(5 votes: 4.4 out of 5)

Narthex- western part of the temple. On one side of the porch there is a porch, on the other there is a passage to the middle part of the temple. In the narthex, according to the rules, some services are performed - betrothals, lithiums, the rite of announcement, etc.

Usually the vestibule is separated from the temple by a wall with a red western gate in the middle. In ancient Russian churches of the Byzantine style there were often no vestibules at all. This is due to the fact that by the time Russia adopted Christianity in the Church there were no longer strictly separate rules for catechumens and penitents with their various degrees. By this time, in Orthodox countries, people were already baptized in infancy, so the baptism of adult foreigners was an exception, for which there was no need to specially build porches. As for the people under the penance of repentance, they stood for some part of the service at the western wall of the temple or on the porch. Later, various needs prompted us to return to the construction of vestibules. The very name “narthex” reflects the historical circumstance when they began to pretend, attach, or additionally add a third part to two-part ancient churches in Russia. The proper name of this part is a meal, since in ancient times treats for the poor were arranged in it on the occasion of a holiday or commemoration of the dead. In Byzantium, this part was also called narfiks - a place for those punished. Now almost all of our churches, with rare exceptions, have this third part.

The porch now has a liturgical purpose. In it, according to the Charter, litias at Great Vespers and memorial services for the departed should be celebrated, since they are associated with the offering by believers of various products, not all of which are considered proper to bring into the temple. In the vestibule in many monasteries certain parts of the evening services are also celebrated. In the vestibule, a cleansing prayer is given to the woman after 40 days after giving birth, without which she has no right to enter the temple. In the narthex, as a rule, there is a church box - a place for selling candles, prosphora, crosses, icons and other church items, registering baptisms and weddings. In the narthex stand people who have received the appropriate penance from the confessor, as well as people who, for one reason or another, consider themselves unworthy to go into the middle part of the temple at this time. Therefore, even today the porch retains not only its spiritual and symbolic, but also its spiritual and practical significance.

The painting of the narthex consists of wall paintings on the themes of the paradise life of primordial people and their expulsion from paradise; in the narthex there are various icons.

The porch is built either along the entire width of the western wall of the temple, or, as happens more often, narrower than it, or under the bell tower, where it adjoins the temple closely.

The entrance to the narthex from the street is usually arranged in the form of a porch - a platform in front of the entrance doors, to which several steps lead.

Choosing an interior door is a responsible task, because the door not only fulfills its intended purpose, but also decorates the room. When purchasing, you need to take into account not only the material and appearance of the product, but also the design features. When purchasing a door with or without a rebate, you should not rely only on your desires. When making such a decision, you need to know what a vestibule is, what it is intended for, and in what cases a door with it would be appropriate.

Features of rebated doors

An ordinary door is a leaf that fits completely into the door frame so that there is a gap of 3-4 millimeters between them. A door with a rebate has a protrusion along its entire perimeter at the end, which rests on the door frame when closing. Its thickness is one fourth of the thickness of the door leaf, so another name for the vestibule is a quarter. You can also hear the term “rebated doors,” because the milling cutter, when making a rebate, cuts a rebate in the door leaf.

Quarter doors have a number of features:

• Interior doors with a rebate are classified as classic. They will fit into a room with the appropriate interior design style and furniture. A door without a rebate is considered a more modern style.
• A door with a rebate can be made of different materials: wood, plastic, metal. Almost all plastic doors are made with a quarter. The same can be said about armored ones.
• Another distinctive feature of a quarter door is its seal. The protruding strip is excellent for attaching a special rubber band, whereas sealing a regular door is very difficult.

It is interesting to note that some manufacturers produce quarter doors, in which only the vertical ends of the leaf have a hinged strip.

Advantages and disadvantages of rebated doors

Rebated doors have a number of advantages over more modern options.

1. Noise insulation. Due to the fact that the strip fits tightly to the door frame, the absence of gaps is ensured and the sound insulation qualities of the door are improved. Sealing with a special tape will further help absorb noise.
2. Thermal insulation. Better heat retention is due to the same reasons as noise absorption.
3. Hiding defects during installation. A door without a rebate must be installed as accurately as possible so that the gaps on all sides are the same width. This requires certain skills. A door with a rebate is easier to install; the strip will hide all the shortcomings made during installation.
4. Aesthetics. A classic door with a rebate will highlight the interior of the room.

Speaking of disadvantages, it is worth noting the higher cost. This is explained by the fact that the manufacture of a door with a quarter requires greater technological costs compared to a regular one.

