Christian Architecture

CHRISTIANITY

• developed out of Judaism in the 1st century CE (33CE), in Palestine. It is founded on the life, teachings, death,
and resurrection of Jesus Christ and those who follow him are called "Christians"
• has many different branches and forms with accompanying variety in beliefs and practices. The three major
branches of Christianity are Roman Catholicism, Easter Orthodoxy, and Protestantism, with numerous
subcategories within each of these branches
• traditional Christian beliefs include the belief in the one and only true God, who is one being and exists as Father,
Son, and Holy Spirit, and the belief that Jesus is the divine and human Messiah sent to save the world
• Christianity is also noted for its emphasis on faith in Christ as the primary component of religion. The sacred text
of Christianity is the Bible, including both the Hebrew scriptures (also known as the Old Testament) and the New
testament
• central to Christian practice is the gathering at churches for worship, fellowship, and study, and engagement with
the world through evangelization and social action
ART

• the earliest identifiably Christian art consists of a few 2nd century wall and ceiling paintings in the Roman
catacombs, which continued to be decorated in a sketchy style derived from Roman impression through the 4th
century
• the earliest Christian iconography tended to be symbolic. A simple rendering of a fish was sufficient to allude to
Christ. Bread and wine invoked the Eucharist. During the 3rd and 4th centuries, in the catacomb paintings and in
other manifestations, Christians began to adapt familiar pagan prototypes to new meanings. The early figural
representation of Christ, for instance, most often show him as the good shepherd by directly borrowing from a
classical prototype. He was also sometimes depicted in the guise of familiar gods or heroes, such as Apollo or
Orpheus
• when the religion had achieved some measure of power, It took on more exalted attributes. Narratives tended at
first to be typological, often suggesting parallels between the Old and New testaments. The earliest scenes from
the life of Christ to be depicted were the miracles. The Pasion, particularly the Crucifixion itself, was generally
avoided until the religion was well established
• the beginning of Early Christian art date to the period when the religion was a modest and sometimes persecuted
sect, and its flowering was possible only after 313, when the Christian emperor Constantine the Great decreed
official toleration of Christianity. Subsequent Imperial sponsorship brought the religion popularity, riches, and
many converts from all classes of society
EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE

• Prior to the 4th century, Christian rites were often conducted discretely in homes or "house churches" rather than
in dedicated public structures
• when Christian churches did begin to appear they instilled the religion with a newfound prominence and a sense
of permanence. The architecture and imagery of older faiths was often modified to express uniquely Christian
beliefs. For example depictions of angels reflected the Greek winged goddess Nike.
• as Christian grew in public esteem, some churches and monasteries were created to publicly memorialize events
from the life of Jesus. Jerusalem's Church of the Holy Sepulcher is built on the traditional site of both the
Crucifixion and the adjacent tomb (or sepulcher) from which Jesus is believed to have risen from the dead.
Constantine I first completed a church on this site around AD 336
• the church has been razed and rebuilt several times throughout Jerusalem's contentious history. Much of the
present structure dates from the early 19th century. Architecture also reflected the faith's growing social and
political prominence. In AD 313 Emperor Constantine I donated a royal palace, known as the Lateran, as a
residence for the Bishop of Rome
 • Rome's cathedral, now called St. John Lateran, was built on palace land formerly occupied by the Imperial horse
guards
• The basilica was long the center of Christian life in the city and still remains its distinction as the Cathedral of
Rome – through the original structure has been damaged and reconstructed several times over the centuries
TYPICAL BASILICA CHURCH

• common form of the early church

• the interiors were given more importance than the exterior
• rectangular hall, timber-roofed with coffers and richly glided ceiling (hiding the roof truss) on nave
usually with one or two aisles to each side of the central nave separated by row of rustic marble columns,
sometimes carrying flat entablatures and sometimes, rows of arches
• the width of aisles was half that of the central nave
• Apse at one end facing the principal entrances at the other end
• Bema or Transept – a raised platform where altar was placed and from where the clergy officiated
• a courtyard, the atrium, having a central fountain for ablutions and surrounded by colonnaded ambulatory
• a narthex – corresponding to entrance foyer, preceding the nave
• the nave and bema received light from clerestory above the aisles and were pierced with windows
• above aisles and between clerestory windows, the wall may be faced with marble, or mosaics made up from
small tesserae of colored glass
• the nave terminated into a 'triumphal arch', perhaps having iridescent mosaics
• the semicircular walls of the apse ended into a dome, whose interiors had mosaics depicting narrative scenes
from Bible or single figures seen against stylized landscaped or plain gold grounds
• the flooring was of gray-white and black marble, inlaid with geometric patterns of colored marble
• the columns, capitals and similar features from Old Roman buildings were frequently reused to enhance the
liveliness of the interiors
OLD ST. PETER'S BASILICA

