KNOW YOUR MEASURE. Northern tradition of house building
Interview with the master of wooden architecture Igor Tyulenev, who creates houses according to the principles of old principles of house building and fathom proportioning. The interview was conducted specifically for readers of the Pashkovka newspaper.
“The foundations of our Russian, Northern Tradition found a deep response in my heart,” shares Igor Tyulenev. – Gradually I learned to perceive, understand and pass on the traditions of house building. And I continue to study. In Rus', osmerik or shesterik (a house with eight or six (like a honeycomb in a beehive) corners) was installed everywhere. And this is directly related to the harmony of the ascending and descending flows of power: The Earthly and Heavenly Yari are alive (as it is now fashionable to call these flows - Yin and Yang, and the Ancestors called them - the nature of the Father and Mother, male and female energy) with their flow in a spiral. The towers and huts were mostly round in shape. Everything in a house building has a certain importance, and the form is no exception.
For example, try, without changing the shape of the vessel or product, to fill a bottle with ripe apples. mineral water. It won’t work, either you’ll have to break the bottle or finely chop the apples. A basket is better suited for storing apples; they will breathe easily in it and, accordingly, will be stored well, but no one would think of storing fresh honey or mature kvass in a wicker basket. That is, everything needs a proper container.
Life is Power, and the form is activated by that Power, and the house is the filling. For example, a “gasoline” car will not run on diesel fuel. Thus, a form may or may not be able to accommodate and perceive this or that energy or force. The well-known expression: “a house is a full cup” is now perceived as a house full of all kinds of “good” - things, furniture, but initially no one put such a meaning into this expression-wish. “A house is a full cup” is a house filled to the brim with harmoniously intertwined flows of Earthly and Heavenly power, which require a certain form for this; here the place where the house is placed is also decisive.
I repeat, gradually dwellings and other buildings acquired a geometrically more “simple” shape, becoming square and rectangular. At the intersection of the walls, a right angle is formed, but the Heavenly force tends to flow down and the Earthly one to rise. The Force, like water in a river, does not flow at a right angle, and therefore in the corners of today’s brick, stone and panel houses, “negativity” constantly accumulates, there the current of the Force is disrupted, without movement it “fades out”, the river turns into a swamp. A permanent minus point is formed in the corner. Subsequently, to avoid this process in wooden, already square houses, they began to cut the walls, thus giving rounding to the corners and allowing the flow of Power to flow.
– Why was wood preferred as a building material?
– The trunk of a tree is essentially a revolving (coil, spiral, and Vita – Life) structure of tubular systems, since the entire trunk from the butt to the top is penetrated by bellies - channels through which, while the tree grows, sap flows - from the roots up the trunk , and materialized sunlight from the leaves of the crown - also along the bellies, spreading throughout the entire tree. Depending on the purpose of the tree: to receive or give out force, its trunk in the process of growth acquired a left-sided or right-sided twist, the so-called twist, and because of this, the felled log became “right” or “left”.
Previously, huts were cut by combining these logs proportionally, or consciously giving the structure certain qualities, placing predominantly right-handed or left-handed twisted logs into the frame. Thanks to the method of laying logs in rows in a log house (butt - top), a continuous flow of Zhiva and Yari in a spiral was achieved. In the cups (places of cutting), the poles of energy change, a phase transition of 90 degrees takes place - plus to minus, the Force of the Father “becomes”, filled with the Force of the Mother, and vice versa. But this only happens if the core, the core of the tree, is not damaged. That’s why they used to chop into the okhryap at home – into the lower bowl. Today experts criticize this method of felling, they say, lower bowl moisture accumulates, and the wood in the log house is more susceptible to rotting, and they offer log houses cut into a hook - into the upper bowl. At the same time, they avoid making locks - fat tails, not realizing that the core of the tree damaged in the log house in this case This is a disservice to the residents of such houses.
The roof closes the entire contour of the house. And here the angle of the roof, or rather the corners, already matters, since there are many options for them in the canon of house building. They built a house with one corner of the roof, and a barn with another... Nowadays, few people think about this, approaching this issue from the concepts of aesthetics, or the possibilities of the material, nothing more. The house is designed to accommodate Life with certain qualities. Thus, it is necessary to take into account the location of the installation (have you heard the expression “a house must be placed on a stone”, this is because the current of power intersects differently). Do not build houses on sand, not only because it can collapse, but also because sand is not a conductor, there will be no strength in such a house.
You also need to take into account the shape of the house, the angle of the roof, as well as the material from which the house is built, and then the house can be given any properties - Healing House, Ritual House, Residential House. All structures and houses must have 100% compliance with Form and Content.
By the way, the stove in the house, like its engine, must necessarily rely on load-bearing beams floor, not on independent foundation- as is often customary now. Depending on how the stove is positioned in the house in relation to the entrance, to the right or to the left of it, the stove can be Spinner or Unspinner, respectively. So in your house, either everything is “rushing”, going well, or not so well... We can and should talk about the magic of the Russian stove separately, its ability to Generate bread, warm the house and keep the Fire of the hearth is priceless in itself.
– How were houses built in the old days?
- In the old days, houses were built by the whole Relatives, and often by the whole world, the term was - help, everyone got together and built them together. The ovens were made of adobe, and only virgin girls and boys were invited to “beat” the ovens; what power they put into the oven! "IN home and the walls help” - that’s what they say. Since we are talking about home as a concept, about the essence of its purpose, so to speak, I can say it more simply: Home is a place of Power that you create artificially. Home is an instrument of evolution given by Rod. Your home, a universal tool with which you can do everything! This house has now been built, but we don’t know how to interact with it. I mean with the house itself, with its space.
Of course, in order for the house to truly become yours, you must build it yourself, or at least take maximum part in its construction. You need to structure it for yourself, in the process of birthing a house, water it, where with your salty sweat, and maybe where even with a little blood if you get hurt, the more valuable it will become for you, the more of your strength you put into it, into your home. Previously, at least three generations of relatives lived in one hut: Father, Mother, Grandfather and Grandmother, and children. Knowledge was passed on naturally. There was a continuity of knowledge transfer, from grandfather and father to grandson and son.
– Have you heard that there used to be a concept of “Construction victim”?
