Crosses on domes: a unique collection of Inver Sheydayev. The crescent on the Orthodox cross - the meaning of the symbol

Yesterday's discovery of the Moon on the icon of the Mother of God in the Church of the Sign of the Mother of God in Dubrovitsy gave rise to a number of questions in me, and I began to dig for information.

The moon is indeed a rather rare occurrence in icons.
Although John the Theologian has these words: "A woman clothed with the sun, under her feet the moon and on her head a crown of twelve stars" (Ap 12:1).

I found only three icons of the Mother of God, which have the attributes described by John the Theologian:

1. Mammal feeder Greece, 1750 16x12.4 cm.

2. Ostrobramskaya icon Mother of God(in the Temples of Kyiv and Krakow)

3. And the actual icon of the Mother of God in the Church of the Sign of the Mother of God in Dubrovitsy.

I have already made an analogy with the third lasso of the Tarot - the Empress. It is likely that the Moon on the map of the Empress symbolizes the feminine principle, on which she (the Empress) leans with her left (female) foot.

Here is a classic image of the III lasso of the Tarot - the Empress trampling the Moon with her left foot (from the previous post).

In continuation of the theme of the moon, I had another logical question But what does the moon (crescent) mean on Orthodox cross?

I found several versions on the net:

1) Muslim. The moon under the Cross as a symbol of the victory of Orthodoxy over Islam during the Tatar-Mongol invasions.

This option does not stand up to scrutiny. Firstly, the Tatar-Mongols did not represent a single people, they did not have a single religion either. Genghis Khan, for example, believed in the Supreme Heavenly Being, and Islam only gained its popularity under Khan Uzbek. In addition, the Tatar-Mongols were distinguished by significant religious tolerance, because the issues of religion were not the main ones.

In addition, the cross with a crescent appeared long before the Mongol-Tatar invasion. Such a cross stands on the dome of the Dmitrievsky Cathedral in Vladimir (XII century), for example.

2) Pagan. The Moon with the Cross as a traditional solar-lunar symbolism, where the Cross is the symbol of the Sun (remember the swastika), the symbol of the Masculine, and the crescent is, respectively, the symbol of the Moon, the symbol of the Feminine. Their combination. Just what are they doing on the dome of Orthodox churches? This question is answered by the third version.

3) Christian. So many symbols and rituals christian church are not newly introduced (invented by the church), but only "churched" symbols of previous "beliefs", endowed with new meanings and meanings. We have this situation in the context of the Cross with a crescent, where the Cross becomes a symbol of Christ, and the month - a symbol of the Mother of God.

In this regard, it is interesting why the domes of the church are crowned with the symbol of Christ and the Mother of God, and not, for example, the symbol of the Trinity (God the Father, God the Son and the Holy Spirit)? Wouldn't it be more logical?

Maybe there are other versions?

The most complete and interesting article on this topic was the article by B.A. Uspensky "Solar-lunar symbolism in the guise of a Russian temple".

The history of the Christian religion has crossed the line of two millennia. During this time, the symbolism of the church became unobvious without additional knowledge for its parishioners. People often wonder what the crescent on the Orthodox cross symbolizes. Since it is difficult to achieve absolute specificity in religious symbolism, we will try to consider all versions in order to form a correct opinion on this issue.

Cross in other cultures

The cross as a special symbol existed in different cultures before the advent of Christianity. For example, the pagans have this sun. In the modern Christian interpretation, echoes of this meaning remain. For Christians, the cross is the sun of truth, which complements the personification of salvation after Jesus Christ was crucified.

In this context, the meaning of the crescent on the Orthodox cross can be understood as the victory of the sun over the moon. This is an allegory of the victory of light over darkness or day over night.

Crescent or boat: versions of the origin of the sign

There are several versions of what exactly the crescent on the Orthodox cross symbolizes. Among them we highlight the following:

1. This sign is not a crescent at all. There is another one that is visually similar to it. The cross, as it was approved, was not immediately approved. Constantine the Great approved Christianity as the main one, and this required a new recognizable symbol. And for the first three centuries, the graves of Christians were decorated with other signs - a fish (in Greek "ichthys" - the monogram "Jesus Christ the Son of God the Savior"), an olive branch or an anchor.
2. The anchor in the Christian religion also has a special meaning. This sign is understood as hope and firmness of faith.
3. Also, the Bethlehem manger resembles a crescent moon. It was in them that Christ was found as a baby. At the same time, the cross rests on the birth of Christ and grows from his cradle.
4. The Eucharistic chalice, in which the Body of Christ is located, may be referred to by this sign.
5. It is also a symbol of the ship driven by Christ the Savior. The cross in this sense is a sail. The Church sails under this sail to salvation in the Kingdom of God.