• built over the historical site of the Circus of Nero under the rule of Emperor Constantine I in c. 320 AD
• the original church survived without much change until towards the end of the 15th century and the nave for
another country
• remains of old foundation are present below the present flooring but details of atrium are obscure
• Dimensions; 110.0m x 64.0m with double aisles on both sides
• the nave was divided from aisles by 22 varied (size and color), huge and antique marble columns with equally
varied capitals supporting the nave walls on a horizontal entablature, while similar numbers of shorter columns
carrying arcades divided aisle from aisle
• it was built in the shape of Latin cross, with a gable roof, timbered on inside and at 30.0m high at the center
• an atrium known as the Garden of Paradise stood at the entrance with 5 doors
• the nave ended with an arch and the walls had parallel windows each with frescos

ETCHMAIDZIN CATHEDRAL

• Vagharshapat, Armenia; 301 to 303 AD

• The main cathedral of the Armenian Apostolic Church, the Etchmaidzin Cathedral is one of the oldest cathedrals
in the world. It was built following the adoption of Armenia of Christianity during the 3rd century. It has wooden
doors and frescos of scenes from the Old Testament. It also has a cruciform plan with a central cupola, piers, and
four apses
ST. PETERS BASILICA (CURRENT)

• Known as the largest church in the world, the St. Peter's Basilica is also the most popular Christian church today.
It is known as a place of pilgrimage especially among Catholics and is considered among the holiest Catholic
sites
• This church is also regarded as the greatest building of its age in terms of architecture
BASILICA OF SAN LORENZO

• Milan, Italy; 361 AD

• the biggest rotunda church during its time, the Basilica of San Lorenzo in Milan is one of the most important
places of worship in the city. It is near the Basilicas Park, on an artificial hill along the Via Ticinensis. It is
surrounded by waterways and consists of a square hall with 4 apses
CHURCH OF ST. GEORGE

• Sofia, Bulgaria; 14th century

• constructed by the Romans, the Church of St. George in Sofia, Bulgaria is an Early Christian red brick rotunda
and is the most ancient building in the city
• Located at the center of the ancient town of Serdica, it features a cylindrical domed structure with a square base.
It is most famous for its 12th to 14th century frescoes

Definition of Terms:
1. CATACOMBS - Subterranean passageways that were used as place of burial for a number of centuries
2. HOUSE CHURCHES - An evangelical Christian congregation independent of traditional denominations and mainly or
originally meeting in the private houses of its members
3. CHURCHES - A building used for public Christian worship
4. MONASTERIES - A building or buildings occupied by a community of monks living under religious vows
5. CHURCH OF THE HOLY SEPULCHER - Built on the traditional site of Jesus' Crucifixion and burial. According to
the Bible (John 19: 41-42), his tomb was close to the place of the Crucifixion, and so the church was planned to enclose
the site of both
6. LATERAN - A church and palace in Rome
7. ST. JOHN LATERAN - Founded in honor of St. John the Baptist and John the Evangelist; is the Cathedral of Rome
and the most important of the four major basilicas
8. BASILICA - A large oblong hall or building with double colonnades and a semicircular apse, used in ancient Rome as
a court of law or for public assemblies
9.ROOF TRUSSS - A structural framework of timbers that's designed to provide support for a roof
10. NAVE - The main part of the interior of a church; the long narrow central hall in a cruciform church that rises higher
than the aisles flanking it to form a clerestory
11. APSE - A semicircular or polygonal termination to the choir, chancel, or aisle of a secular or ecclesiastical building
12. BEMA/TRANSEPT - The altar part or sanctuary in ancient and Orthodox churches
13. ATRIUM - An open-roofed entrance hall or central court in an ancient Roman house
14. ABLUTIONS - The act of washing oneself
15. NARTHEX - An architectural element typical of early Christian and Byzantine basilicas and churches consisting of
the entrance or lobby area, located at the west end of the nave, opposite the church's main altar
16. CLERESTORY WINDOWS - Any fenestrated (windowed) wall of a room that is carried higher than the surrounding
roofs to light the interior space
17. TESSERAE - A small piece of stone, glass, ceramic, or other hard material cut in a cubical or some other regular
shape

18. GABLE ROOF - A of with two sloping sides and a gable at each end
19. CUPOLA - Designed to add natural light and ventilation to the area under a roof

20. PIERS - A platform supported on pillars or girders leading out from the shore into a body of water, used as a landing
stage for boats
21. ROTUNDA CHURCH - Any building with a circular ground plan and sometimes covered by a dome