- Yes it is. Before cutting down a tree, gifts were brought to each tree and permission to cut down was directly asked from each tree. Promising him continued existence in new form, in the form of a Dwelling. And if the tree gave such permission, then it experienced a state of supreme joy. As a result of the action of such a higher emotion, the entire molecular structure of the wood changed, and now it was friendly to humans. In the new incarnation there is a new measure, this expression is equal to everyone. A tree cut down in this state will imprint it forever in its body, and a house built from such a log will constantly share this state of joy with the residents. It will also protect them from all misfortunes.
Now almost no one does this. But what I want to say: the attitude of a person himself towards home, towards Life can change everything down to the atomic level. It is very important what is inside you, in what mood you live and act. Even a house built from railroad sleepers impregnated with creosote can become a source of positive power if a bright person full of the Joy of Life lives in it...
House, Family Estate as an artifact.
The estate is not only hedge, garden, vegetable garden, forest, clearing, pond, but also various buildings - a house, storage room, barn, bathhouse, gazebo.
Nature and man himself should be the model and measure for the structures created on the estate. Then all the buildings will be harmonious and beautiful, life will flow in them as beneficially as possible for the psyche and health, and it will become possible to discover and realize many of the abilities inherent in a person.
Today in architecture there are:
1. Estates and houses built to living dimensions.
These houses have the properties of all living beings - they were created taking into account the golden ratio and the so-called wurf coefficients. Wurf is a three-member division of the human body (it will be discussed in more detail below). This includes houses created using the ancient Russian fathom system. This is how houses are built for a comfortable and pleasant life.
Basic fathoms in meters:
Policeman 2,848
Large 2,584
Great 2,440
Greek 2,304
Breech 2.176
Pharaoh 2,091
Piletsky 2.055
Tsarskaya 1.974
Church 1,864
Narodnaya 1,760
Chernyaeva 1,691
Egyptian 1,663
Masonry 1,597
Simple 1,508
Small 1.424
Minor 1.345
All 16 fixed fathoms, according to which it is proposed to design structures, are calculated based on the size of historical buildings - cultural monuments. Fathoms increase in accordance with the harmony coefficient of the musical series - 1.059.
I would like to emphasize that fathoms are a tool for creating volume, and not just a unit of measurement of length. You can make a fathom from any size.
Harmonious dimensions give buildings and structures the following properties:
1. Beauty;
2. Durability;
3. Durability;
4. Excellent acoustics;
5. Health benefits for people;
6. Harmonization of space.
Before the introduction of design by meters, not only houses, but also parks and cities were created by fathoms; the name of one of the fathoms reminds us of this - gorodovaya.
The land on the estate varied in tithes - 1 tithe - 109 acres. One tithe contains 2400 square fathoms. 4,548 sq. m – square fathom.
2.848x1.597=4.548 sq. m;
2.548x1.76=4.548 sq. m;
2.44x1.864=4.548 sq. m;
2.304x1.974=4.548 sq. m;
2.176x2.090=4.548 sq. m;
1.508x2x1.508=4.548 sq. m;
When creating a house by fathoms, it is taken into account that in nature there are no identical figures - diversity pleases the eye and pacifies the psyche.
Amazing harvests were also noted on the ridges marked by fathoms.
A separate topic on the estate is the creation of a “living pond”, i.e. such a reservoir, where the water is self-purifying as much as possible (does not become overgrown), everything is favorable for the life of fish, crayfish and, at the request of the owners, for swimming. Of course, for the construction of a pond, it is important, first of all, to have a water source (source indicators are green grass, willow, alder), a clay bed, and the location of the banks along geodetic lines. And only then the pond is marked by fathoms.
The depth of the bottom should be different, and it is desirable that the reservoir be deeper in the north and shallower in the south. For convenience, it is possible to build 1 or 2 terraces deep into the pond about 0.5 m wide for planting aquatic plants, for example water lilies, reeds. It is advisable to extend the banks of the pond in the direction of the wind. The combination is important natural forms and geodetic lines. Thus, a pond in the shape of a shrimp or snake will not self-clean if built on a plain. But this form is perfect for a pond at the foot of a mountain or in a ravine.
Paths in the estate should not be straight. The energy moves in a tortuous way. A striking example is the streets of old Moscow. Standing at the beginning of such a street, you will not see its end - it is so crooked. It is necessary to follow nature, and there are no straight lines in it, especially parallel ones. The same goes for ridges. It is better when long ridges are arranged in the shape of a meander or snake.
2. Dead estates and houses.
These structures slow down natural processes, therefore, they are used to preserve inanimate products and bodies, such as refrigerators, storehouses, and crypts. Such houses are based on regular geometric shapes that are not found in nature - a square, a circle, an isosceles and equilateral triangle. The exception here is the hexagon - a honeycomb, a regular geometric figure, but alive.
Land is measured in squares - square meter, square weave, square hectare.
Ponds are created in the form of regular geometric shapes, regardless of geodetic lines, cardinal directions and wind direction.
The paths are straight, turns at clear angles.
3. Other structures.
Not “living” and “dead” estates and houses. Such structures are created by amateurs or are intended for some unknown, cosmic purposes. These include new buildings and city apartments. The topic has not been studied, you can write a dissertation....
Used Books:
2. Seminar July 6-10 by Sepp Holzer in Krameterhof.
3. Website sazheni.ru
4. Forum http://forum.anastasia.ru/topic_47351_90.html
God created the World, and the Harmony of the World distantly reflects the perfection of God. God gave people reason and feelings capable of perceiving the Harmony of the World. Moreover, Harmony is inherent in Man himself. And Man can not only perceive, but also reproduce the Harmony of the World in his works.
Harmony is measurable. One of the measures of Harmony is the human measure - the fathom. By creating something fathom by sazhen, Man imparts Beauty and Harmony to his works. As much as it is natural for Man to live in nature created by God, so natural is it for Man to live and use creations that reflect this Harmony.
It is natural for a person to live in a harmonious environment created by himself. This so-called “cultural” environment. It is a secondary, artificially created habitat by Man. However, this secondary nature must also comply with the laws of Harmony and be favorable for humans. Such a correspondence can be ensured by the fathom.
The uniqueness of the Old Russian fathom system is that “there is fundamentally no single standard measurement unit for fathoms, and the measurement system itself is not Euclidean.
