no

HISTORY OF AUCIIITECTL'ltE. Book 1

riiere can be no doubt tliat tlie most ancient Cliristian basilica? were expressly constructed
"or the purpose of" religion, and their architectural details clearly point to the epoch in
vhich they were erected. These new temples of religion borrowed, nevertheless, as well in
heir whole as in their details, so much from the ancient basilica, that it is not surprising
hey should have retained their name. We here place before the reader
{Jig.
141.) a plan of
OK THE BASIMC Fi-. r.i.
he ancient basilica of S. Paolo fuori le l\Uir;i, and
{Jii;. 142. )an interior view of it, wboreby
TERIOR OF BASII.TCA OF ST. PAUL,
ts general eflect may be better understood. The latter shows how admirably it was adapted
n the rece])tion of an extremely numerous congregation. The numberless columns wliieh
he ancient buildings readily supplied were put in re(|uisition for constructing these basilica',
I'hereof, adopting the buildings of the same name as the tyjje, they proportioned the eleva-
ion to the extent of the plans, and, in some cases, decorated them with the richest ornaments,
nstead of always connecting the columns togetherby architraves on their summit, which might
,ot be at hand, arches were spanned from one to the other, on which walls were carried up
bear the roofing. Though the practice of vaulting large areas did not appear till a con-
iderable time after the building of the first Christian basilicas, it must be recollected that
he Temple of Peace at Home bad previously exhibited a specimen of the ]u-ofound know-
jdge of the Romans in the practice of vaulting : in that example, groined vaults of very
irge dimensions were borne on entablatures and cohuuns. Nor does this knowledge a))pear
3 have been lost in almost the last stage of decline of Roman architecture under the emperor
Jioclesian. In the baths of this emperor are to l)e seen not only groined vaults in three