Early Christian

General Influences Discussion Example

• Geographical Points Buildings
• Architectural
• Climate Character
• Religious • Building
• Social Materials and
Construction
• Historical System
• Comparative
Analysis
 GEOGRAPHICAL

• Christianity has it's birth in Judaea, an

eastern province of roman empire, spread
and carried by St. Peter, St. Paul and other
missionaries to Rome,as the center of the
world empire .
 GEOGRAPHICAL

Early Christian architecture at Rome was

influenced by, and was the logical outcome of,
existing Roman architecture, modified in other
parts of the empire according to the type already
recognized as suitable for the geographical
situation of those countries, such as Syria, Asia
Minor , North Africa, and Egypt.
GEOLOGICAL
• Geological influences may be said to have acted indirectly
on Early Christian architecture for the ruins of Roman
building often provided the quarry where obtained. This
influenced the style, both as regards construction and
decoration.
• Columns and other architectural features, as well as fine
sculptures and mosaics from older building, were
incorporated into basilican churches of the new faith.
 CLIMATIC

North Italy has the

Southern Italy climate of the
temperate region of Center Italy is
is almost
Europe genial and sunny
tropical
CLIMATIC

The climatic conditions in Roman provinces as Egypt ,

Syria, and North Africa where Christianity was established
were varied , and naturally modified the style in those
countries where the fiercer sun and hotter climatic
necessitated small windows and other Eastern features.
RELIGION
• Christianity inspired the building of
some of the greatest architectural
monuments.
• Purpose of christian church was to
shelter worshippers.
• Building of pagan temples ceased before
any attempt was made to build christian
buildings.
RELIGION
• In A.D. 313 Constantine issued his
celebrated decree from Milan, giving
Christianity equal rights with other
religions.
• In A.D. 323 he himself professed
Christianity, which became the official
religion of the Roman Empire, and the
Christians then began to build
churches of a type suit-able to their
needs and ritual.
 SOCIAL
• Constantine changed the
capital of the empire from
Rome to Byzantium, A.D 329

• Division of Roman empire

caused disabilities in
Christianity, Valentinian,
emperor of west, Valens, his
brother of the east.(A.D.365)
 SOCIAL
• Theodosius the great(A.D.
379-395) reunited east and
west empire.
• Theodoric the goth reigned in
Italy(A.D. 493-526)
• Byzantine art influenced early
Christian art , by the way of
Ravenna, was the capital of
Gothic Dynasty(A.D. 493-552),
subdued by Justinian(A.D. 537)
 SOCIAL

• Kings were now elected

• Romano- Teutonic civilization, facilitated the growth of

new states and nationalities.
 HISTORICAL

• From Constantine to the death of Gregory the great(A.D.

604)
• A.D. 376, Huns incursiona into Germany, brought
invasions to North Italy, A.D. 910, Rome was sacked by
Goths under Alaric
• During this period, new religion was arrested, till A.D.951.
• A.D. 568, Lombards penetrated Italy and held the
northern part for 200 years.
 HISTORICAL
• A.D. 800, Charlemagne, was crowned by the pope, the
empire was styled the Holy Roman empire, till A.D. 1800.

• Under Pope Gregory the Great (A.D. 590–604) Early

Christian architecture, the latest phase of Roman art,
gradually fell into disuse, and for the next two centuries
architectural development was practically at a standstill in
Europe even though the influence of Byzantium asserted
itself, old Roman traditions were in abeyance till the time
when Romanesque architecture gradually evolved
ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
 ARCHITECTURAL CHARACTER
• Early Christian architecture may be taken to have lasted from about
300 to 600AD.
• The Early Christians, as Roman craftsmen, continued old Roman
traditions
• Utilized as far as possible the materials from Roman temples which
had become useless for their original purpose for their new
buildings.
• Their churches, modeled on Roman basilicas, used old columns
which by various devices were brought to a uniform height.
• Early Christian buildings hardly have the architectural value of a
style produced by the solution of constructive problems.
 EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE
INTRODUCTION
• Basilican churches had either closely spaced columns carrying the entablature, or more
widely spaced columns carrying semicircular arches.

• The basilican church with there or five aisles, covered by a simple timber roof, is
typical of the Early Christian style as opposed to the vaulted Byzantine church with its
central circular dome placed over a square by means of pendentives and surrounded by
smaller domes.

• It s long perspective of oft-repeated columns which carry the eye along to the
sanctuary; a treatment which, combined with the comparatively low height of interiors
makes these churches appear longer than they really are, as it seen in S. Paolo fuori le
Mura, and S. Maria Maggiore
 EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE
Semicircular- according to the shape of Jesus’ halo
EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE
CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
BUILDING

a . Simplicity in Design and Treatment

b. Coarseness in Execution
 CHARACTERISTICS OF THE EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCH
BUILDING
Early Christian Architecture is Transitional Architecture and have no own
structure
The church building as we know it grew out of a number of features of the
Ancient Roman period:
• The House Church
• The Atrium
• The Basilica
• The Beam
• The Mausoleum: centrally-planned building
• The Cruciform ground plan: Latin or Greek cross
1. HOUSE CHURCH

