The Church of John the Baptist in Kerch is a wonderful monument of Byzantine architecture. It is classified as a cross-domed church of the Eastern Christian school. The closest analogies come from the Asian regions of the Byzantine Empire and from its capital, Constantinople.
Instructions
Step 1
Among the attractions of Kerch is one of the most ancient Orthodox churches on the territory of the peninsula - the Church of John the Baptist. The Church of John the Baptist is located in Kerch on Tavricheskaya Square, not far from the descent from Mount Mithridates. Temples with this architecture were usually erected in Byzantium and Armenia. In those distant times when the temple of John the Baptist was built in Kerch, and this happened no later than the 9th-10th centuries, it was located on the seashore and had an unusual and memorable appearance. White-pink masonry, often found among the Byzantine buildings of that era, in addition to the decorative task, also solved the problem of strengthening the seismic strength of the structure.
Step 2
Even with a cursory examination of the building, the original type of masonry of the external walls is striking. Small, well-worked limestone blocks alternate with interlayers of thin fired bricks and plinths.
This unusual technique gives the walls some splendor and elegance. This type of masonry was well known to the Byzantine architects and was repeatedly used in the construction of large public buildings in Kherson, Thessaloniki and Constantinople. The church is crowned with a single hemispherical dome that forms the center of the cross. It is mounted on a round, light-carrying drum, which gives the church a slender shape. The facades are decorated with perspective arches and pilasters.
Step 3
With the victory of the Ottomans over Byzantium and the appearance of the Khanate in the Crimea, the temple of John the Baptist was turned into a mosque. This lasted until the incorporation of Kerch into the Russian Empire, when the temple became Orthodox again. In Soviet times, the temple experienced long years of oblivion and desolation. Now the Church of John the Baptist in Kerch is a functioning Orthodox church. This is the only surviving ancient Orthodox church in the entire northern Black Sea region. A unique monument of medieval architecture, which is the oldest active Orthodox church in Eastern Europe.