All of these versions are true to some extent. Each generation put its own meaning into this sign, which is so important for believing Christians.

What does the crescent on the Orthodox cross mean?

The crescent is a complex and ambiguous symbol. The centuries-old history of Christianity left many imprints and legends on it. So what does the crescent on the Orthodox cross mean in the modern sense? The traditional interpretation is that this is not a crescent, but an anchor - a sign of firm faith.

Evidence for this statement can be found in the biblical letter to the Hebrews (Heb 6:19). Here the Christian hope is called a safe and strong anchor in this stormy world.

But in the days of Byzantium, the crescent, the so-called tsata, became a symbol of royal power. Since then, temple domes have been decorated with crosses with a tsata at the base to remind people that the King of Kings owns this house. Sometimes icons of saints were also decorated with this sign − Holy Mother of God, Trinity, Nicholas and others.

False interpretations

In search of an answer to the question of why the crescent is at the bottom of the Orthodox cross, people often associate this sign with Islam. Allegedly christian religion thus demonstrates his rise above the Muslim world, trampling the crescent with the cross. This is a fundamentally wrong belief. The crescent began to symbolize the Islamic religion only in the 15th century, and the first recorded image of a Christian cross with a crescent refers to the monuments of the 6th century. This sign was found on the wall of the famous Sinai monastery named after St. Catherine. Pride, oppression of another faith is contrary to the main principles of Christianity.

Crescent and star

With the fact that the Muslims borrowed the sign of the crescent from Byzantium, they themselves do not argue. The crescent and star are several thousand years older than Islam. Many sources agree that these are ancient astronomical symbols that were used by the Central Asian and Siberian tribes to worship the sun, moon and pagan gods. Early Islam also did not have a main symbol, they were adopted somewhat later, like among Christians. The crescent on the Orthodox cross appeared no earlier than the 4th-5th centuries, and this innovation had a political connotation.

The crescent and star have become associated with the Muslim world only since Ottoman Empire. According to legend, Osman - its founder, had a dream in which the crescent moon rose above the earth from edge to edge. Then in 1453, after the conquest of Constantinople by the Turks, Osman made a crescent and a star the coat of arms of his dynasty.

Differences of crosses in Christian denominations

There are a great many variations of crosses in Christianity. This is not surprising, since this is one of the largest confessions - about 2.5 billion people around the world consider themselves to be part of it. We have already figured out what the crescent on the cross means Orthodox church, but this is not its only form.

It is generally accepted that in Protestantism and Catholicism the cross always has 4 ends. And the Orthodox or Orthodox crosses have more of them. This is not always an accurate statement, since even the Papal Ministry Cross looks different than the 4-pointed one.

On our monasteries and churches, the cross of St. Lazarus is installed, and it is 8-pointed. Also emphasizes the firm faith of the crescent on the Orthodox cross. What does the oblique crossbar under the horizontal mean? There is a separate biblical tradition on this subject. As we can see, Christian symbols cannot always be taken literally; for this, it is worth delving deeper into the history of world religion.

Strictly geometric and has four beams, the cross - includes two parallel horizontal bars and a third lower oblique, which is probably a footrest. This cross is considered the closest to the one on which Jesus was crucified. Another common form of the cross, which can often be found on the domes of Christian churches, is the cross.

The most ancient Orthodox crosses had a dome that resembled the roof of a house. They can still be seen in old cemeteries, where the tradition of "covering" a memorial cross has been preserved.

Unity of Faith

There are versions that the crescent shows a connection between Christianity and Islam, or between Christianity and paganism, since this symbol existed in both religions. There is also a version that the cross with the crescent shows that there was an era when Islam was a single religion. And the shape of the cross with a crescent symbolizes this era. With the modern separation of the two religions - Christian and Muslim, this symbol makes one regret that the common faith was lost.

