FEATURES OF THE SYMBOLISM, MORPHOLOGY AND PHENOMENOLOGY OF THE ARCHITECTURE OF THE CAVE MONASTERIES OF PRIDNESTROVIE AND PRIOSKOLYE

This article examines the architectural aspect of the creation and use of cave spaces of the Pridnestrovie and Prioskolye. The use of caves as places of worship intended for conducting rites of worship is considered on the examples of cave monasteries of the Voronezh and Belgorod regions formed in Cretaceous deposits on this territory. The relevance of this topic is due to the threat of loss of cave monuments of the XIII-XIX centuries under the influence of temporary, natural and anthropogenic factors. The main tasks are to identify the symbolic meaning of the creation and existence of cave mansions, to identify the techniques of morphological description and phenomenology of the formation of cave architecture in this region. The research methodology is based on the principles of phenomenological research, its basis is the materials of expert assessments of the preservation of underground monastery complexes, full-scale examination, dimensional drawings, drawings, photographic fixation of individual objects. The article examines the process of cave digging from the point of view of symbolism; the principles of the ascetic worldview on which the architectural features of the shape of underground spaces are based are revealed; the means and methods of morphological description of the inner space of caves are studied, their examples are given; the fragmentary perception of cave spaces by man, the spatial structure of the cave monastery, the moment of its formation are described. The symbolism, morphology and phenomenology of the cave monasteries of Pridnestrovie and Prioskolye allow us to systematize the concepts of their architectural forms. The level of symbolic elaboration of the spatial structure is a measure of articulation, showing the number of elements that have a symbolic meaning. Morphology is presented as the norm for constructing a graphical model of cave space. Without considering the symbolic and morphological characteristics, it is impossible to talk about the phenomenology of the formation of cult cave structures, which is based on the relationship of space and mass as primary units of architectural form. The priority in the approach to restoration and adaptation to modern living conditions should be focused primarily on the preservation of authenticity. Changing the image of caves carries irreparable losses of symbolic, morphological and phenomenological characteristics of their architectural forms, and consequently of their historical and cultural value.