Living Inside My Head

They are the most striking architectural features I have ever seen. Their ethereal beauty is enough to steal one’s weary soul away. Their towering magnificence in the backdrop of a cloudless blue sky is treasure in one’s eyes. They look even more enchanting in the first crack of dawn – when the first rays of the sun cast on the golden domes. Or during wintertime, when they are snow-covered - it creates a wonderful contrast of gold and silver. They evoke a feeling of strange calmness and otherworldliness that seems to lighten one’s senses. Perhaps it is because of their colouring or the way they were exceptionally designed or maybe because they are associated with the divine. But there is more. They are monuments - reminders of a bygone age that the people nowadays feel very nostalgic about. They are also the symbol of their faith and that of their forebearers. Their religion suffered so much throughout the ages, but it still remains true, unchanged and forever mystical. Through these ...

My first experiences with Orthodox churches was when I was in elementary. Back then I was quite naive with matters about religion, what more, matters outside that of my own. I do not remember exactly when I started feeling interested and later fascinated with the onion-shaped domes of Orthodox churches. Everytime I see the colorful cupolas of the St. Basil Cathedral, I’m reminded that my church does not possess such a lovely feature. More and more, I begun to wonder about the interiors of such churches: How do they look like inside? Are they beautiful? In fact, they are more beautiful than I first thought. Russian churches are particularly magnificent and sumptuous beyond anything I’ve seen. They are complete contrast to the simple and austere interiors of Protestant churches that I have known since a child. The cathedral door is huge and heavy. Actually, the church itself is huge and towering high in the skies. The exteriors are heavily painted with different colors sometim...