Hinges for interior doors with rebate

When choosing a door with a rebate, you need to take into account its design features, which are reflected in the type of hinges used. Conventional overhead fittings will not work here, since the strip must fit tightly onto the door frame. Therefore, for doors with a quarter, only two types of hinges are used:

• screw-in;
• corner.

Corner hinges are attached in the same way as simple straight ones. They differ in the mounting plate, which is bent at an angle of 90 degrees.

Screw-in hinges are twisted into the box and the canvas using pins. In this case, the fastening to the canvas is made obliquely, touching the vestibule.

For rebated doors, screw-in hinges are most often used. Moreover, their installation is carried out at the enterprise during the manufacture of the structure. That is, in the store you will have the opportunity to buy an already assembled door with a frame. Unlike regular doors, which can be fitted with a variety of hinges of your choice, quarter doors do not offer this option. Therefore, manufacturers often take on this task themselves, making the installation process easier.


Knowing what role the door ledge plays, it will be easier to make a choice. A well-chosen door will highlight the interior, placing all the necessary accents.

As part of the design of individual door panels, there is a vestibule. However, not everyone knows what it is. In essence, this element is a continuation of the canvas. In appearance, it resembles a small plank with insignificant thickness. Its design extends onto the door frame a short distance. Why is this being done? What are the features of models with a vestibule? We will talk about this in this article.

What is a narthex

The vestibule is a metal protrusion located on the entrance door block. It is often installed on fire door structures. If we talk about its purpose, the main thing is to increase the burglary resistance of the product and increase its thermal insulation characteristics. Also, the use of this element as part of the design of door blocks is ensured by its high soundproofing characteristics.

When the door is closed, it is impossible to get to the lock bolt. Moreover, this happens largely thanks to the vestibule. It does not allow the door to be pressed out and removed from its hinges. When the door is closed, the seal fits tightly to the door frame. This ensures that the apartment is protected from such phenomena as:

• unpleasant odors;
• drafts;
• cold air.

Types of vestibules

Exists several designs of vestibules used in metal doors:

• single-level;
• two-level;
• three-level.

First of all, it is necessary to highlight the features inherent in doors equipped with a rebate. Standard models of metal doors have a straight leaf as part of their design. There is no weighting along its edges. When such a door closes only along the perimeter, small gaps remain between the frame and the bar.

Doors equipped with rebates have panels on the edges additional bar, which fits into the box at a short distance. From above it is pressed by protruding elements. This ensures maximum sealing of the door product. In addition, the presence of a rebate provides the door with an aesthetic appearance.

In another way, such elements present in metal doors are called quarter or rebate. The standard thickness of the narthex is a quarter of the thickness of the canvas. This is precisely what one of its names is associated with. Another has to do with the method of making doors of this type. Rebate in the canvas during turning of the narthex cutter cuts through.

For the most part, such elements are offered for products made of wood. Some models of MDF canvases also have a rebate. Most often, metal doors and their armored versions are equipped with this element.

Functions of the vestibule and its advantages

Now everyone understands the difference between rebated doors and conventional products. However, many may wonder whether it is advisable to install door structures equipped with such elements. After all, equipping door structures with these parts leads to an increase in the price tag on the door. In addition, there is a need for additional actions. What does the owner get by purchasing such a door?

Advantages of a rebated door

Designs with a vestibule are more preferable due to their following advantages:

• Soundproofing. Products equipped with rebates provide tight pressing and eliminate gaps on the sides. As a result, obstacles arise in the way of noise entering the apartment.
• Thermal insulation. By sealing the joints, the passage of heat from the apartment and the penetration of cold from the landing through the opening are eliminated.
• Masking gaps. When installing a regular metal door, gaps may arise between the frame and the leaf, having different sizes, and distortions. All this worsens the aesthetics of the external appearance of the door structure. Thanks to the porch, all these shortcomings can be hidden.
• Aesthetics. The presence of a vestibule in the design provides the door with a special charm inherent in classic interiors. In addition, such an element performs a decorative function and adorns the product.

You should not refuse to purchase a door design with a rebate because of stereotypes and the opinion that such a door is not suitable for modern interiors. In some cases, such a design fits harmoniously into the design of the room, perfectly complementing its interior.

