Monastery on Mount Athos were built in Constantinople, Thessaloniki, Moscow and Odessa.
The farmsteads of Prophet Elias skete founded on the Holy Mount in 1757 by hieromonk Paisius (Ve-lichkovsky) were erected in Constantinople, Odessa and Taganrog [4, 118-120].
Odessa St. Panteleimon friary created in 1995 was founded in 1876 as a farmstead of the eponymous Russian cloister on Mount Athos. The stone delivered from the Holy Mount to Odessa was used for its construction. The ceremonial consecration of the temple took place in 1896 [5, 2-5]. During the closing periods of the farmstead (1922-1943 and 1961-1991) the wall icon painting was wiped, plastered or desecrated [2, 49]. The first Divine Liturgy after the return of the shrine to Orthodox Church was performed in 1991 [2, 50]. The restoration work in the monastery started in 1993 [6, 3].
The architectural project of St. Panteleimon farmstead developed by N. N. Nikonov was completed by L. F. Prokopovich. The analogue of the exterior design is St. Petersburg cathedral of the Savior on
Spilled Blood (1883-1907) in which the motifs of the XVI-XVII centuries' Russian architecture were used. St. Panteleimon farmstead construction is characterised by a rare for Odessa pseudo-Russian styl-ization that was used in the empire from the 1870 s to express the national idea. Mosaic images of the southern facade, which overlooks a busy city street, form a kind of iconostasis. The depiction of the monastery's heavenly saint patron is located above the central window of the second floor in the kokoshnik pediment. The interior of the friary combines unique for the Odessa region murals by Athos masters of the late XIX century (in the narthex and on the stairwell walls), paintings of the XX (predominantly in the lower church) and the depictions of the beginning of the XXI centuries (in the main temple).
Monumental images of the narthex and stairwell walls were uncovered by restorers from Kharkov in the 2010 s under the layers of later repainting [7]. Ten murals illustrate the life and great martyrdom of holy healer Panteleimon. The plot of the composition "The tsar orders to teach St. Panteleimon the medical art" is based on the dialogue of the holy younker with emperor Maximian. Panteleimon's pose conveys his meek and humble character. The depiction of an arcade serves as the background. The two-figure composition "Saint Panteleimon studying the medical art from Euphrosynus" has a similar scheme. Two types of the space formation are used in the image: the realistic depiction of faces, figures, draperies of clothes is combined with the depiction of the table and the pedestal in the reverse perspective, which is characteristic for Byzantine icon painting. The mural composition with Panteleimon in the centre, the righteous Evvula and the holy martyr Yer-molaus of Nicomedia in front of him resembles the iconography of Deisis. According to the canon, the saint younker is dressed in the clothes of the Roman Empire healers and holds attributes indicating his medical service [8, 365]. A full length image of an Angel writing text on an open scroll is noteworthy. In the upper part the composition is supplemented
with a quote from the "Spiritual Charter" by reverend Joseph Volotsky. This image has an instructive nature and reminds the incoming of the need for special awe for church service.
The white marble wide steps of the staircase lead to the main monastery temple located on the third floor. Climbing them symbolizes the ascent to Athos, which is especially important for those who cannot get there personally. The usage of such architectural elements as a cornice with large denticles, pilasters, semicircular and keel-shaped arches contributes to the connection of the space with monumental paintings. The scenes from the life of St. Sergius of Radonezh and images of the holy founders of Athos monastic residence are presented on the walls of the first floor at the stairs base. Saints and reverends depicted on the staircase walls of the second floor are shown against the realistic landscape background that is characteristic for painting of the Catholic tradition. Selected saints become the monastery parishioners' accomplices and prayer assistants in a symbolic (spiritual) ascent to Mount Athos. The mountain is a symbol of proximity to God. It reminds of the envisioned world axis, as it rises above the level a person's everyday life and reaches the sphere of heaven [9, 59]. Icon-painted hills with ledges (leshchadkas) are explained in a similar way.
In the murals of the narthex and the stairwell walls the icon-painting canon is connected with the illusory nature of the academic style, which is typical for the XIX century art and is shown in the religious paintings by V. M. Vasnetsov and M. V. Nest-erov [10; 23, 38]. Herewith the images are filled with static contemplation that is inherent in icon painting. The monumental compositions are framed by white mouldings, which resemble the design of easel paintings. The murals are characterized by matte flickering of the paint layer halftones, purity and grace of colour combinations, subtlety of a painting manner. The figures of saints are attached to the light background with soft shading along the edges
of forms that conveys an air environment sense. The murals of the main temple created in 2010s stylistically correspond to the original paintings of Athos monks. A harmonious unity of the monumental and decorative design that refers to different times was achieved.
