Early Christian Architecture Essay

8/17/2019 Early Christian Architecture Essay

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EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE

The Early Christian art, architecture, themes and structures designed for the worship of Christian occured in the

period soon after the death of Jesus. First three centuries A.D. were quite important for Christianity. In 326 A.D.

the Roman Emperor Constantine officialy recognized Christianity as the state religion and paganism was

replaced.

Christian worship demanded a different style of archtecture from the religious architecture of Greece and

Rome. The earlier temples served as houses for god, storehouses for treasures and for outdoor ceremonies.

The spread of Christianity throughout the Roman Empire led to a need for new churches.

Before this legal recognition of the new faith, Christian places of worship were rather inconspicuous and had no

fixed architectural form. Later, however, impressive buildings were erected in many parts of Roman Empire and

primarily in its major cities such as Milan, Rome, Ravenna or Constantinopole.

Early Christian builders adapted structures that had long been used in the Roman times – the Roman basilica.

The Basilica was also preferred because the mass of population was one of the most important thing in those

days. It was also suitable for use as a church with no serious modification. Other advantage was that it could be

easily and quickly built for not so much money. Basilica became from the profane building to the sacral

building. The most common form of early christian churches had a rectangular hall with a timber trussed roof.

They used old columns whichby various devices were brought to a uniform height. Basilican churches is

rendered impressive and dignified by the long perspective of oft-repeated columns which carry the eye along

to the sanctuary. This is combined with the low height of the interior and it makes these churches appear

longer than they are in reality. The early churches had simple and functional design. Their architecture didn´t

have a completely new style, but basically the usage of available Roman elements and forms accomodate the

needs. Variations in the characters of the early church reflected differences in local resources and traditions.

Early Christian builders had access to similar building materials and construction technology as the Romancivilization. Buildings intended for Christian worship had to provide a path for the processional entry, exit od

the glory, an alter area where the clergy celebrates mass and a space for the segregation of the clergy from

congregation during the procession and communion. The emphasis was centerd on the act of Christian

worship. Most of the Early Christian churches had clerestory lighting. Clerestory Windows were developed to

give a light to the central parts of the interior. These Windows became a symbol of the transcedence and grace

of God.

There was an entrance into the Christian church through an atrium and narthex- entrance hall on its

short side. The narthex was always on the west side and the altar on east side. This orientation followed in

most later medieval churches. The interior division, similar to Roman division, includes the basilican hall, along

with it its nave with lower aisles and apse at the end. It was adopted as the standard structure in Christian

congregational worship. Other typical Early Christian church´s feature is transept ( form the the Middle Latin

transeptum – transverse enclosure). This architectural space, extension to the north and south, meet the nave

at the crosiing. Transept creates across shape and it´s the part of the type cruciform (cross-like) basilica of the

Early Christian churches. The nave was used for a sitting of the clergy and aisles were for public, common

people. This central nave was covered with timber roof and with simple type of construction – queen and king

post trusses. The wooden beams supported a gable roof. The narrower aisles on the sides were sometimes

vailted. Apse was used for the alter. It was usually domed and lined with imposing glass mosaics that were

appropropriate background of sanctuary. An " arch of triumph " was the entrance to the sanctuary with the

High Altar standing in the centre under its baldachino upheld by marble columns. The vista was rounded off by

an apse lined with marble slabs and crowned with a semi-dome en-crusted with glittering golden mosaics.

There was a possible courtyard or atrium in fornt of the early churches and a fountain in the center of atriumrarely (baptism used them).


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Some churches also provided burial spaces for the dead. Burial places known as catacombs were one of the

most typical architectural structures in Early Christian architecture. They were located beneath churches.

Funerals were held in either individual shelf tombs or private family chambers.

Other architetectural structures were open-air cemeteries.

Typical architectural elemnts:All openings (doors, Windows or arcades) were either spanned by a lintel or spanned by a semicircular arch,

which often lay right on the capitals with no entablatures. Windows were small and were filled with marble,

slabs or alabaster.

Walls in Early Christian architecture were constructed in accordance with Roman methods of using concrete or

rubble, covered with brick, plaster or stone mosaic. Decoration on the walls was mostly interior ( horizontal or

vertical mosaic bands)and sometimes exterior (plain brick walls).

Columns differ both in design and size as they were often taken from earlier Roman building, which had either

been destroyed or fallen into ruins. Obviously early Christian builders used materials and ornaments of the

pagan Romans and big effect was obtained though the details of the details of the design were not inevitably

homogeneous. All the fine marble columns such as Doric, Ionic or Corinthian in the churches of Rome were

taken from ancient Roman buildings.

Mouldings were in rough variations of old Roman styles and the carving, though rich in general effect, is crude.

The technique of the craftsmen had gradually declined during this period. Enrichments were incised on

moulding in low relief and the acanthus ornament became more conventional in its form.

As regards ornaments, the introduction of colour provided richness and glimmering into interiors. The domed

apses mosaics represented Christ surrounded by apostels and saints in general. The arch of triumph, which

separated the nave from the bema, was ornamented with appropriate subjects – long friezes of figures line the

wall above nave arcades and the wall spaces between the clear-story windows had usually

mosaics illustrating the Christian history or a doctrine. The figures are treated in strong colours on a gold

background in a bold and simple design that fits well the position. The method of execution is coarse and bold

and no attempt was made at neatness. The colored pavements were largely formed of slices from old Romanporphyry or marble columns in which Christ appears surrounded by prophets, saints and martyrs.