Features of the fittings used

Due to certain design features of doors with a rebate, they require select special fittings. First of all, you need special loops. The need for their use is due to the fact that in such door structures their axis moves slightly beyond the narthex. Therefore, it is appropriate to use the following models:

It is necessary to set other settings if used door closer. It is necessary to take into account the fact that part of the canvas will touch the box from the outside, so the movement of the structure at the end of closing should be smoother.

Conclusion

Most people purchase a metal door to provide protection against intrusion. But a modern product can be more functional, providing the owner of the premises with more benefits. Purchasing a door structure with a rebate allows you not only to turn your apartment into a fortress, but also to eliminate heat loss and drafts.

If there is such a door in your apartment, then you can eliminate noise in your home, entering your home from the landing. And this has a positive effect on the overall comfort of living. Of course, such models have a higher price compared to conventional metal door structures. But they're not worth it. It is enough to purchase and install such a product, and you are unlikely to regret your decision.

The modern assortment of interior doors allows the consumer to choose a door design based on different considerations: for some, the aesthetic component is more important, for others, increased strength characteristics are of particular importance, and for others, the most important thing is that as little extraneous sounds as possible penetrate through the installed doors.

But did you know that there is a type of door design that combines all of the above qualities? This device is called interior doors with a rebate. We will tell you in detail and clearly about how such doors differ from other subtypes, what features they have, how they are installed and what their advantages are.

What is the fundamental difference between interior doors with a rebate?

A buyer who has little knowledge of door structures will not be able to distinguish a door with a rebate from a door product without it at first glance: visually they are not much different, they may be made of the same material, have the same locking device, etc. To notice the difference, you will need to take a good look at the design, and then you will notice that one part of the canvas protrudes slightly and, when closed, tightly overlaps one or three parts of the box (photo).

If we talk specifically about the design of the narthex, then the narthex of the door is a special thin strip of wood, the thickness of which is always equal to ¼ of the total thickness of the door leaf. Therefore, such interior structures are often also called quarter doors or rebated doors, but if you compare the door vestibule in the photo, it becomes clear that these are all different designations for the same design.

In the assortment of stores selling door products, you can also find a door with a double sash - in this case, the ends on the canvas will be located in two places of the structure at once - at the top and at the bottom (photo).

A few words about the advantages and disadvantages of products

A quarter door is a special design with an almost complete absence of cracks and gaps between the door leaf and the frame. It is the vestibule that makes it possible to achieve such an ideal fit, and therefore interior doors of this type have remained a relevant product in apartment design for several decades in a row.

The obvious advantages of interior doors with a rebate include:

1. High sound insulation qualities. The door leaf with a hinged strip allows you to achieve perfect tightness when closing, and therefore no extraneous noise will penetrate into the room. Doors with a quarter rebate are the optimal solution for children's rooms and work areas - after all, in both cases, noise is a strong hindrance to the child's rest or normal work process.
2. Structures with a rebate ideally retain heat in the room; the protruding part of the canvas reliably insulates the living space from drafts and cold air. The pretend part of the product will perfectly protect against the spread of moisture, which is why doors of this type are often installed in kitchens and bathrooms (photo).

Additional sealing in the door ledges, which is especially important for use in cold or drafty rooms, helps to enhance the useful qualities of structures. A special rubber with a porous structure is used as a seal.

However, interior doors with a hinged strip also have disadvantages that you should learn about before purchasing and installing the product:

1. Designs of this type are somewhat more expensive in terms of price than other types of door products. This is due to the special manufacturing technology and the complexity of installation. By the way, it is best to entrust the installation of the product to professionals, because installing the product is quite difficult, and not everyone can independently install the structure in the interior space.
2. Products with a rebate look more massive than conventional doors and can visually conceal the volume of space, so their installation is preferable in rooms with sufficient square footage.
3. The fittings for such products are produced in a special screw-in design: they are installed on the end of the sash vertically and, when you press the lever, they are tightly connected to the frame of the structure. Screw-in hinges for doors with a rebate complicate the installation process of the product, but are absolutely invisible and allow you to adjust the opening process in three directions at once.

When choosing a design with a vestibule for your apartment, home or office, be sure to pay attention to the following design characteristics:

1. Visually evaluate the cover strip itself - it should be perfectly smooth, without the slightest defects or damage.
2. Pay attention to the seal. Its quality can easily be checked by trying to open and close the box - if during this process you hear a creaking or grinding sound, the product is not of good quality and you should refuse to purchase it.

The most common and popular type of door structure with a rebated element is swing doors. Products of this type can be single-leaf or double-leaf, solid or “glass-like”. Hinged doors with a rebate are often used in the interior of residential premises, as they have the most attractive appearance and are quite affordable.