For many centuries, the lack of a unified standard did not hinder, and moreover, contributed to the construction of magnificent, aesthetically proportional structures to the nature also because in ancient Russian architecture all divisions were tripartite,” notes A. F. Chernyaev in the book “Golden Fathoms of Ancient Rus'” .
For example, fingers, toes, arms (shoulder-forearm-hand), legs (thigh, lower leg, foot), etc., have a three-part structure. Moreover, a two-membered limb did not exist in nature.
The ratio of the 3 lengths makes up a proportion called wurf. Wurf values across the human body vary, averaging 1.31.
Moreover, the coefficient of the golden section squared, divided by two, is equal to the wurf. (1.618x1.618):2=1.31.
Currently, most architects in Russia have undeservedly forgotten the design methodology by fathoms and use the metric system.
Let's look at the history of the meter. The meter was first introduced in France in the 18th century and originally had two competing definitions:
Like the length of a pendulum with a half-period of swing at a latitude of 45° equal to 1 s (in modern units this length is equal to m).
As one forty-millionth of the Paris meridian (that is, one ten-millionth of the distance from the north pole to the equator along the surface of the earth's ellipsoid at the longitude of Paris).
The modern definition of the meter in terms of time and the speed of light was introduced in 1983:
A meter is the distance traveled by light in a vacuum in (1/299,792,458) seconds.
It turns out that the meter is an artificially derived unit of measurement, not directly related, and, accordingly, does not reflect the Harmony of the World and Man. Meter is a standard that forms a line. Fathoms are a natural measure for Man. They form a three-part (3 is a sacred number) system, according to which the area and volume are harmoniously formed.
Peter the Great, as D.S. writes. Merezhkovsky, in his work “Antichrist,” abolished the natural measures: fathom, finger, elbow, vershok, present in clothing, utensils and architecture, making them fixed in a Western manner. It was not for nothing that the meter was introduced in France and Russia during the revolutions. The destroyers knew why it was necessary to forget the wisdom and traditions of their ancestors, to destroy the roots...
Ancient people felt Harmony intuitively, without thinking about measurements. But the connection with God weakened, which is why rigidly fixed sizes of fathoms arose, and rules for constructing various structures according to fathoms appeared.
Our ancestors carefully preserved and passed on age-old wisdom and beauty, embodying them in the temples of Ancient Rus'. Life on estates and houses built by fathoms made it possible not to lose the feeling of the Harmony of the World and reminded Man of God.
Now we are visiting estates miraculously preserved after collectivization and urbanization. For example, in Moscow, near Red Square, there is the Romanov family estate, where now only the house-museum, “House of the Romanov Boyars,” remains. The house-museum and part of the estate of the artist Vasnetsov have been preserved in the former Troitsky Lane near the Sukharevskoye metro station.
On Novy Arbat, behind the high-rise buildings, a piece of the estate and the Lermontov family home are hidden. Everyone knows Boldino, the family estate of the great Russian poet Pushkin. A charming corner is the estate of the artist Polenov in Tarusa, where the museum is run by his descendants.
The family estate of the “father of Russian aviation”, the memorial house-museum and Zhukovsky’s estate are located in the village of Orekhovo, 30 km from Vladimir, on the Vladimir-Alexandrov highway. And there are many such examples.
The revival of ancient traditions of creating estates and estates will undoubtedly serve the socio-economic recovery and improvement of life in the country, the development of the spiritual, creative forces and abilities of new landowners.
Used Books:
Variety of fathoms
Let's consider various options the use of fathoms in the design of a residential building. Common to all methods: when building a house by fathoms, the external dimensions of the house must have different dimensions along the 3 coordinate axes, and only an even number of fathoms is laid off. The space inside the house is planned in a similar way, only an even number of half-fathoms, elbows, spans, pasterns or vershoks is taken.
Details such as windows and doors rounded at the top, a high roof, various terraces and porches, asymmetrical elements and parts of the house make it original and memorable. A separate topic is decorating the house with carvings, the so-called “patterning”. This is a whole language of different figures, telling about the family living in the house. Furniture is made according to the size of the house and the owners. The color of the decoration complements the interior space of the house: curtains, carpets, paintings.
Design for 16 fixed fathoms
An even number of fathoms is laid out along the 3 axes, which must be different and not appear next to each other in the list.
1. Piletsky 2.055
2. Egyptian 1,663
3. Smaller 1.345
4. State-owned 2,176
5. Folk 1,760
6. Small 1.424
7. Greek 2,304
8. Church 1,864
9. Simple 1.508
10. Great 2,440
11. Tsarskaya 1,974
12. Masonry 1,597
13. Big 2,584
14. Pharaoh 2,091
15. Chernyaeva 1,691
16. Policewoman 2,848
So, the external dimensions of the house can be as follows: length - 6 church fathoms, height - 4 royal fathoms, width - 4 folk fathoms. If the house is round or polygonal, then the outer diameter is equal to an even number of fathoms, for example, 4 masonry fathoms.
Fathoms according to the owner's golden proportions.
It is proposed to take five consecutive numbers of the golden ratio 0.382/0.618/1/1.618/2.618. These coefficients must be multiplied by the height of the owner - the result is a series of fathoms proportional to his height. For example, with a height of 1.764 m, the scale will be as follows: 0.674/1.090/1.764/2.854/4.618 m. The specified series is successively multiplied by 2, 4, 8, 16... - a table is formed from which the sizes of individual fathoms are determined. The fathoms calculated by this method are divided into 2, 4, 8, 16, 32... parts, respectively. As a result, we obtain independent units: half fathoms, cubits, spans, pasterns, tops.
Types of “human” fathoms.
The most famous “human” fathoms:
- flywheel. This is the length of outstretched arms;
- height. Just the height of a person;
- oblique. The height of a person with his arm raised up.
Based on the specified fathoms, the house is designed taking into account the size of the owner and mistress. The external dimensions of the house are calculated according to the size of the owner, and the internal dimensions - according to the size of the owner. There is a hidden meaning here: such correspondence is intended to reflect the relationship between the roles of men and women in the family.
In conclusion, it should be noted that regardless of the units of length (distance can be measured in feet, meters or parrots), when designing by fathoms, we create a “living”, harmonious Human space for Love, creativity and relaxation.
