THE SACRED TRIAD OF SPACE: PAINTING, LIGHT, AND WOOD AS MEANING-FORMING CATEGORIES IN THE ARCHITECTURE OF BOYKO CHURCHES IN TURKA…

Abstract

This study explores the wooden sacral architecture of the Boyko region through the example of church complexes in Turka, interpreting them as a unique spiritual landscape in which painting, light, and wood function as interrelated meaning-forming categories. The research moves beyond a purely formal analysis of architectural structures and proposes to read the church as a living cultural text – one shaped by materiality, visual perception, and sensory experience. The main focus is placed on the symbolic and phenomenological dimensions of painting, light, and wood as key elements that construct both the spatial image of the temple and the inner experience of human presence within it. The architectural and spatial characteristics of Boyko churches are examined as a semiotic system, where compositional structure, the rhythm of log constructions, the vertical articulation of three-part silhouettes, and the plasticity of details serve as carriers of deep spiritual meaning. The study also analyzes the interaction between interior and exterior space, demonstrating how nature is not separated from the sacred but rather integrated into it: the landscape flows into architecture, and architecture transforms into a state of contemplation and prayer. Particular attention is given to wood as a natural material that embodies memory, time, and tradition, preserving the warmth of human craftsmanship while accumulating the experience of generations. It is argued that light in Boyko churches functions not merely as a physical phenomenon but as a metaphor for spiritual presence and revelation; painting is interpreted as a mode of inner dialogue with the sacred; and wood emerges as a carrier of traditional meanings related to life, continuity, and spiritual transition. In this context, nature itself becomes transformed into a form of prayer. The article outlines the significance of Boyko's wooden sacral architecture as a component of the intangible cultural heritage of the Carpathian region and actualizes its potential in modern cultural and spiritual discourse, considering the temple not as an object, but as a space of living presence, in which wooden architecture becomes a form of painting, and painting - the language of light.