Triumph of Christianity

However, many theologians believe that the crescent (tsata) is not related to the Muslim symbol. And it's actually hands put together to support the creed.

In some texts of the Middle Ages, it is said that the tsatah is the manger of Bethlehem, which accepted the baby Jesus into its arms, and also that this is the Eucharistic cup that received the body of Jesus.

There is a version that this is a symbol of the cosmos, which emphasizes the presence of Christianity throughout the world and has nothing to do with Islam.

Adherents of semiotics believe that the crescent is actually not a crescent, but a boat, and the cross is a sail. And this ship with a sail symbolizes the Church, which is sailing to salvation. Approximately the same content is explained in the Revelation of John the Theologian.

Philosophy of the East in the symbol of Christianity

A very interesting version, which says that the image of the crescent indicates that Jesus was in the East. It turns out that there are indirect signs that Jesus really was in the East between the ages of 12 and 30 (this is the period of his life that is unknown to scientists, i.e. where Jesus lived at that time, what he did). In particular, he visited Tibet, which proves the similarity of his words with the ancient Eastern philosophy of that time.

Historians take a different view of the cross with the tsata, arguing that the crescent was the official state sign of Byzantium, conquered in 1453 by the Turks, who borrowed the tsata, making it the sign of the Great Ottoman Empire. It is known that there was no planting of Islam in Byzantium, but this Ottoman sign of power was added to the Orthodox cross over the domes of churches in the 15th century. A kind of sign of reconciliation and unity of two cultures and religions.

On the week of the Adoration of the Cross, we figure out how the cross should look on the temple. Photographer Inver Sheydaev devoted his whole life to collecting photographs of domed crosses various forms. We publish the most interesting pictures.

The village of Nikolo-Arkhangelskoye. Nikolo-Arkhangelskaya Church (XVIII century)

We express special gratitude to the authors of the book “Russian Cross. The symbolism of the Orthodox overhead cross" to Marina Anashkevich and Invrer Sheydaev for the opportunity to truly appreciate the heavenly beauty, to which ordinary life we rarely look.

The main part of this collection was collected during the Khrushchev “thaw”, and then the Brezhnev “stagnation”. The first exhibition was held in 1968, but was immediately closed. Only in the 1990s the collection received recognition and was shown not only in Russia, but also in Paris. For thirty years, photographer Inver Sheydayev traveled around cities and villages then Soviet Union and photographed the crosses crowning the domes of Russian churches, head crosses. What only he did not have to endure in these travels. Once, by some miracle, he even persuaded the peasants of a distant village to dismantle scaffolding surrounding the dome of the temple to photograph the cross.

It all started in the office of the famous Pyotr Dmitrievich Baranovsky (1892-1984), where the young photographer showed his work to the famous architect-restorer. Then Inver was carried away decorative elements temples.

Once Pyotr Dmitrievich said: “This is full of everything. You better look up. Take off the crosses. This beauty has never been photographed. Collect crosses, sooner or later you will need it, you'll see. These words turned out to be prophetic. Later, Inver was contacted with "orders" of crosses more than once. He took photographs for the restored temples on Solovki, for the temples of Tobolsk and other cities.

The collection turned out to be invaluable at the time when they began to "collect stones". Many crosses were restored from photographs from this collection.

Unfortunately, there are still many ruined temples, whose crosses were photographed by Inver, standing, overgrown with forests, decapitated. Pyotr Dmitrievich Baranovsky, who in his lifetime has seen many temples lying in ruins, said: “Why is the cross destroyed in the first place? Because he, like a mother's breast, nourishes.

LILY AND GRAPE

Krin is a stylized image of a lily flower, a symbol of purity. Such krinas were usually made at the ends of the "branches" of the cross, because the three leaves of the lily (krin) testify to the Holy Trinity, One in three Persons.

Moscow. Novodevichy Convent. Cathedral Smolensk icon Mother of God. (1525)

A vine wrapped around a cross with clusters of berries is a symbol of the Living Christ. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman” (John 15:1). The Vologda blacksmiths were especially successful in the art of forging a grape ornament on the overhead crosses. Cross of the Church of Demetrius of Prilutsky Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery in Vologda. And one can be amazed at how subtly the symbolic connection is conveyed by the masters vine and Holy Communion. This cap has a crescent at the bottom, symbolically depicting the Chalice.