Used Books:
1. A.F. Chernyaev “Golden fathoms of Ancient Rus'”.
Feedback from the owner of a house built according to the Old Russian fathom system about her house
My house is really built according to Russian fathoms. But only outside. Inside - that’s how it happened. It’s comfortable to live in it, we don’t want to leave it - we perceive it as Living being, very friendly and cheerful.
Is it the reason for this fathom, or the fact that it was built with Love by our like-minded person, a very pure and kind person, with great experience construction - it's hard to say.
Most often I hear the following words about my house: “how nice it is!” It seems small, but it seems not very, moderately tall, moderately wide, so strong - in a word - okay. But this, I think, is the merit of the fathoms.
It is pleasing to the eye with its proportions, and, of course, elegant (after all, we love it - so we dressed it up). Guests, coming in for a minute, do not leave for hours - they just sit on the steps or on the terrace. This is especially noticeable in children; the baby’s mother lowers him to the ground to go home, and he again climbs the stairs into the house - and is so happy.
Six months after the house was built, I attended Chernyaev’s seminar in Lipetsk. There I learned an important thing that everyone should take into account when building a house, even if the construction is not in fathoms.
Ceiling height in a house with stove heating should be as large as possible - superheated air rises and hangs near the ceiling. If the ceilings are 3 meters (Chernyaev says 3.20 is better), then everything is fine. If it is lower, then our head is always in the discomfort zone.
Indeed, during the heating season my son could not sleep on top bunk bed(the height of our ceilings is 2.5 meters) - it’s very hot and stuffy up there.
I am for the settlers’ houses to be solid, beautiful and in good order. Extra costs“for beauty” pay off handsomely - how many times does my
The interior of Russian huts is for the most part very similar and includes a number of elements that can be found in any home. If we talk about the structure of the hut, it consists of:
The first thing a guest encountered when entering the house was the canopy. This is a kind of zone between the heated room and the street. All the cold was retained in the hallway and did not enter the main room. The canopy was used by the Slavs for economic purposes. The rocker and other things were kept in this room. Located in the entryway lumber room. This is a room that was separated from the entryway by a partition. It contained a chest with flour, eggs and other products.
The heated room and the canopy were separated by a door and a high threshold. This threshold was made to make it more difficult for cold air to penetrate into a warm room. In addition, there was a tradition according to which the guest, entering the room, had to bow, I greet the owners and the brownie. The high threshold “forced” the guests to bow down when entering the main part of the house. Since entry without bowing was ensured by hitting the head on the doorframe. With the advent of Christianity in Rus', bowing to the brownie and the owners was supplemented by making the sign of the cross and bowing to the icons in the red corner.
Stepping over the threshold, the guest found himself in the main room of the hut. The first thing that caught my eye was the stove. It was located immediately to the left or right of the door. The Russian stove is the main element of the hut. The absence of a stove indicates that the building is non-residential. And the Russian hut got its name precisely because of the stove, which allows you to heat the room. Another one important function of this device - cooking food. There is still no healthier way to cook food than in the oven. Currently, there are various steamers that allow you to preserve the maximum of useful elements in food. But all this is not comparable to food cooked from the stove. There are many beliefs associated with the stove. For example, it was believed that it was a favorite vacation spot for the brownie. Or, when a child lost a baby tooth, he was taught to throw the tooth under the stove and say:
“Mouse, mouse, you have a turnip tooth, and you give me a bone tooth.”
It was also believed that garbage from the house should be burned in a stove so that the energy does not go outside, but remains indoors.
The red corner is an integral component interior decoration Russian hut. It was located diagonally from the stove (most often this place fell on the eastern part of the house - a note to those who do not know where to install the red corner in modern home). It was a sacred place where towels, icons, faces of ancestors and divine books were located. A necessary part of the red corner was the table. It was in this corner that our ancestors ate food. The table was considered a kind of altar on which there was always bread:
“Bread on the table, so the table is a throne, but not a piece of bread, so the table is a board.”
Therefore, even today tradition does not allow sitting on the table. Leaving knives and spoons behind is considered a bad omen. To this day, another belief associated with the table has survived: young people were forbidden to sit on the corner of the table in order to avoid the fate of celibacy.
Everyday objects in a Russian hut played their own role. A hiding place or chest for clothes was an important element of the house. Skrynya was inherited from mother to daughter. It included the girl’s dowry, which she received after marriage. This element of the interior of a Russian hut was most often located next to the stove.
Benches were also an important element of the interior of a Russian hut. Conventionally, they were divided into several types:
The upper room is another living space in the hut. Wealthy peasants had it, because not everyone could afford such a room. The upper room was most often located on the second floor.Hence its name, the upper room - “mountain”. It contained another oven called a Dutch oven. This is a round oven. In many village houses they still stand today as decoration. Although even today you can find huts that are heated by these ancient appliances.
Enough has already been said about the stove. But we cannot fail to mention those tools that were used in working with Russian stoves. Poker- the most famous item. It is an iron rod with a curved end. A poker was used to stir and rake coals. The pomelo was used to clean the stove from coals..
With the help of a grabber it was possible to drag or move pots and cast iron pots. It was a metal arc that made it possible to grab the pot and move it from place to place. The grip made it possible to place the cast iron in the oven without fear of getting burned.
Another item used when working with the stove is bread shovel. With its help, bread is placed in the oven and taken out after cooking. And here is the word " Chaplya“Not many people know. This tool is also called a frying pan. It was used to grab a frying pan.
The cradle in Rus' had various forms. There were hollowed out ones, wicker ones, hanging ones, and “vanka-standers”. Their names were surprisingly varied: cradle, shaky, coli, rocking chair, cradle. But a number of traditions are associated with the cradle, which remained unchanged. For example, it was considered necessary to install the cradle in a place where the baby could watch the dawn. Rocking an empty cradle was considered bad omen. We still believe in these and many other beliefs to this day. After all, all the traditions of their ancestors were based on their personal experience, which the new generation adopted from their ancestors.
From time immemorial, the peasant hut made of logs has been considered a symbol of Russia. According to archaeologists, the first huts appeared in Rus' 2 thousand years ago BC. For many centuries, the architecture of wooden peasant houses remained virtually unchanged, combining everything that every family needed: a roof over their heads and a place where they can relax after a hard day of work.
