Russian architecture
Russian church architecture derived from Byzantine models and Eastern stylistic elements, developed in a consistent manner with scrupulous respect. The interior is divided into the tabernacle area (the bema) and the area for the congregation by means of the iconostasis, a wall with three doors (the center door is “holy,” and may only be used by bishop, priest, or if need by a deacon); the ornamentation is Eastern in origin, although Baroque features do occur – most notably in the onion domes (often gilded) on the bell towers. This distinctively Russian style survived only in icons after the eighteenth century. From then on almost all architectural stimulus came from Germany, Italy, and France. (Pothorn, 1979)