Vologda. Church of Demetrius of Prilutsky Spaso-Prilutsky Monastery.

Vologda. Sophia Cathedral (1568-1570)

PIGEON

Dove, a symbol of the Holy Spirit since time immemorial. “…and John saw the Spirit of God, which descended like a dove…” (Matt. 3:16) This bird itself, frozen in flight, looks like a cross.

Cross of the Church of the Myrrhbearers Martha and Mary in Novgorod (1510).

If you look closely, you can see in the openwork heart of this cross, a dove with outstretched wings. But such an image is the only one, mostly doves were cast and crowned the cross. In ancient times, doves on the cross sometimes also showed which way the wind was blowing, they were called windmills.

Velikiy Novgorod. Saint Sophia Cathedral. (1049-1050)

This cross and the dove on it have their own legendary history. There is a prophecy that Veliky Novgorod will exist as long as the dove is on top of the cross of Hagia Sophia. In 1942, during the Great Patriotic War, the cross from Hagia Sophia was thrown off by an explosive wave. He was taken out of Russia by soldiers of the "Blue Division" - the Spanish division of the German army. Instead of the lost shrine, a “double” cross was subsequently installed on the main dome of Sofia, while the original was kept in Spain, in the temple gallery of the Military Engineering Academy near Madrid, where it was installed in a conspicuous place. More than 60 years, more than one generation of Spanish Christians prayed in front of this Russian shrine. A commemorative plate with the names of sappers who died in Russia was placed next to the cross. In 2004, the cross returned to its homeland - Spain voluntarily handed it over to Russia. He was brought to Moscow by the Minister of Defense of Spain, the cross was solemnly greeted in the Cathedral of Christ the Savior. Now it is kept in one of the chapels of St. Sophia Cathedral.

SOURCE OF LIFE

blooming shoots
If shoots grow from under the base of the cross, then it is called "prosperous." The shoots symbolize rebirth, the Resurrection of Christ from the dead.
Ascended to heaven, the overhead "flourishing" crosses were for the Russian people a visible image of the Garden of Eden and the tree of life growing in it. Some of these crosses are completely strewn with flowers, so it is impossible to look away. They really do look like plants. spring garden, plant elements are selected with such artistic flair.

Moscow. Church of the Intercession of the Virgin in Fili (1690-1693).

Drops of blood
Copper bulges - "dewdrops" and beads on chains mean drops of blood shed by the Savior on the cross. In Russia, they were also called "tears".

St. Petersburg. Church of the Resurrection of Christ "Savior on Blood") (1883-1907), built on the site of the assassination in 1881 of Emperor Alexander II.

VOLUNTARY SACRIFICE

Cane and spear

Kirillov. Kirillo-Belozersky Monastery. Church of John of the Ladder (1572).

A cane with a sponge and a spear - the instruments of the Passion of the Lord - are a frequent occurrence on the cupolas. The main cross with instruments of the Passion, as it were, replaces the Crucifix, which cannot be on the dome (it is located inside the temple). But the realism of the terrible torment of the Cross of the Savior should not overshadow the main thing - the triumph of the Crucified Redeemer, who conquered death. The lily flowers that complete the cross “branches” speak of this as well as possible.

Pskov region, the village of Videlebye. Church of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker (XVI century). Spear and sponge are stylized as two flowers that flourished on the cross.

Now, over the head of the already restored church, its cross rises again.

HEAVENLY KING

Crown
The crown at the top of the main cross symbolizes the Cross of the Heavenly King and indicates to us that the church was built by decree of the earthly king, or with donations from the royal treasury. The crown can be both quite real and very conditional.

Ryazan. Spassky Monastery. Church of the Epiphany (1647)

Moscow. Church of the Deposition of the Robe in Leonov (1719-1722)

Sovereign Scepter
The cross can also symbolize the second sign of the royal power of Christ - the scepter. Giving the cross the appearance of a scepter is possible with the help of one well-known symbolism. The top of the scepters of the Russian tsars was the figure of a crowned double-headed eagle - the sovereign sign of Byzantium. However, domes with a double-headed eagle were installed on temples only in the era of Peter I, a tsar known for his imperial ambitions.

Moscow. Church of the Intercession of the Virgin in Fili (1693).