In the 19th century, the most common plan for a Russian hut included a living space (hut), a canopy and a cage. The main room was the hut - a heated living space of a square or rectangular shape. The storage room was a cage, which was connected to the hut by a canopy. In turn, the canopy was a utility room. They were never heated, so they could only be used as living quarters in the summer. Among the poor segments of the population, a two-chamber hut layout, consisting of a hut and a vestibule, was common.
The ceilings in wooden houses were flat, they were often lined with painted planks. The floors were made of oak brick. The walls were decorated using red plank, while in rich houses the decoration was supplemented with red leather (less wealthy people usually used matting). In the 17th century, ceilings, vaults and walls began to be decorated with paintings. Benches were placed around the walls under each window, which were securely attached directly to the structure of the house itself. At approximately the level of human height, long wooden shelves called voronets were installed along the walls above the benches. On shelves located along the room they stored kitchen utensils, and on others - tools for men's work.
Initially, the windows in Russian huts were volokova, that is, observation windows that were cut into adjacent logs, half the log down and up. They looked like a small horizontal slit and were sometimes decorated with carvings. They closed the opening (“veiled”) using boards or fish bladders, leaving a small hole (“peeper”) in the center of the latch.
After some time, the so-called red windows, with frames framed by jambs, became popular. They had a more complex design than the fiber ones, and were always decorated. The height of the red windows was at least three times the diameter of the log in the log house.
In poor houses, the windows were so small that when they were closed, the room became very dark. In rich houses, windows with outside closed with iron shutters, often using pieces of mica instead of glass. From these pieces it was possible to create various ornaments, painting them with paints with images of grass, birds, flowers, etc.
“The house is bright - the fate is bright,
Don’t look for good in a dark house.”
Since ancient times, when man lived in unity with nature, instructions have been preserved on how to build a house in order to find comfort and peace of mind in it.
For the ancient Slavs, the construction of a house was filled with the deepest meaning, because in this case a person was likened to the gods who created the Universe. Great importance was attached to the choice building materials, time of commencement of work and location of construction.
Orientation of the house according to the cardinal directions
Our ancestors considered it very important to correctly position their home relative to the Earth's poles. Ancient architects revered the laws of nature and built in obedience to them.
It is not for nothing that Russian villages are always located in picturesque places. A gentle hill on the banks of a river or lake was considered ideal for construction. A natural source of water, our ancestors believed, brings vital energy into the house.
“Facing North. Look over your right shoulder - this is the view from your porch. Pull out right hand- Your bed will be there. Look over your left shoulder - the view from the kitchen window will open up. By left hand from you the storeroom will be equipped and the livestock must live behind the wall.” The advice of ancient masters is briefly conveyed in simple lines.
The Russian peasant set up the hut so that the rays of the sun entering the windows would provide as much warmth and light as possible, and the windows would offer a wide view of the surrounding nature. Free air currents wash a house located on a hill with energy jets, bringing goodness and taking away negative energy.
Orientation of the house according to the cardinal directions
Waking up early in the morning, with the first rays of the sun, a person receives energy and warmth, and is charged for the whole day. According to ancient building canons, the porch should face southeast. But the western wall of the house was “blank”, without doors or windows. According to ancient beliefs, it is the western wind that brings unexpected changes to a person’s life and “blows away” what has been acquired. As a rule, on this side there were outbuildings and livestock were kept.
According to the advice of ancient Slavic masters, it is better to orient children's and bedrooms in the house to the east or southeast, towards the rising sun. Kitchen - to the north or northwest. It is convenient if you can see the yard from the kitchen window so that you can watch the children playing without being distracted from household chores.
The house itself is better located in the northwestern sector of the yard. This will make it possible to beautifully decorate the central entrance with a porch and veranda, and protect yourself from the prying eyes of neighbors with a wall without windows.
Great importance was attached to the wind rose at the construction site. Large orchards in the courtyards they had not only food value, but also had a protective function. “Whatever stops the wind stops the energy.” The winds were deified. It is with them that the ancient Slavic beliefs about wealth and prosperity or, conversely, about the poverty that haunts the residents of an improperly built house are associated. On the south and east sides there might not be shutters on the windows of the house. But from the north or west, shutters decorated with intricate carvings protected not only from the cold, but also from adversity.
A good approach and access to the house is important. The road should be straight and not winding - then life in the house will be calm, measured, without unpleasant turns.
Under no circumstances should housing be built on site old road. The space of the former busy route is penetrated by blowing streams and the energy of life will not accumulate in the house, but will flow through it along the old path.
Be sure to have a clean, well-kept yard. By cluttering the space around him, a person brings chaos into his life.
Compliance with such simple rules, proven over centuries, will give the residents of the new home peace and comfort.
Disputed area
The plot of land, the ownership of which was in dispute, was considered an unfavorable place to build a house. This custom has a completely rational explanation, if only for the reason that the outcome of the litigation is unknown, and therefore all costs may be in vain. On the other hand, the disputed area is a border, a boundary that separates two territories, without belonging to either one or the other of them. Since ancient times, such places (and sometimes entire areas) were almost universally considered unfavorable, since something that is neither here nor there is connected with the other world and partly belongs to it, which means that a house built on a disputed territory can become accessible for spirits, including evil ones.
Another possible explanation is related to the following interesting observation. Borders, including boundary ones, often ran along energy structures on the surface of the earth, that is, exactly where building a residential building was by definition avoided. The ban on building on disputed land or on borders is common both for Russia and, in fact, for the whole of Europe (for example, in Ireland "... there are bans on the construction of houses or other structures crossing fairy paths)." I think it goes back to the times of the Indo-European community.
Home and raw meat
At different points of the site where construction was supposed to begin, pieces of raw meat of approximately the same quality were hung on fairly high poles. Those places where the meat spoiled in the first place were considered unsuitable.
What caused the different rates of meat spoilage - even those pieces that were placed close to each other, at points with approximately the same external characteristics (relief, humidity, lighting)?
Perhaps, in this case, the leading role is played by not obvious, but hidden (energy, information), so-called “subtle ecological” factors? Invisible factors... To be honest, I would really like to conduct an experiment.
A close, apparently “relative” of the Russian custom of hanging raw meat was known to the ancient Romans. It is described by the classic of architecture, the ancient Roman architect Marcus Vitruvius Pollio in his famous ten-volume treatise “De Architectura”. To choose a place to build a city, it was necessary to establish a pasture on the selected territory. After some time, the animals were killed and then their insides were carefully examined. If the majority of them had an affected liver, the chosen place was considered “unhealthy” and another had to be looked for. 
