Church Architecture: Through the Ages by Sara Asselin

Courtyard Churches

saraeasselin — 2024-03-05 18:59:27 UTC

Acts 2:46, Acts 20:7-8

These were the initial places where evangelization was taking place. Initially, these were used because of the available space. This was one of the places that were used before Christianity was a protected religion.

House Churches

saraeasselin — 2024-03-05 19:19:46 UTC

House churches are talked about throughout the Acts of the Apostles and the New Testament. These were spaces of gathering where a type of liturgy would happen. There would be breaking of the bread, spreading of the Gospel, people praying together, and sometimes fraternal correction if one needed it. House churches were needed because Christianity was not a protected religion and it guaranteed a space for early Christians to worship, pray to God, and create community.

Basic History

saraeasselin — 2024-04-11 17:56:53 UTC

Roman basilicas were public places within the community before Christianity became a protected religion. The basilica building embodied a type of architecture that held meaning within the Roman community. Basilicas were essentially the City Hall of the past, buildings that were the center of public power with courts or financial centers, army drill halls, or reception rooms within imperial places. Once Christianity became a protected religion, some basilicas were converted to churches and others were built for the sole purpose of being used as a church.

References

saraeasselin — 2024-04-11 17:57:49 UTC

The Early Christian Basilica (oneonta.edu )

The Roman Empire: in the First Century. The Roman Empire. Early Christians | PBS

Transept | EWTN

Building a Roman Church: The Triumphal Arch | hermitsdoor (wordpress.com )

Templon (columbia.edu )

Deterioration and Decay of Roman Structures – Engineering Rome

Government - Feudalism, Monarchy, Church | Britannica

A beginner's guide to Romanesque architecture (article) | Khan Academy

Romanesque Architecture Durham World Heritage Site

Aula Palatina - Wikipedia

The Italian Renaissance Altarpiece: Between icon and narrative by David Ekserdjian (churchtimes.co.uk )

How did humanism and religion affect Renaissance art? | Britannica

The Vatican and the Renaissance: Influence on Art and Culture - What a Life Tours

Dura-Europos church - Wikipedia

https://www.architecturaldigest.com/story/baroque-architecture

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/07346b.htm#:~:text=As%20its%20name%20indicates%2C%20the,of%20its%20material%20and%20ornamentation.

https://www.quadrigaltd.com/features-of-gothic-architecture/

https://www.metmuseum.org/toah/hd/itar/hd_itar.htm

https://pressbooks.bccampus.ca/cavestocathedrals/chapter/romanesque-architecture/

https://www.friendsofnotredamedeparis.org/cathedral/artifacts/gargoyles/#:~:text=Gargoyles%20originated%20in%20medieval%20Europe,by%20erosion%20and%20water%20infiltration.

https://www.mdpi.com/2075-5309/13/2/299#:~:text=Sacred%20constructions%20like%20churches%20are,city%20history%20and%20the%20government

https://sjnknox.org/romanesque-architecture-our-catholic-architectural-heritage/

https://www.newadvent.org/cathen/05257a.htm

https://the-beautiful-home.com/catholic-church-architecture/#The_Basilica

https://www.re-thinkingthefuture.com/rtf-fresh-perspectives/a651-evolution-of-cathedral-architecture/#google_vignette

Apse

saraeasselin — 2024-04-11 18:14:10 UTC

An apse is the semicircular part of a building. Within a court of law, it was where the magistrate would have been and it was a representation of the transfer of power from the Emperor to the magistrate. An apse generally separates the rest of the church from the sanctuary. The transfer of power from Emperor to magistrate taking place within an apse correlates to the transfer of power from God to the Church. Within the apse, within the sanctuary is where the Mass was celebrated and where the Paschal sacrifice is observed and the host is consecrated.

Brief History

saraeasselin — 2024-04-11 18:43:45 UTC

With a split between the Eastern and Western Catholic Church, liturgical differences arose and with that, there were resulting architectural differences. Some of the key differences resulted in the templon (an icon barrier) and the choros (chandelier).

Brief History

saraeasselin — 2024-04-11 22:04:18 UTC

These buildings were created with an eye for defense and out a desire for a sturdy, assertive presence. They were made to be strongholds for the monasteries or the crusading knights that existed within the time that Romanesque churches were being built.

Brief History

saraeasselin — 2024-04-12 03:26:15 UTC

It is within the French style, it is meant to demonstrate reaching toward heaven. They generally took between three to five generations to build. The timing was before the Black Death, so the amount of people around to help build the churches were high. The engineering skills had improved rapidly.

Brief History

saraeasselin — 2024-04-12 03:27:27 UTC

The Renaissance was a period of history where there was a revival of Classical ideas from Ancient Rome and Greece. There were many contributions to various fields, science, art, architecture, religion, and politics. It was a time of rebirth and it started within Florence, Italy. The Renaissance used Roman and Classical techniques within the virtue of Christianity.