The entrance to the temple begins before we cross the threshold of the vestibule. So we reached the temple fence with prayer - what will we see behind it before we enter the temple? The story is told by candidate of art history Lev MACIEL-SANCHEZ, teacher of the Department of Liturgics of PSTGU Alexander TKACHENKO and chief architect of the Association of Restorers, corresponding member of the Academy of Architectural Heritage Andrey ANISIMOV.

Mikhailovskaya Sloboda, Moscow region, Church of the Archangel Michael, Holy Gates, arch. A. Anisimov, 2000

Fishes in the center of Moscow

“The gates in the temple fence are called holy,” says Andrey Anisimov. - They are usually made in three parts. The central gate opens only for bishops and “on the last journey,” and usually we enter through the gate next to it. Sometimes they make not two, but one gate or gate with a gate in it.

The tradition of opening the central gates only for the bishop has historical reasons.

“If we go deeper into antiquity,” says Alexander Tkachenko, - then we will see that the basilicas had several entrances. This is due to the fact that the Christian community of the city gathered almost in its entirety for holiday and Sunday services, which were led by the bishop. The patriarch, together with the emperor, or the bishop with the local ruler, entered the temple through the central gate, which was called the royal gate, and the people - through the side doors. This custom continued until the 7th century. Then the main type of worship became parish, then the name royal doors was transferred to the gates of the iconostasis.

Entering the gate, we often find ourselves in a well-groomed area, with flower beds, benches, a garden, a children's playground, maybe even a pond with fish.

The Sretensky Monastery or the courtyard of the Trinity-Sergius Lavra in Moscow are simply buried in flowers, Andrei Anisimov gives an example. - You walk in and the smell is different. Ignorant people say: “The monks got a job with our money, they have fish swimming in the center of Moscow, roses...” But this was not done just for some beauty, this well-kept courtyard is an image of the Garden of Eden.

The idea that everything around is sanctified during worship was expressed through architectural means.

In a Byzantine temple, the external and internal spaces are interpenetrated, says Lev Maciel-Sanchez, - there is no hard boundary between them. The temple is a creation of the Roman, that is, southern, architectural world; around it there were open porticos and approaches in the courtyards. Byzantium the feeling of a temple was inherited from antiquity, where the temple was the entire gigantic square within the sacred enclosure (a rigid boundary between the sacred and the profane), and the building was a tiny sanctuary where people did not even enter. The early Christian temple was even more “open”, since the coming into the world, death and resurrection of Christ sanctified the whole world. In late Byzantine times, in the 10th - 11th centuries, when civil tendencies in the Church were supplanted by monastic thinking, the space of the church and the space of the world were opposed to each other: churches became small, large courtyards disappeared, and the space of the vestibule was allocated.

Earthly and heavenly

Having walked through the territory of the temple, we approach the porch.

Dictionaries give different definitions for this word, says Lev Maciel-Sanchez. - Some claim that this is a platform in front of the doors of the temple, others - that it is a covered gallery. Most often, the open space outside is called the porch, the small space following it is called the vestibule, and the expanded vestibule, in which there may be side churches, is called the refectory.

In different eras, in different architectural styles, the porch and staircase were designed differently. For example, the covered staircase of the Church of the Ascension of the Lord in Kolomenskoye is striking in its soaring skyward, while in the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl there is only a small step.

The steps leading to the doors of the temple are an ancient, pre-Christian custom, explains Alexander Tkachenko. - In the Jerusalem Temple, priests and Levites climbed the steps to perform sacrifices. The symbolism of the staircase is obvious - our approach to the heavenly world, it means the connection between the earthly and the heavenly. In the Middle Ages, when parish worship was concentrated in the church itself, the ceremonial entry of believers led by the bishop was no longer there; those steps that lead to the altar part acquired significance.

A staircase can be very beautiful, but what about those for whom every step is an obstacle?

According to modern standards, when designing a new temple, we are obliged to make either a ramp or an elevator into which a stroller and an accompanying person can go,” says Andrei Anisimov. - This was not the case in old churches; they are looking for acceptable solutions. For example, during the reconstruction of the Kazan Cathedral on Red Square, the ramp was successfully made; it runs along the wall and does not look random and is not conspicuous.

Valaam, St. Vladimir's Skete, pediment of the main entrance with the Image of the Savior and the prayer of the publican.arch. A. Anisimov, art. A. Brusov

Place for penitents or village club

Next we find ourselves in the vestibule, which is not yet the temple itself.

