Žemaičių medinių bažnyčių architektūra

ENWooden period should be distinguished in the history of Samogitian wooden churches from oldest times to 1918: 1) the 15th century — the middle of the 17th century - a period of consolidation of Catholicism, selection and mastering of compositional principles and techniques of sacred buildings, 2) the middle of the 17th century - 1795 — a period of flourishing of Catholicism and sacred architecture, and 3) 1795-1918 a period of oppression of Catholicism, stabilisation of traditional solutions of sacred architecture, spreading of compositional principles and techniques of professional architecture. The Samogitians were christened in 1414. As early as in 1416 Vytautas Magnus initiated the construction of the first eight churches. Up to the 18th century the work was slow: in the second half of the 16th century the development of sacred architecture was hindered by Protestantism and in the 17th century - by the wars with Moscow and Sweden. The historical documents testify that the Samogitian wooden churches were rectangular, with two small towers on the roofs and a sacristy on the right side. The churches inside space was divided only by a beam with a crucifix. In the third decade of the 17th century, sacred buildings with cross-shaped layout and small towers on high roofs were started to be built. The towers were often painted in red, green or white. The interior walls and ceiling were painted in several colours and sometimes decorated with paintings.Sumptuous and colourful liturgical objects — altars, pulpits etc. - stood put prominently against the background of simple interior architecture. No wooden churches survived from the 17th century. Construction of sacred buildings became more intense in the 18th century, particularly towards its end. Traditions that had formed over ages were developed in the church architecture of that time; at the same time it reflected the material culture and aesthetics of its epoch. The influence of the Baroque is observed in the composition of sacred buildings of the 18th century. Its manifestations were indirect — by useing individual forms of the style in folk churches - and direct — by emptying principles of the Baroque composition in wooden churches. The layouts of the churches remained rectangular and cross-shaped, but the latter had markedly increased in number. There also appeared churches with polygonal and triangular layouts. The space of many churches that are rectangular in plan is compact and without aisles. Buildings with the larger nave space and a narrow presbytery are fewer. The nave part of such churches was continuous or three-aisled, hall-type or pseudobasilica-type. The polygonal churches mostly composed of the main body with a prolonged octagonal layout and two lower annexes added to it. The exterior of the churches was simple, harmonious and monumental. A high gable or hipped roof one or two graceful Baroque-style towers prevailed. Heavy proportions were characteristic of the facades, i. e. the ratio between the heigh and width was 1:1.35-2.08. Quite frequently, however, this ratio was about 1:1.6, which corresponded to the „gold section“ proportion. The forms of the facades were simple, almost without decor.