In unity and equality
A four-pointed cross (as a rule, with a crescent below) has been placed on the domes of temples since ancient times. This type of cross symbolizes the Church of Christ in the unity and equality of its visible and invisible sides. Over time, detractors of the four-pointed cross were found, they said that this was the wrong cross, because Christ was not crucified on this. But St. Demetrius of Rostov put an end to this dispute. He suggested that when Christ carried the cross on His shoulders, the cross was not yet four-pointed, because there was still no title or foot on it, and only on Golgotha ​​the soldiers, not knowing where Christ's feet would reach, attached the foot.

Vladimir. Cathedral of the Assumption of Our Lady (1158-1160)

Tula region, Arsenyevsky district, Monaenki village. Church of George the Victorious (XIX)


This is what the temple looks like now. The cross was preserved only in the photograph of Inver Sheydayev

Russian foot
One of the oldest Russian crosses is six-pointed with an oblique lower crossbar. The oblique foot symbolically represents the crossbar of the "scales" doomsday. Some researchers of Christian symbols and, in particular, N.V. Pokrovsky suggest that the oblique crossbar is nothing more than a modified form of the ancient Byzantine foot of the cross. One way or another, but this form has established itself in Russian icon painting. The oblique crossbar was given the meaning of "the measure of the righteous." And the people began to call the foot “stood”.

Vologda. Bishop's house. Church of the Nativity (1670)

The same cross
The seven-pointed, T-shaped cross, apparently, was the most ancient form of the Christian cross, since this is exactly what the cross, the instrument of execution of the Savior, looked like.

This cross has the appearance of an altar, because of the upper crossbar, similar to a throne. The Old Testament priests sacrificed on a golden foot attached to the throne, therefore, if the upper crossbar symbolically depicts an altar, then the lower crossbar of such a cross designates this foot of the cross, and points to the sacrificial priestly ministry of the Savior.

Moscow. Kremlin. Church of the Twelve Apostles (1652-1656)

HEAVENLY FORCES

sun and stars
Straight or wavy lines emanating from the center of the cross convey the radiance of the sun. Direct rays indicate direct light, and wavy combustion, heat. The motif emanating from the “light of life” cross is conveyed by each artist in his own way.

Pskov region, Loknyansky district, Dunyani village. Church of the Archangel Michael (XVI-XVIII centuries) Such a cross is very rare.




The temple itself is now in ruins. The cross is lost.

Often the ends of the rays were also decorated with stars.

Nizhny Novgorod. Church of the Nativity (1719)

Tobolsk. Church of the Seven Youths of Ephesus. (XVIII century)

Lightning
"Like lightning that sees the power of the cross" run evil forces from the cross. Therefore, lightning can be found on temple crosses.

Moscow region, Odintsovo district, Yudino village. Church of the Transfiguration of the Lord (1720)

Angels and Cherubs
Attaching a copper angel to the cross, the author emphasized that the temple also has a guardian angel. The most famous and traditional are the angels carrying the cross, like a banner, as on the spire of the cathedral. Peter and Paul Fortress in St. Petersburg.

Ryazan. Church of the Entry of the Lord into Jerusalem (XVII)

Often in the main crosses there are images of Cherubim.

Moscow region, Komyagino village. Church of St. Sergius of Razhonezh


The church has now been completely restored.

EARTH RESORT

ship and anchor
Our most ancient churches, on the heads of which a cross with a crescent flaunts, are the Annunciation Cathedral of the Moscow Kremlin, the Novgorod St. Sophia Cathedral and the Dmitrievsky Cathedral in Vladimir. The crescent is a church ship, driven by the helmsman Christ.

Moscow. Church of the Assumption of the Mother of God in Gonchary.

In the 19th century, the theme of a sailing ship was no longer limited to the symbol of the crescent.

Thus, in the cross of the eight-pointed cross of the Church of the Resurrection of Christ on the Obvodny Canal in St. Petersburg, the helm of a sea vessel is depicted, and instead of the crescent we see an oblique foot.

If the ship is at anchor, then in terms of its safety it is, as it were, already on the ground. And although the waves shake it, they cannot sink it. In many cases, it is almost impossible to distinguish a dome cross on a “lunar base” from an “anchor” cross. The only detail that unmistakably points to the “anchor” is all kinds of decorations and thickenings at the ends of the arc.