St. Elias temple in Odessa is perceived as an expressive vertical against the surrounding buildings' background and forms the silhouette of the station area. St. Elias farmstead was founded in 1884. The solemn consecration of the five-domed four-pillar St. Elias church by L. F. Prokopovich project took place in December 1896 [11,2]. In 1995 Elias parish was transformed into a friary. The composition and decorative elements of the temple are close to the monuments of the late XIX century Neo-Byzantine style. The architectural similarity of the monastery in Odessa and the eponymous skete on Athos is observed [12], which expresses their sacred unity. The architectural composition of the church develops in depth. A two-tier tent bell tower on the western side stands out of the total volume, which corresponds to Russian architecture of the XVII century. The exterior contains typical Byzantine elements such as arcade on columns and cubic capitals creating a sense of strength. The exterior of the western facade has been decorated with the Byzantine style mosaics in the last decade. In the lunette above the entrance there is an image of St. Elias. On the right side from the portal is the depiction of Christ the Great Bishop, on the left - the mosaic icon of Our Lady "The Abbess of Mount Athos", the patroness of monasticism.
The main temple of the friary is designed for 700 people and has three chapels; the central one is consecrated in the name of the monastery saint patron. Originally the main dome's painting was based on the composition "The Trinity of the New Testament" by A. T. Markov from the Cathedral of Christ the Savior in Moscow [13, 2]. Over time the image had been lost and recreated during the restoration and painting of 2013-2014. The arches of the
central nave are decorated with paintings on Gospel subjects. The compositions "Ascension" and "Resurrection of the Lord" on the eastern vault are based on the paintings of the pendentives of Christ the Savior Cathedral.
In the interior lunettes on the sides from the portal there are two images of the Theotokos ofJerusa-lem with the Baby in Her arms. The compositions are distinguished by the red and blue colours of the Virgin's maphorion and the Baby figure position. The artist managed to put into the heroes' glances the entire depth of the trial of the upcoming sacrificial path. According to O. A. Tarasenko, psycholo-gism was a hallmark of the late XIX and early XX centuries' church art of the individualism era. A time-limited emotional states are not consistent with goals of monumental art designed for durability like the architecture itselfwith which it is interconnected [10; 26, 42]. The lunette landscape compositions "Jerusalem" and "The Source of the Virgin Mary in Nazareth", which can be rarely seen in temple decoration, are placed under the Our Lady's images. They are the copies of V. D. Polenov's etudes painted by the artist in 1882 during a trip to the holy places.
V. M. Theodor, now known as an icon painter and archimandrite Zinon, worked on the decoration of the former Athos St. Elias farmstead [14, 3]. According to the evidence of the diocesan engineer V. G. Borisov, the master created the images for the side iconostases [15]. Since 2004 restoration and repair work in the monastery have been carried out actively. The images of Christ Pantocrator in the altar and of the saints on the church walls were created. During the restoration of 2014 the pylons and the space around the western murals were decorated. The nimbuses of the saints were covered with gilding imitating a mosaic technique. A similar method is found in the monumental works of art of the 1890 s by V. M. Vasnetsov (for example, in the Church of the Nativity ofJohn the Baptist on Presnya).
A significant part ofthe temple monumental decoration is the ornamentation in the late Byzantine style.
The tracery by Lev Dal in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior was taken as a basis. Ornamental stripes frame each image, choirs, pylons and other elements; together with the monumental icons they form a kind of carved iconostases. The system of patterns merges into unity with the murals and saturates the composition with the sophisticated interlacements. The wall and ceiling paintings of St. Elias church were created in the academic style without excessive detail, which corresponds to the principles of monumental art. Massive pillars in the form of double marble columns with Corinthian capitals play a large decorative role in the internal space formation. They are deprived of a picturesque cover and form a kind of monolithic pause among numerous interior details.
Conclusions. The connection of Odessa St. Panteleimon and St. Elias friaries with the eponymous Athos monasteries is caused by the historical circumstances. It is expressed through the architectural similarity of their cathedrals and the interior design peculiarities. The monumental decoration of St. Panteleimon and St. Elias cloisters is characterized by polystylism, which corresponds to icon painting of the farmsteads' foundation times. In the murals the principles of canonical iconography are
combined with such properties of academic easel art works as illusory, illustrative, protuberant or ornamental framing. The monumental depictions in St. Panteleimon friary are the unique example of the late XIX century church art by Athos masters for the Odessa region. The location of St. Panteleimon and St. Sergius of Radonezh life scenes depictions outside the liturgical space (on the narthex walls and at the stairs base) contributed to the application of a freer approach. The symbolic language of Byzantine and ancient Russian icon painting was replaced by academism in them. Pictorial motifs and compositions of the Cathedral of Christ the Savior, etudes by V. D. Polenov were used in St. Elias monastery decoration. Approach to the spiritual reality is carried out through the reproduction of sensually convincing images of the material world. The interest to mastering the Byzantine and Old Russian mosaic heritage in churches' decoration, especially exteriors, has been increasing since the beginning of the XXI century. The coexistence of the inherent spiritual dominant of Byzantine depictive tradition with academic direction based on the laws of the sensual world is observed in the monumental decoration of Odessa St. Panteleimon and St. Elias friaries.
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