On Mount Athos, the porch makes up almost half of the temple, explains Alexander Tkachenko. - Some services of the daily cycle are performed in it, hours, people go there with lithium, as prescribed by the charter. In ancient times, the sacrament of baptism and the rite of confirmation were performed in the narthex, after which the newly baptized moved to the main part of the church and joined the faithful to celebrate the liturgy.

Practical reasons were of great importance in changing the size and shape of the vestibule.

When everyone became baptized and this function of the narthex became unimportant, says Lev Maciel-Sánchez, it turned into a place of communication or disappeared completely. In Rus', even in pre-Mongol times, porches were connected to the main space of the temple. For example, in the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin there is neither a refectory nor a vestibule; you enter directly into the temple. This tradition existed for a long time in monastery cathedrals: the monastery church, unlike the parish church, is devoid of social and economic functions; if in the parish church a huge basement was built for storing food, the vestibule played the role of a village club, then in the monastery there are other buildings for all this. However, we know little about parish churches, since they were mostly wooden, and the earliest wooden church that has reached us was built in 1464. In the 16th century, stone parish churches began to be built; they had small vestibules.

In the Russian tradition, the vestibules are small, they serve to regulate heat exchange, helping to keep the main part of the temple from getting too cold in cold weather, says Alexander Tkachenko.

Gradually, the western part of the Russian temple expanded.

In the 17th century, in connection with foreign influences in Russia, different spaces gradually appeared to the west of the temple, says Lev Maciel-Sanchez, the narthex expands with galleries with side aisles, a familiar pattern arises, when from the narthex we enter the refectory with right and left aisles. This was convenient: in winter they served in the chapels, and the large temple was not heated.

In Romania they make double porches: external and internal. One of these vestibules is called the “tomb” because its vast space is filled with burials. In Romania and Serbia it becomes a mandatory element of the twelfth-thirteenth century. This never happened in Byzantium, only on Mount Athos. Perhaps from there this tradition came to Serbia, and then to Romania.

A small porch can have aesthetic value.

In the Church of Blessed Xenia of St. Petersburg in Bear Lakes, we made a low porch, and it turned out very well,” says Andrei Anisimov. - You first enter a small, cramped room, and then you find yourself in the temple itself, with a tent flying upward. People usually ask in surprise: “How could this volume fit in such a small temple?” The temple is not very big when viewed from the outside. I myself don’t know what’s the matter; probably, while we are passing through the low porch, our perception changes a little.

Narrow but solemn

“Ideally, the entrances are oriented on three sides,” says Andrey Anisimov. - The East is Christ, people come to Him from all sides and go out to carry the Good News in all directions. True, the urban planning situation does not always allow this.

The main entrance to the temple was always decorated very richly. In Yaroslavl churches of the 17th century it was executed in a very interesting way. There were walkways encircling the temple on three sides, and the entrances were painted, multi-colored, with beautiful kokoshniks, and promising portals. The thickness of the wall is already considerable, but due to the pilasters and half-columns going deeper, it seems even larger, it looks very solemn. The doors themselves are also decorated very richly. The Historical Museum houses 15th-century doors from Suzdal. On them, on a black background, in gold, using casting, chasing, and carving, gospel and hagiographic scenes are depicted. It is interesting that in the ancient tradition, despite the solemnity, the doors are low and rather narrow. The exceptions are royal churches: Sophia in Constantinople, the Assumption Cathedral in the Kremlin.

The gates are often crowned with icons of the Savior Not Made by Hands, Christ the Pantocrator, and in Mother of God churches - with the icon of the Intercession. In Byzantine churches they were placed only above the entrance from the vestibule to the temple; now they can be located above both internal and external doors.

The temple itself is holy, it is the house of God, the house of prayer, says Alexander Tkachenko. - The temple, the throne, the walls of the temple are consecrated in a special way. Since this place is sacred to us, when approaching the temple, we make the sign of the cross and worship. And naturally, the images of the Savior, the Virgin Mary, the saint to whom the temple is dedicated, are placed in front of the entrance; we can worship them before entering the temple.

The inscriptions above the entrance also encourage prayer and reverence. These could be quotes from the Gospel: “I am the door” (John 10:7), “I am the light of the world” (John 8:12), “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matt. 11:28), the words of the publican’s prayer, which is said before entering the temple: “God, be merciful to me a sinner” (Luke 18:13).

Irina REDKO