Brief History

saraeasselin — 2024-04-12 16:40:30 UTC

With the Protestant Reformation starting in 1517, the Baroque style helps highlight the tensions between Protestant and Catholic artists. Some of this tension ended up resulting in some of the elements that were integral to Baroque churches, such as the high altar. Primarily Baroque was established due to some of the ways that it broke the rules of Renaissance architecture. Baroque architecture is very unique and the individual buildings have a tendency to have quite the differences.

Brief History

saraeasselin — 2024-04-12 16:41:32 UTC

New Classical churches hailed from the Enlightenment Era. The focus on art and culture was overturned for a focus on science and practical and personal knowledge.

Brief History

saraeasselin — 2024-04-12 16:42:13 UTC

Occurred during the industrial period. Within the Americas

Triumphal Arch

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:46:26 UTC

These arches stand between the transept and the nave where the congregation sits. They were used within Roman military celebrations and was meant to symbolize victory and status within the historical line of leaders. These triumphal arches were meant to symbolize Jesus' victory over sin and death and the procession at the beginning of each mass passes through the arch on the way to the apse.

Templon

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:47:10 UTC

A templon was a barrier that separated the apse or sanctuary from the rest of the congregation. It seems to have been a similar idea to the triumphal arches from Basilicas. Although it would have originally been a small parapet (short wall), eventually icons were used to fill in the wall which made the sanctuary less and less visible over time and it is now referred to as an iconostasis.

Choros

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:47:17 UTC

Most Byzantine churches had relatively simple and repetitive metal framework, but the choros is designed so that one can look up and not have their view obstructed by this, but rather that it can help light up any of the imagery on the dome above. The choros were made to help provide light within the Church and help the attention of the person at the liturgy to remain forward focused.

Simplified Style

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:47:37 UTC

A lot of the architectural knowledge that Rome had was lost, so the same buildings are unable to be built. The knowledge being lost can be attributed to a couple different things. The first being that Romans built buildings to be repaired. The expectation was that a building would need continual bits of maintenance throughout the lifespan of a building until it was destroyed. Even with that in mind, most buildings would need to be fully replaced or heavily rebuilt around 50-70 years after completion. With the Romanesque period occurring around 500 years after the fall of Rome, most Roman buildings were not fully upkept. Another reason for the more simplified style is the general instability during this timeframe. There was less of an opportunity for compounded knowledge with people learning from each other and being able to pass on new technologies onto the next generation. This required a more simplified style of architecture than previous churches.

Murals

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:47:45 UTC

Before Romanesque, Churches were generally decorated through the use of mosaics. These churches were often decorated with frescoes. The simplified architecture of the church played a role in the change because there were large, long walls that needed decoration.

Rib Vaults

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:47:52 UTC

Romanesque churches used rib vaults which helped to increase the height of the aisles and the nave where the congregation would be seated. Although a part of the design, it served an essential element of distributing the weight of the ceiling outward and towards the floor which allowed for taller buildings with less material needed at the height.

Small Windows

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:48:05 UTC

These churches were built when a lot of the focus was on Crusades and pilgrimages. The walls were made with a focus on defense, so the walls were quite thick to make them impervious to attack and were made of stone to reduce the risk of a fire. With that mindset of defense, small windows and few of them allowed some light to enter the space without a concern of weakening the structure of the walls.

Windows and Stained Glass

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:49:11 UTC

Due to the flying buttresses and the increase of windows, stained glass which can be traced back to the 7th century, had a burst of popularity throughout the centuries and had become much more sophisticated and detailed of a process by the 12th century which was when Gothic churches were being built. This allowed for biblical scenes, and extra aesthetic design to be included within even the windows of the Church. The windows were also able to be as large and all-encompassing as they were due to tracery. This was where the windows were divided into sections by stone frames. The two most common patterns were lancet (narrow with a pointed arch as pictured) or oculus (circular, like a rose or wheel with spokes)

Vaulted Ceilings

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:49:18 UTC

Gothic architecture used a lot of ribbed vaults which reduced the need for many of the inner load-bearing walls which resulted in a much more open space within the church. For the ceilings, ribbed vaults were used in addition to the Romanesque barrel vault to help with the transfer of load from the weight of the ceiling. When a ceiling is vaulted in this manner, it can cover a large space and can be an additional aesthetic element of symmetry.

Flying Buttresses

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:50:04 UTC

A flying buttress was one of the key features of Gothic architecture. It consisted of a partial arch that was oriented perpendicular to the main wall. This partial arch helped distribute the weight of the building and the forces on the roof, vault, or dome. Because the flying buttresses dispersed the weight off of the walls, they were able to be thinner and more windows were able to be installed without creating structural integrity concerns.

Geometry

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:50:21 UTC

The Renaissance period relied on having buildings, with square and rectangular shapes so that they were proportional and balanced. This style had plainer walls with flat facades in opposition to the detailed and ornate Gothic architecture.

