The Church of the Ascension in Livadia and Byzantine Architectural Style. Imperial Commission and Project Execution

Abstract

In the article the author rises the problem of Russian church architectural heritage studies. This problem is directly linked to the practice and requirements of lost monuments’ identity restoration. This paper is the first historical and architectural study of the Church of the Ascension in Livadia (1869–1876, deconstructed in 1929, restoration began in 2016). The author highlights the characteristic features of the Imperial art common for Livadia churches and the architecture of Saint Vladimir Cathedral in Chersonese. The Church of the Ascension is analyzed in the context of the formation of Byzantine style in Russian architecture of the ageofhistoricism. The article explicates the history and the symbolism of Livadia name as well as the methods and the character of architects and commissioners’ use of Byzantine and Greek churches tradition. The author shows the main stages of project development and construction of the Church of the Ascension, brings data on the dedication of the church and on the church pricht establishing. The article features Monighetti’s and Vincent’s published projects. The author hypothesizes that the construction of the Church of the Ascension in Livadia was inspired by the catholicon of Hosios Loukas monastery and Athos monuments. The study is based on the newly discovered archive materials, project drafts, pictures, old photographs.