The examples of the Early Christian churches

Basilica type:

Until the end of Middle Ages the big sample of basilica type church was the church of God´s tomb. It was built

at the beginning of 326 A.D. in Jeruzalem. While entering the church people had to go through the funeral

rotunda. The funeral rotunda had a 2-storey gallery. Then there was an atrium with a columnar gallery. The

basilica had 5 aisles.

S. Giovanni in Laterano was built around the year 315 A.D. and was redesigned several times. Materials which

were used for building this church were brick, concrete and timber. Timber was used for trusses as

a construction of roof. This building is divided into a central nave linked by two aisles, that are narrower, as

almost every typical Christian church. Division between the nave and aisles is the monumental colonade.

The other typical example of Christian architecture is the St. Peter´s church located in Rome. The whole bulding

was completed in 333 A.D. This basilica was built by the emperor Constantine. The interior was, as well as in

the other churches, divided to the central nave and two aisle on the sides. They were separated by the

colonnade. Three entrances lead from the atrium into the St. Peter´s church. The central nave didn´t end at the

apse but instead it has a transverse space which had the same height as the central nave. Then there was an

apse where the altar was placed. Under the altar we can find the tomb St. Peter. The entire floor plan the St.

Peter´s church look like a crucifix. The building had a wooden roof consisted of inerlocking rafters. This church

is one of the earliest churches built over the tomb of martyrs.

The other church is the Church of St. Sabine on Aventine in Rome. The church was built in 422-432 A.D. This

rectangular type church belongs to one of the most well.preserved examples of Roman architecture. The

corinthian columns divide the central nave and narrower and lower aisles on the side. There are big surfaces of


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the walls in the gallery. These walls are intemittent by windows that are enclosed with circular arches. The roof

construction include the wooden stool. As in each typical basilica the main nave terminates at the apside where

the altar is placed. The whole apside is decorated with mosaic decoration. This building is really simple and very

well lighted.

Alternative church types:In the early years of Christianity, the alternative church types were common in the Eastern and Western

Roman Empires. Later the basilica became more popular and famous form of the church in the West. The

centralized alternative form became more popular in the Eastern empire.

We know two types of the centralized churches and those are the lobed or four-lobed type and the completely

circular form. The lobed or four-lobed church is set within an overall pentagon or square. The circular

churches had a round or octagonal space surrounded by an ambulatory. Typical examples are the lateran

Baptistery in Rome, Saint Stefan Rotunda or Saint Constanza in Rome. Characteristic examples of the lobed or

four-lobed forms are St. Lorenzo in Milan or the Holy Apostle in Milan.

Examples of round alternative church type:

The Lateran Baptistery is characteristic alternative church form. It was built in 315 A.D. by the emperor

Constantine. The church has a plan of two octagonal rings. Each ring has a colonnade and it defines the central

space.

Other typical alternative circular church type is the church St. Constanza. This building was originally designed

as a mausoleum for the emperor Constantine´s daughter. It has a symmetrical floorplan with domed central

space. The central space was ringed by an arcade with 12 pairs of double colonnade and beyond this colonnade

there is an ambulatory. The ambulatory is roofed by a barrel vaulted roof structure.

The church St. Stefano Rotunda was built in 468 A.D. This church was the first one and the largest church with

a round plan in Rome. The plano f the building blends the cruciform with a circular floorplan. There is a huge

central nave in the middle which is a part of the St. Stefano Rotunda. I tis encircled by ionic columns. We can

find there many clerestory windows that allow the sunlight penetrate into the interior. There are four chapels

that define the cruciform shape .

The basilica San Vitale is othe central church type with an octagonal floorplan. I tis located in Ravenna. The

basilica was built in 522 – 547 A.D. for the emperor of Eastern Roman Empire Justinian.

Examples of lobed alternative church type:

St. Lorenzo located in Milan is an early Christian church. It was a martyrium and it was used for storing relics of

apostles in a casket placed underneath the altar. It has a huge cross-shaped structure. The whole building is

divided into a single aisle nave which was opened through columnar screens into its transept wings. The

transept wings ended at a projecting portal hall.

Other example is the Holy Apostle in Milan. It was built in 370 A.D. as the church of imperial palace. This

building was essentialy a church form of a square central floorplan. The main central space was defined by a 2-level columnar screen that supported some half domes. There are also some subsidiary octagonal structures

which are placed around the main church.

SOURCES:

Dejiny architektúry (Od antiky po súčasnosť): Jan Gympel, SLOVART, Bratislava 2008, pg.: 14,15

http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth212/early_christian_basilica.html http://www.phs.poteau.k12.ok.us/williame/APAH/readings/Early%20Christian%20Architecture,%20APAP.pdf

http://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth212/early_christian_basilica.htmlhttp://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth212/early_christian_basilica.htmlhttp://www.phs.poteau.k12.ok.us/williame/APAH/readings/Early%20Christian%20Architecture,%20APAP.pdfhttp://www.phs.poteau.k12.ok.us/williame/APAH/readings/Early%20Christian%20Architecture,%20APAP.pdfhttp://www.phs.poteau.k12.ok.us/williame/APAH/readings/Early%20Christian%20Architecture,%20APAP.pdfhttp://employees.oneonta.edu/farberas/arth/arth212/early_christian_basilica.html


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http://www.saylor.org/site/wp-content/uploads/2010/11/Early-Christian-Art-Architecture-after-

Constantine.pdf

http://www.2shared.com/document/7cs1h7GX/Early_Christian_Art_Architectu.html

http://opencourseware.kfupm.edu.sa/colleges/ced/arc/arc110/files%5CLecture_Slides_Module_8_ECB.pdf
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Early Christian Architecture Essay