Thunder, lightning and water elements
It was not customary to build a house where lightning had once struck, or in a place where people once lived, but abandoned it due to disease and flooding.
The actual geomantic justification for the ban on building a house in a once flooded place is difficult to find. Perhaps it’s just a matter of the danger of a repetition of the tragedy.
As for lightning, while doing geomantic research and constantly going on field expeditions, we noticed that many areas have a unique microclimate. We also know places where trees are almost completely damaged by lightning. The increased frequency of lightning strikes at one point is easy to explain if the point is located on a hill or mound. If we are not talking about a dominant height, we can only assume that lightning strikes the ground above accumulations of groundwater or metal-containing rocks.
By association, I remember from ancient times a sign widespread throughout Europe: “Do not sleep on a vein of water.” Indeed, it is groundwater, and sometimes ores, that form geopathogenic zones that cause ill health. This is partly why, perhaps, another way of choosing a place for a house has appeared, associated with the ancient method of detecting groundwater.
Overnight, in several places on the site, frying pans or metal baking sheets (sheets) were left upside down. In the morning, at sunrise, they were raised and looked at which of them had collected the most moisture. Abundant moisture at the bottom of the dishes indicated that an underground water vein passed through this place. It was these places that were considered most suitable for digging wells. Accordingly, it was not worth building a house on them, not only because the high humidity would cause the logs to rot, but also because people would, at the very least, have trouble sleeping and wake up with a headache.
Blood and accidents
It was impossible to build a house and in the place where human bones were found, someone was injured to the point of bleeding, where a cart overturned or a shaft broke.
Respect for cemeteries, not to mention the fear of disturbing the peace of the dead buried inappropriately (or according to unfamiliar customs), is a well-known and widespread fact. He is probably quite familiar to most readers. But the ban related to injuries and, technically speaking, accidents seems very interesting. Now, with the rapid development of transport, we began to pay attention to numerous sections of roads that seem to attract accidents and emergencies.
Known to me and modern houses, built in geopathogenic zones, the effect of which is very peculiar: people there are not so much sick as injured. They are constantly injured, no matter how they, taught by bitter experience, take care. For example, in the Moscow region there is an apartment building in which all the residents of one of the entrances have constant problems with... their legs. Even if they get into an accident somewhere completely different, it is their legs that suffer first. 
"Patsir"
“...The owner brought pebbles from four different fields (and carried them under a hat on his head, or in the bosom of his naked body) and laid them out in a chosen place, marking future corners. He himself stood in the center of the crosshairs - in the center of the Universe, in the place of the World Tree - and, baring his head, prayed, and with an indispensable appeal for blessings and help to the deceased ancestors. Three days later they came to look at the stones: if they turned out to be undisturbed, then it was possible to build...” [Semyonova M. We are Slavs. - SP6., 1997.]
The quadrangle had to be such that the length of its side did not exceed nine steps (that is, about 4.5 m), which approximately corresponds, according to current concepts, to twice the length of a Hartmann network cell. Sometimes, instead of stones, four piles of grain were poured and left until the morning. If by morning the piles remained untouched, then this is - a good place. The prayer “Patsirya,” addressed to our ancestors, obviously came to us from the distant past.
Our northwestern neighbors knew something similar. The Scandinavian “Saga of Cormac” tells that before building a house, it is necessary to conduct a fortune-telling in order to find out whether the new home will be happy. If the results of several repeated measurements of the site coincided, this meant that living there would be good; if the result of repeated measurements turned out to be less, then there is nothing good to expect... Of course, all possible discrepancies and discrepancies can be attributed to the imperfection of the measuring instruments, but... 
Construction victim
Construction sacrifice (Bauopfer) was widespread. [Baiburin A. Dwelling in the rituals and beliefs of the Eastern Slavs. - L., 1983.]
Before the act of laying the first crown, a tree (symbol of the World Tree), cut down or dug up with roots, was installed - a birch or rowan. Some set them up on a high place wooden cross. For this they took cedar (Surgut), a Christmas tree with an icon installed on it (Upper Volga, Vologda), oak (Kaluga), rowan (Dmitrov), and sometimes the tallest burdock (Tula)...
“The Eastern Slavs used horses, roosters, and chickens as construction sacrifices. Possibly cattle... Sacrifice of a rooster and chicken were very common until recently, and the sacrifice of a horse was recorded in the last century only in Ukraine.” [Ibid.]
From private informants I heard about the custom of placing strictly defined sacrificial objects at different corners of the house. It was about a frog, a rooster, a copper coin...
If we cast aside doubts about the reliability of this information, then we can assume that these, so different, victims have a deep hidden meaning and should be placed only at the appropriate angles of the building. Objects that had a protective and symbolic purpose, for example, gold chervonets or silver, were also placed under the corners of the house. I have come across many such “correct” houses... 
Home - Universe
Our homes are a mirror reflection of ourselves. They reflect our interests, our beliefs, our doubts, our spirit and our passions. They talk about how we experience ourselves and the world around us. Home is more than a comfortable and safe space. This is a place where you can come face to face with the universe. It is the intersection of space and time that receives or reflects energy. (D. Lynn, “Sacred Space”)
The house is not just a structure, the purpose of which is to shelter from bad weather, cold, the enemy and provide more comfortable living conditions than outside it.
“The peasant house was usually built as a model of the World. The oven represented the earth, and the red corner opposite it with icons represented the Sun and God in the sky...
...The closest place to the furnace mouth is women's corner(kitchen). The feminine, birthing element is indeed associated with the furnace-earth.
Among other things, the symbolism of the central pillar, which is the axis of rotation of the World, is of interest. It can also be represented as a certain central principle uniting the Black God of the earth and the White God, juxtaposed with the sky. (Belkin I. What did the Black God look like? // Myths and magic of the Indo-Europeans - M., 1997.- Issue 4)
In other words, a house, a dwelling can be considered as a semblance of " special place”, or a place of Power that has specified properties and functions, which can be conventionally designated as “security and protection”.
