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| Caucasus/Russia/Central Asia |
| Trinity Cathedral in St. Petersburg is on fire |
| 2006-08-25 |
| Reports are saying the dome has now collapsed |
| Posted by:Thoth |
| #6 Are the roofs wooden? Nearly all large masonary structures require reinforcement of some sort. Extremely long sections of stone weigh far too much to be of service, especially at high interior elevations. The sidewalls to support such massive beams at great heights would be enormously thick. This is one of the reasons that flying buttresses were invented. They provide external support without obscuring the high vertical (clerestory) windows needed for interior illumination of such large buildings as cathedrals. Wood is an incredible building material. For example, there is no metal on earth that can equal the strength-to-weight ratio of wood. While stone arches could be used to support groined vaults, the main roof beams of the large churches invariably had to be of wood. While the three-dimensional nature of domes allowed for significantly greater use of masonary materials, the lightweight strength of wood usually meant that it was used as well. Even when it was not used structurally, many domes have their interior surfaces paneled or ornamented with wood. It is easier to carve or decorate and processing it into shape is far less expensive than stone. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-25 19:13 |
| #5 According to this take on the story it says it's one of the largest wooden domes in Europe. Here's a before picture. Here's a photo of the fire from Reuters I found at Fark. |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-08-25 19:04 |
| #4 "Reports are saying the dome has now collapsed" The last picture at the link doesn't show the spire and cross that the first ones did - you're probably right. Damned shame. I don't know much about the construction of these cathedrals - I thought they were stone. Are the roofs wooden? |
| Posted by: Barbara Skolaut 2006-08-25 18:24 |
| #3 I heard there were no Jews in the church at the time. Coincidence? |
| Posted by: Thoth 2006-08-25 17:59 |
| #2 While definitely a terrible loss, the current images seem to show the main dome shrouded in scaffholding. This allows for the possibility of there having been an actual work accident that ignited the fire. However, there were also reports of an explosion preceding the blaze, so it's still anyone's guess. One thing is for sure. If the conflagration was started by terrorists, expect some dreadful reprisals from Moscow. This church was an incredible piece of architecture. |
| Posted by: Zenster 2006-08-25 17:34 |
| #1 It was obviously undergoing serious work (scaffolding all over). Looks like a major "oops." Damn shame, though. |
| Posted by: Xbalanke 2006-08-25 17:33 |
