Functional values of national architecture in the context of traditional culture of East Slavs

In traditional culture of East Slavs, the national architecture represents a unique phenomenon of syncretic polyfunctionality. At the same time it can carry out a wide range of utilitarian, cultural and sacral functions which are vital for reproduction of a family, sorts, conducting economic activity, adaptation to specific climatic conditions, etc. Unfortunately, in the majority of modern scientific researches these components most often are exposed to separate studying. It is obvious that consideration of functional values of certain elements of national architecture, from any one "narrow" position, quite often results in inadequacy of understanding of the general context of traditional culture of the studied local community. Therefore a problem of the real research was development of integrated methodological approach which would allow to consider interconditionality of utilitarian, cultural, sacral and ethnoecological aspects of various phenomena of national architecture. The integrating role in it is played by the concept of a cultural landscape directed on studying not only objects of material culture, but also space of values and meanings with which they are allocated by the person. It is possible to refer their invariancy and variability to number of aspects of functional values of the national dwelling of east Slavs inseparably linked with each other. For example, in space of the national dwelling it is possible to allocate its invariable symbolical division into districts which important parts are the Krasnyj ugol, fireplace, Babij kut, Seni, Gornitsa, etc. Despite existence of certain backbone principles of similar division into districts, it is possible to meet a set of their local variations when a certain architectural element of the dwelling gained specific functional value. On the basis of materials of own expeditions, and also generalizations of domestic ethnographic heritage, in article are reviewed examples of esthetic, sacral, utilitarian and ethnoecological functional values of national architecture of East Slavs. Results of research testify that system studying of functional values of national architecture has wider value, than preservation of memory of national cultural heritage is simple. In many cases, practical and cultural experience of ancestors can be of interest in respect of adaptation of its elements to the solution of a number of the modern social and economic problems related to revival of the Russian village.

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