You can trace the layout scheme, common for both the house (yard) and settlements, and for places where religious buildings were erected. In each case, rituals were used, which, although they differed in details, were undoubtedly identical in the main, since they expressed the same idea. The difference stemmed from functional purpose, although the dwelling could also act as a religious building: it is known that in pre-Christian (and even later) times a significant number of rituals took place inside the house under the leadership of the head of the family. 
“A whole series of pagan festivals were held inside the house. It's about not only about narrow family matters such as christenings, tonsures, matchmaking, weddings, funerals.
Almost all community-wide or community-wide crowded councils and events were held in two ways: some part of the ritual was performed in squares, sanctuaries and temples, and some - by each family in its own mansion, at its stove, at its bunk.
New fortune-telling and spells for the future harvest, carols and generosity, masquerades, bear dressers, Maslenitsa riotous feasts with pancakes, rituals associated with the first pasture of livestock, harvest celebrations and much more - all this began in every family, inside the house where the head of the family ( "prince" in wedding terminology) performed the functions of a priest and led the entire festive ceremony." [Rybakov B. Paganism ancient Rus'. - M., 1991.]
It is not without reason that the statement “my house is my temple” was one of the main theses of the medieval Strigol heretics. We find something similar among the Old Believers. The construction and orientation of a dwelling in space, as we already know, were usually accompanied by numerous magical actions and were regulated by temporary and other rules and prohibitions. 
“The outskirts consisted of two orders of houses. Both orders faced the river because it was south. This was especially important here in the North.” (Kruglova O. My North // Panorama of Arts. - M., 1986. - Issue 9)
It is possible that such a custom dates back not a hundred years, but millennia. Here, pure utilitarianism, the inherent desire for beauty, and the symbolism of archaic beliefs are intertwined together. The ancient dugout houses had no windows, and the south side is lighter than all the others, since the Sun shines from there. But at the same time, a house facing south is better protected from adverse influences - from “evil spirits”.
The courtyard also carries sacred symbolism. This can be traced, say, through ritual songs.
“How Kaleda walked on Christmas Eve,
How Kaleda searched for Nicholas's court!
How Kaleda came to Nikolai's yard.
Nikolaev is a courtyard, it is not small, not great:
On seven miles, on eight pillars,
On eight pillars - on tall ships!
The pillars are turned and gilded!
And around his yard there is an iron wall,
On each stamen there is a zamchuzhinka.”
(Quoted from: Rozov A. Towards a comparative study of the poetics of calendar songs // Poetics of Russian folklore. - L., 1981. - (Russian folklore. - T. XXI))
In the above code, it is interesting not only to describe the structure of the courtyard, but also to mention the name of its owner: “Nicholas” is a fairly common male name, which, however, is firmly associated with the corresponding saint. Much has already been said about the transfer of the functions and attributes of ancient pagan deities to Christian saints, including the endowment of St. Nicholas with some of the attributes of Veles... That is, in this case, the name is an expression, rather, of an archetype than of a specific person or saint. 
It is logical to assume: a “correctly placed” house should have some kind of special spatial orientation; its placement relative to energy power structures on the surface of the earth (Hartman networks, etc., the significant elements of which are stripes and nodes - points of intersection of stripes) can be similar, for example , the one discovered by Professor P. Poddar in the Himalayas. (Poddar P. Mysterious energies in and around us // Architecture & Design. - Delhi, 1991) According to him, the house was placed in such a way that each of its internal rooms was inside a cell of a geobiological network.
House amulets
A special attitude towards home is equally strongly developed in the traditional cultures of all peoples of the world. In some cases, we can even talk about the sacralization of an entire settlement as a kind of “ancestral” or “tribal” home. Indo-Europeans - and therefore the Slavs - are no exception. The cult of the house itself is very ancient; The age of ideas about the need to protect a home from the invasion of invisible enemies is equally respectable.
Housing that arises as a means of protecting a person from dangers environment, itself begins to need protection: “...The idea of protecting the walls, windows and roof of a home with the help of magical images arose in ancient times and lasted for a very long time. (Rybakov B. Cited op.)
It can be added that the mentioned “idea of protection” continues to exist to this day, sometimes taking completely paradoxical forms among townspeople who are interested in, say, bioenergy... But that’s not what we’re talking about.
Not only the inhabitants of the house, but also the house as such, were protected with the help of amulets.
“... I was mentally transported to the distant past, when, indeed, the house was guarded on all sides by guards, amulets, ancient symbols and people believed in their magical power. And even now, if you just look closely, we will see traces of these pagan beliefs everywhere around us, as if the whole village was filled with ancient spirits.
Over the roofs of huge northern houses rise ohlupni in the form of horses and ducks. According to legend, they guard the entire house. Skates from above can see all the front windows of the house, and there are a lot of them - four huts on the facade, and that means sixteen windows...
The side facades, which have a huge extent, where there are also many windows and windows cut through and where the front porch and all the utility entrances to the house are located, are under the reliable protection of chickens, which protrude from under the roof drain in a real formation...
On the back façade of the house, where the intake is, the drains have the same wide bells, since each drain is made up of two colossal trees, with their tops together; the length of one tree would not be enough. And this entire mighty chute is held on the backs of the chickens. There are a lot of them. (...) But this is not all home security.
I think that the massive pillar into which the high northern porch was cut was once also a talisman for the main entrance to the hut.
In addition, all the doors and gates of the houses still have forged rings as round as the sun, horse horseshoes hang above the entrances, in front of the porches here in Zasulye, as in other places, they liked to place a round stone - often it was an old millstone. Thus, the house was surrounded on all sides by spirits." (Kruglova O. Cited op.)
So, the magical protection of the house was carried out through its correct placement in space and the observance of special rituals when choosing a place and construction, and after construction with the help of various kinds of symbolic images. 
If a house is a “mini-model” of the Universe, then the ornaments that decorated it were, first of all, designed to clearly show its similarity and identity to the entire Universe. Obviously, this is why the famous carvings that adorn the northern huts to this day (not only huts, however, but also many wooden and later stone temples) actually serve as an illustrated reflection of the traditional idea of our ancestors about the world.
A properly built house depicting the ideal world order itself was supposed to serve best protection from possible troubles and troubles. And there was something to defend against...