Moscow region, Lukhovitsky district, Didinovo village. Church of the Life-Giving Trinity

Between heaven and earth
The place of intersection of the horizontal with the vertical on the cross, the place of the middle cross, symbolizes the intersection of the human with the divine. The cross is the mediator between earth and heaven. Therefore, often this place on the cross was decorated with a “figure eight”, shaped like a keyhole. It is formed by the addition of two symbols - a nimbus (the radiance of holiness) and a tsata (a precious pendant denoting royal "purity").

Moscow. Church of the Resurrection of Christ in Kadashi (1687-1713)

The article uses materials from the book “Russian Cross. The symbolism of the Orthodox overhead cross. Moscow, "AST", 2006.

In their external form, domed crosses often differ from the eight-pointed crosses that are familiar to us. The cross on the dome expresses the idea of ​​the temple as the House of God and the ship of Salvation and has the corresponding symbolism. Especially often questions and bewilderment arise about the crescent (tsatsy), located at the bottom of the cross. What is the meaning of this symbol? First of all, you need to keep in mind that the crescent on the Orthodox cross has nothing to do with either the Muslim religion or the victory over Muslims. Crosses with the image of a tsata (crescent moon) adorned even ancient temples: the Church of the Intercession on the Nerl (1165), the Demetrius Cathedral in Vladimir (1197) and others.
There was no question of any victory over the Muslims at that time.
Since ancient times, the crescent has been the state sign of Byzantium, and only after 1453, when Constantinople was taken by the Turks, this Christian symbol became the official emblem of the Ottoman Empire. In Orthodox Byzantium, the tsata symbolized royal power. Apparently, therefore, it is placed as a symbol of grand ducal dignity in the image. Kyiv prince Yaroslav Izyaslavich in the "Royal Chronicler" of the 16th century. Often a tsata (crescent) is depicted as part of the hierarchal vestments of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker. It can also be found on other icons: the Holy Trinity, the Savior, the Most Holy Theotokos. All this gives the right to believe that the cat on the cross is a symbol of the Lord Jesus Christ as King and High Priest. Thus, the installation of a cross with a tsata on the dome of the temple reminds us that this temple belongs to the King of kings and the Lord of lords.
In addition, from ancient times - from Christ and the first centuries of Christianity - another meaning of the cross with a crescent came to us. In one of his epistles, the apostle Paul teaches that Christians have the opportunity to “take hold of the hope set before them, that is, the Cross, which is like a safe and strong anchor for the soul” (Heb. 6:18-19). This "anchor", which at the same time symbolically covers the cross from the reproach of the pagans, and reveals to faithful Christians its true meaning - deliverance from the consequences of sin, is our strong hope. Only a church ship is able to deliver all those who wish along the waves of a turbulent temporal life to a quiet haven of eternal life.
On the domes of the Church of St. Sophia of Vologda (1570), the Holy Trinity Cathedral of Verkhoturye (1703), the Church of the Blessed Cosmas in the city of Kostylevo, crosses with a bizarre ornament are installed: twelve stars on rays emanating from the center and with a crescent below. The symbolism of such a cross vividly conveys the image from the revelation of John the Theologian: “And a great sign appeared in heaven: a woman clothed in the sun, under her feet the moon and on her head a crown of 12 stars” - as a sign that, originally assembled from 12 tribes of Israel, it was subsequently headed by 12 apostles, who constituted its luminous glory.
Sometimes a cross on a temple (with or without a crescent moon) is not eight-pointed, but four-pointed. Many crosses on ancient and famous Orthodox cathedrals have just such a form - for example, the Hagia Sophia in Constantinople (VIII century), the Hagia Sophia in Kyiv (1152), the Assumption Cathedral in Vladimir (1158), the Church of the Savior in Pereyaslavl (1152) and many other temples. Starting from the 3rd century, when four-pointed crosses first appeared in the Roman catacombs, and to this day, the entire Orthodox East considers this form of the cross to be equal to others.
In addition to the above meanings of the crescent, there are others in the patristic tradition - for example, that this is the cradle of Bethlehem, which received the Divine Infant Christ, the Eucharistic cup in which the Body of Christ is located, the church ship and the baptismal font.
That's how many meanings and mysterious spiritual meaning in the cross that shines above the dome of the temple.