HISTORY: Early Christian Architecture
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The early Christian architecture began in Rome and Constantinople in the early 4th century AD. With Christianity becoming the official state religion under Emperor Constantine, new church buildings were needed for worship. The most common church design was the basilica, adapted from Roman civic buildings. Two prominent early basilica churches were St. John Lateran in Rome (313-320 AD) and St. Peter's in Rome (333 AD), which had a nave and aisles topped by timber roofs. Alternative centralized plans like baptisteries were also sometimes used starting in the 5th century.
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HISTORY: Early Christian Architecture
- 2. The Early Christian Architecture started in two (2) prominent locations at ROME and CONSTANTINOPLE
- 4. 29 A.D. Passing of Isa (AS) and the beginning of Christian Religion.
- 5. 286 A.D. Emperor Diocletian reorganizes the Roman Empire splitting it into two; the Eastern and Western part.
- 7. 313 A.D. Emperor Constantine recognizes the Christian Religion and adopts it as a state religion.
- 9. 324 A.D. Emperor Constantine reunited the Roman Empire with a new capital.
- 10. 364 A.D. Rome finally splits into two; The Western and Eastern Empire
- 11. The term “Early Christian Architecture” refers to the architecture of the early Christian Churches of the Roman Era.
- 12. With Christianity widely accepted as a state religion in Rome, it was necessary for Architecture to respond to the demands of the religion for worship space.
- 13. Mode of worship was the most important determinant of the form of the church.
- 14. The requirements include: • A path for processional entry and exit clergy. • An altar area, where the clergy celebrate mass • A space for the segregation of the clergy from the congregation during procession and communion. • Burial space.
- 15. The single most important social phenomenon of the Early Christian period was the spread and acceptance of the Christian Religion.
- 16. Early Christian Churches were further divided into two: • Basilica Church • Alternative Church Plans
- 17. Basilica Church
- 18. • The early churches were generally simple and functional in their design. • The emphasis was centered on the act of Christian worship. • The form chosen for the early church was the Roman Basilica.
- 19. • The architecture of the church that developed was not a completely new style, but the use of available Roman forms to satisfy a new program need.
- 20. • It was suitable for use as a church with no serious modification and it could be easily and rapidly built at low cost.
- 21. • The Basilica was also preferred because of the emphasis on participation in mass. • The most common form of the early churches had a rectangular hall with a timber trussed roof.
- 22. • It also had one or two isles on each side of a central nave and an apse at one end facing the principal entrance located at the other end.
- 24. S. Giovanni in Laterano or known as St. John Lateran Basilica A.D. 313-320 • It was built as the Cathedral of the Bishop of Rome. • The church consists of a central nave flanked by two narrow isles and separated from them by a monumental colonnade.
- 26. • The central nave rose above the isle roof, and the inner isle rose above the outer part. • The nave terminated at the apse. • The structure was of brick faced concrete with simple trussed timber-roof.
- 30. S. Peter’s, Rome also known as St. Peter’s Basilica A.D. 333 • The church has a triple entrance gate leading to an atrium. • The Basilica had a wooden roof interlocking rafters.
- 32. • The nave did not lead directly to the apse but instead ends in a transverse space that is high as the nave.
- 37. Alternative more centralized plans, with a focus on a central vertical axis rather than longitudinal horizontal one were also adopted occasionally.
- 38. Baptistery Church Form The Baptistery of Constantine, Rome (A.D. 430-440) built near the Lateran church of Sixtux III, and not by Constantine to whom it is generally attributed is among the oldest of Italian baptisteries, of which it was probably the model.
- 39. The roof is supported by a two-storeyed ring of eight porphyry and marble columns taken from old pagan building while in the center is an old Roman bath of green basalt converted into a front.