“In the summer of 6600. It was wonderful to see the miracle of Polostets, in darkness: there were nights, wandering along the streets like people daringly enraging. If someone crawls out of the mansion, although he can see it, he is wounded, invisibly, from demons with an ulcer, and from there I die. And I don’t dare to climb out in unison. At seven o'clock in the day they began to appear on the horses, and not to see them themselves, but to see their horses' hooves. And so the people of Polotsk and its region were wounded. This is why people say that they will beat the enemy.” (Description of events in Polotsk in 1092 from the Radziwill Chronicle is given according to: B. Rybakov, op. cit.)
It is officially accepted that this is how the chronicler described the pestilence. (See: Rybakov B., op. cit.) Maybe, but personally, this description reminds me most of all of a poltergeist of colossal power (German myth.: gnome; brownie): otherwise, where could the hooves of “their horse” come from? - that is, visible footprints and stomp (tutan)? And what can be considered “miraculous” in the pestilence even from the point of view of a person of the 11th century?
However, some images actually served defensive functions. These are carved or painted crosses, the tradition of depicting which seems to be much more ancient than their Christian content. We find something similar in Western Europe: Nigel Pennick in “Magical Alphabets” reports on ancient houses on the walls of which the runes of Gebo, Berkana, Ansuz, Laguz, etc. are applied (or even “built-in” into the structure of the walls), thereby providing magical protection for the house from external encroachments. (Pennik N. Magic alphabets. - Kyiv: Sofia, 1995) 
They tried to protect the yard in a similar way. Stones with holes - “chicken gods” - were hung on the fence poles. It is not without reason that the word “chicken” is believed to be a modified version of “churiny,” that is, related to Chur, or Shur, the deity or spirit of ancestors (perhaps simply some concept associated with ancestors). It is important that “chur” simultaneously means “interface”, “border”. In other words, we can talk about Chura both as the spirit of an ancestor - a guardian, and as the deity of the boundary.
Clay pots and jars, which are still hung on fences and fences in Russian villages, also had protective magical meaning. It is believed that in this way it was possible to drive away birds of prey and protect domestic birds. But very closely - and hardly by chance - this custom echoes the Western European tradition of placing traps (or bottles) around the house to catch unkind spirits.
Spirit traps, widely used in ancient times to protect individual houses and entire settlements, took the form of special devices, bottles, cleverly woven nets and similar structures. It is they, it seems to me, who became the prototypes of the current protective devices, which is widely used to eliminate harmful influence pathogenic zones. 
Living tradition at home 
In search of traces of the ancient Russian tradition, we usually rush to the outback, to the North, to Siberia... Where, they say, do these traces come from, in the very center of Russia, where almost the entire (or completely all) population has become, as many believe, in “Ivanov, who do not remember kinship”? But if Tradition is something living, continuous and always - whether hidden or open - present in us and around us, we should look not for its traces, but for its manifestations. And for this - think about it! - it is not at all necessary to go far away.
For example, when I travel a lot around the Moscow region, I often come across old and not so old houses in villages and villages, many of which could serve as models for historical researchers, ethnographers or for artists who use traditional motifs in their work. Such houses can be found in the most different places Moscow region, and not only somewhere on its outskirts, but, sometimes, near the Moscow Ring Road itself. Some of them are interesting with their unusual layout, others with their marvelous carved patterns, others are decorated with signs and amulets, and what kind...
We will talk about one of these “just decorations”. 
... About fifteen years ago I first found myself near a small village near the city of Serpukhov. The farmstead is like a farmstead, quite Russian in appearance: several houses, sheds, rickety fences... well, in general, everything is as it should be. And the only thing that caught my attention and was remembered was, from my point of view at that time, the not-quite-usual design of the porch of one of the houses. Then, I must admit, the only thing that remained in my memory was that a rather interesting carved image was placed above the front door.
On boarded painted wall At home, almost under the very ridge of the porch roof, an unknown master placed three carved reliefs. They are made using the technique of applied carving, quite simply - no more complicated than weather vanes, which other jewelry lovers often place on the roofs of country houses. Two round rosettes in the shape of a flower, located one above the other, and between them is a human figurine. What would seem simpler?
Only many years later did I understand the meaning and realize the full significance of what I saw. Anyone who has some idea of traditional Russian symbolism will easily recognize in this carving not just a pretty decoration, but a rather clever composition, which is nothing more than a traditional house amulet, containing an echo of our ancestors’ ideas about the world and man's place in it. 
The upper rosette is eight-pointed, the lower one is six-pointed. The most logical assumption seems to be that the entire composition as a whole is a symbolic image of the three worlds: upper, middle and lower. This model is typical for most traditional cultures. Above is the sun, below is a man, even below... Stop! The lower rosette is also made in the shape of the sun. Exactly the same or similar suns are found in abundance on the towels of northern huts. (The towel is here: an element of decoration of a traditional Russian house in the form of a flat-cut board located at the junction of two roof slopes.) But why did the master depict two suns?
Perhaps, so that trouble cannot enter this house either in the summer (the upper rosette can symbolize the “summer” sun) or in the winter (then the lower rosette will be an image of the lower, “winter” sun)? In this case, the human, or more precisely, female, figure turns out to be, for example, something like a beregin. Be that as it may, what we have before us is not just a decoration, but another version of a house amulet. I am not inclined to say that this kind of amulet is something unique, but I could not find anything similar on houses in neighboring villages and hamlets.
It would probably never have occurred to me to write about this amulet if not for one most remarkable circumstance, namely, the age of the house in question. It is logical to expect that you will see such an image on old houses, built, say, in the nineteenth or, at worst, at the beginning of the twentieth century. But, according to the inhabitants, the house and, accordingly, the image are a little more than... half a century old.
The very people for whom this house was built live in it. However, they cannot explain what exactly the image means. We decided to build, found a craftsman, he built the house, placed carvings on the façade: the customers felt better, that’s all...
The owners do not remember the name of the carpenter who built the house. Of course: by the standards of human life, half a century is a considerable period of time. We are always in a hurry to get somewhere and are often unable to remember the names of people we met a week ago. And yet those whose memory stores much more knowledge than ours continue to live among us. It is not so important for them that we remember them by name, they need something else much more. In this case, it seems to me, the unknown master most of all wanted to live well and happily in the house he built.
Stanislav Ermakov
http://www.velesova-sloboda.org/heath/russianhouse.html
http://zdravomislie.ru/opitpredkov/narodnie-primeti/237-slavyanskij-dom-1-vybor-mesta-.html?start=4