Statuary and Pictuary

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:50:32 UTC

Art was one of the things that flourished during the Renaissance and with that came an increase of Church patronage of the arts. Churches were being covered in artwork from the various Renaissance artists with altarpieces and statues being very visible for the people to look at. As with other periods much of the art consisted of depictions of biblical scenes, however with the focus of naturalism, many of the artwork would depict individuals in a more contemporary landscape context as opposed to a solid gold background that had been more prevalent previously.

High Altars

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:50:57 UTC

These were included within Baroque churches because a primary distinction of this time period was the Protestant Reformation. Because of some of the differing theological ideas, Catholic beliefs were emphasized within the elements of baroque churches. The high altar was supposed to signify the prominence of the place where the sacramental sacrifice was performed and through the aesthetic and the ornamentation of the altar to help the lay people understand the importance of the Eucharist within the Catholic tradition.

Ceiling Art

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:51:21 UTC

The ceiling art within Baroque churches were meant to help show the congregation some of the expected images of Heaven. It was meant so that looking up at the ceiling would guide your mind to God and to Heaven.

Ellipticals and Ovals

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:51:38 UTC

The ellipticals and ovals were meant to help increase the space within a building or at least the illusion of space. Baroque architecture tried to eliminate any corners, to expand the space within the church, and to help distort anyone's perception of reality when looking up. This was particularly helpful in Baroque's goal of bringing attention up as though to Heaven.

Pulpit

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:52:02 UTC

Although pulpits have been used throughout history to share information, from the Hebrews to the Greeks to the Romans, the pulpit was placed within a place of primacy within New Classical churches. The pulpit is generally placed to one side of the sanctuary near the main altar. Within many Protestant churches, the pulpit has even more of a place of prominence because the altar is not used.

Steeple

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:52:09 UTC

During this time period, steeples were incorporated within churches often with a belfry so that the church bells could ring. Also a key exterior identifier of a church.

Organ Loft

saraeasselin — 2024-04-16 17:52:14 UTC

After Bach and the other classical composers of the 18th and 19th centuries, organ lofts became much more commonplace within churches. The organ holds a place of pride out of musical instruments because it is the most like a human voice and it also helps encourage the congregation to fully participate within the sung prayers during a mass. The organ loft is generally found above the church entrance.

Transept and Crossing

saraeasselin — 2024-04-18 20:05:01 UTC

The transept was meant to separate the apse from the rest of the church and to give the appearance of a cross. Instead of the transept, sometimes it is simply referred to as the cross. It was also meant to incorporate extra seating within the church, especially for an influx of clergy. The crossing refers to the part of the center of the transept that is connected to the nave.

High Pointed Arches

saraeasselin — 2024-04-19 02:41:20 UTC

These arches were an improvement over the barrel vaults (arches) common within Romanesque architecture. The point at the top allowed for less stone and less mass to be compiled, which allowed spaces to feel bigger and more open. The pointed arch helped redistribute the weight which was why the buildings were able to get even larger when designing Gothic churches. This new weight distribution was most likely found within Islamic architecture through one of two different ways. Muslims occupied Spain, France's next-door country, from 711 to 1492 during which time they greatly impacted some of the architecture within the country. Another possibility could have been during the Crusades which occured between 1095 to 1300.

Neo Gothic

saraeasselin — 2024-04-19 04:44:23 UTC

Neo Byzantine

saraeasselin — 2024-04-19 04:44:47 UTC

Neo Romanesque

saraeasselin — 2024-04-19 04:45:06 UTC

Neo Baroque

saraeasselin — 2024-04-19 04:46:49 UTC

Aula Palantina

saraeasselin — 2024-05-01 18:45:16 UTC

One of the renovated buildings that became a church was the Aula Palantina, also known as the Basilica of Constantine. This building was built between 300 and 310 AD as part of the palace in Trier, Germany and was one of the renovated public basilicas that became used for Christians.

Altarpieces

saraeasselin — 2024-05-02 15:30:33 UTC

saraeasselin — 2024-05-02 15:31:04 UTC

saraeasselin — 2024-05-02 15:32:04 UTC

saraeasselin — 2024-05-02 15:33:44 UTC

Dura-Europos

saraeasselin — 2024-05-02 17:06:09 UTC

The earliest known house church was found in Syria and believed to have originally been a home that ended up being fully converted to a church somewhere between 233 and 256 AD. There was a space for catechumens to be catechized, a baptistry, and a space for the Eucharist to be celebrated. There were surviving wall frescos found within the baptistry and they depicted scenes from both the Torah and scenes from Jesus's life. They were done in the same style as paintings found in synagogues, but were more simplistic than those. The paintings went beyond the biblical scenes though because they seemed to follow a common thread of answering who God was and showing victory over death. This makes sense with the early understanding that the second coming of Jesus would happen within the same lifetime of those early disciples or soon after. People were prepared for this world to end and the understanding that Jesus had conquered death so it was no longer something to fear as opposed to the promise of resurrection.