The ornament of the dome on a thin plane looks like a magic ligature, additionally structures the space. It's just not entirely clear in whose favor …
Dome of the Naval Nikolsky Cathedral (Kronstadt).
For starters, general information from here:
With its appearance, the Naval Nikolsky Cathedral resembles the Hagia Sophia in Istanbul. Its structure is almost identical to the Turkish religious museum, but it is much smaller.
In 1903, the first walls were laid. The construction was completed in 1913. The temple did not have to fulfill its nominal purpose for long - only 4 years. In 1914, the First World War began, in 1918 the building was redesigned for civilian needs, and the next year it was completely handed over to parishioners for contractual use.
Promotional video:
In the summer of 1929, the last service was held at the Naval Cathedral of Kronstadt. After that, all the property of the temple that remained after the plunder was described and transferred to the State Fund, the State Bank, the Naval and Russian museums. The lists of sailors, immortalized in gold on marble tablets, have become an irretrievable loss. One part of them was broken, the other was used in installation work.
In 1930, the Bolsheviks sent almost all the bells and metal devices that they could find in the church to be melted down. Only one bell weighing about 5000 kg was left to signal the alarm. There is a version that the workers simply could not remove it. A few months later, the crosses were dropped from the top. Red flags were now flying over the tops of the cathedral's domes.
In 1932, the interior of the temple was converted into a cinema, in 1939 it was altered again, but already under the Officers' House. The engineering service of the latter made a significant contribution to the preservation of the technical characteristics of the building. Regular maintenance helped to save the temple and communications from dilapidation and utter devastation.
With the arrival of the fascist troops, an observation platform was equipped on the dome of the Naval Cathedral. It functioned until the very lifting of the blockade. Despite all the efforts of the townspeople, during the war, several shells hit the temple, the holes from which were subsequently eliminated, and repairs were made inside the building. After the end of hostilities, a new idea arose: to equip a cinema and concert hall in the Naval Cathedral.
In the 1970s, the consciousness of the population changed, and in the Naval Cathedral of Nicholas the Wonderworker, it was decided to carry out major repairs and restoration. The state took the temple under its tutelage, designating it as a cultural monument. 1976 became a new milestone in the history of the Orthodox building. The restoration of the Naval Cathedral in Kronstadt returned it to its original appearance.
In 1978, a fire broke out in the building of the Kronstadt Sailor Club. In this case, the premises of the Naval Cathedral again came to the rescue - the club was temporarily located in the temple.
On May 8, 1980, the day dedicated to the anniversary of the victory over the German troops, a museum named after the Kronstadt fortress was opened in the Nikolsky Cathedral. Its area was slightly less than 1000 m2, and the collections turned out to be about 3000 items that have come down to us from the war times.
In 1996, Kronstadt ceased to be a closed city - entry to it for Russians and foreigners became free.
In 2002, an Orthodox cross was installed on the cathedral bell tower (it was solemnly dropped in 1930)
Since May 2013, it is considered the main temple of the Russian Navy and the center of the Military Deanery of the St. Petersburg Diocese.
The decoration of the Cathedral.
The space under the dome is surrounded by two-tiered galleries-choirs. The painting was only in the altar, sails and on the vaults of the northern and southern choirs by the artist M. M. Vasiliev. The drawing was made partly under the mosaic, partly under the frescoes. During the restoration of the temple, it was decided to complete the painting. The floor was covered with fine marble in a thin copper frame and decorated with mosaic figures of fish and jellyfish, images of sea plants and ships.
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In general terms, the impressions are mixed. The temple is never Christian (like Isaac, Kazan and many others), and indeed not a temple, but an amplifier-storage for various needs. The floor is covered with stylized magical seals combined into a single structure (remake). Most likely, in its original form it was almost completely white, the decor was added in several passes later by changing owners.
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There was a strong feeling that Kronstadt was kept closed for many years precisely because of the temple or the place of power on which it stands. They were looking for something there or tried to use it all this time.
The decoration of the Cathedral.
He's not Christian at all. This is the place of primordial energy. Primordial. Maternal.
Neither Christianity, nor these black tablets inside * could alter it. From the word in general. In terms of the concentration of the Earth's energy, it is greater than all of Peter.
Naval Nikolsky Cathedral (Kronstadt) top view.
All Orthodox Cathedrals and Temples are Mandalas.
Mandala is a map of the universe.
The mandala symbolizes the habitat of the deities, the pure lands of the Buddhas. In principle, a mandala is a geometric symbol of a complex structure, which is interpreted as a model of the universe, a "map of the cosmos."
Naval Nikolsky Cathedral (Kronstadt) top view - Mandala.