The first house church is where the disciples of Jesus met together
in the "Upper Room" of a house. For the first three centuries of the
church, known as Early Christianity, Christians typically met in homes, if
only because intermittent persecution (before the Edict of Milan in 313)
did not allow the erection of public church buildings. Clement of
Alexandria, an early church father, wrote of worshipping in a house. The
Dura-Europos church was found to be used as a Christian meeting place
in AD 232, with one small room serving as a baptistery. At many points in
subsequent history, various Christian groups worshipped in homes, often
due to persecution by the state church or the civil government.
1.HOUSE CHURCH
2. ATRIUM

When Early Christian

communities began to build
churches they drew on one
particular feature of the
houses that preceded them,
the atrium, or courtyard with
a colonnade surrounding it.
Most of these atriums have
disappeared.
3. BASILICA

Is a rectangular early
Christian or medieval
church, usually having
a nave with
clerestories, two or
four aisles, one or
more vaulted apses,
and a timber roof.

(Interior of a basilica at Pompeii)

(SANT’ APOLLINARE, RAVENNA. PART OF THE ARCADE AND APSE)

Many basilica churches were erected out of

fragments taken from older buildings, and present a
curious mixture of columns, capitals, &c.; others, especially
those at Ravenna, exhibit more care, and are noble
specimens of ancient and severe architectural work. The
illustration which we give of part of the nave, arcade, and
apse of one of these, Sant’ Apollinare in Classe, shows the
dignified yet ornate aspect of one of the most carefully
executed of these buildings
PARTS OF AN EARLY CHRISTIAN BASILICA (OLD ST. PETER'S IN ROME)
PARTS OF AN EARLY CHRISTIAN BASILICA (OLD ST. PETER'S IN ROME)

1) Propylaeum - the entrance building of a sacred precinct, whether church or

imperial palace.
2) Atrium - in early Christian, Byzantine, and medieval architecture, the
forecourt of a church; as a rule enveloped by four colonnaded porticoes.
3) Narthex - the entrance hall or porch proceeding the nave of a church.
4) Nave- the great central space in a church. In longitudinal churches, it
extends from the entrance to the apse (or only to the crossing if the church has
one) and is usually flanked by side aisles.
PARTS OF AN EARLY CHRISTIAN BASILICA (OLD ST. PETER'S IN ROME)
5) Side Aisle - one of the corridors running parallel to the nave of a church and separated
from it by an arcade or colonnade.
6) Crossing - the area in a church where the transept and the nave intersect.
7) Transept - in a cruciform church, the whole arm set at right angles to the nave. Note
that the transept appears infrequently in Early Christian churches. Old St. Peter's is one of
the few example of a basilica with a transept from this period. The transept would not
become a standard component of the Christian church until the Carolingian period.
8) Apse - a recess, sometimes rectangular but usually semicircular, in the wall at the end of
a Roman basilica or Christian church. The apse in the Roman basilica frequently contained
an image of the Emperor and was where the magistrate dispensed laws. In the Early
Christian basilica, the apses contained the "cathedra" or throne of the bishop and the altar.
4. MAUSOLEUM

• Monumental form of tomb.

• A mausoleum is a house of the dead, although it

is often as much a symbol as a sepulchre. This
term has been employed for large, monumental,
and stately tombs, usually erected for
distinguished or prominent individuals.

(Mausoleum of Costantia featured a taller, domed,

central circular section surrounded by a vaulted
ambulatory.)
5. LATIN CROSS AND GREEK CROSS

• Greek cross Latin cross; rotunda

• These terms usually refer to the shape of a church.

• A Greek cross church has four arms having the same length.

• A Latin cross church has the arm of the entrance longer than the

other arms.
5. LATIN CROSS AND GREEK CROSS

Greek cross - the plans of SS. Martina e Luca

Rotunda- the plans of S. Bernardo alle Terme

Latin cross plan - building process of S. Pietro in

Vaticano
BAPTISTERY

In Christian architecture the baptistery or

baptistery, is the separate centrally planned
structure surrounding the baptismal font. The
baptistery may be incorporated within the body of
a church or cathedral and be provided with an
altar as a chapel.

(Lateran Baptistery, the first structure

expressly built as a baptistery)
BAPTISTERY

This is commonly a detached building, and almost always circular or polygonal. In some
instances the baptistery adjoins the atrium or forecourt; but it soon became customary to
erect detached baptisteries of considerable size. These generally have a high central portion
carried by a ring of columns, and a low aisle running round, the receptacle for water being in
the centre. The origin of these buildings is not so clear as that of the basilica churches; they
bear some resemblance to the Roman circular temples; but it is more probable that the form
was suggested by buildings similar in general arrangement, and forming part of a Roman
bath.
BUILDING MATERIALS & CONSTRUCTION SYSTEM
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
STRUCTURE SYSTEM
PLANS USED BY EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCHES BASILICA
STRUCTURE SYSTEM
PLANS USED BY EARLY CHRISTIAN CHURCHES BASILICA
Typical plan
A, D, apse
B, B’, secondary apse
C, high altar;
G, transept; Types of Apse
H, nave; 1.Semi-circular
J, J’, aisles (Italian)
2. Polygonal
(German)
3. Square (English)
4. Compound
(French)
CHURCHES
CHURCHES
COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS
A. PLANS

• The Early Christians followed the

basilican model for their new
churches.
• May also have used old Roman halls,
baths, dwelling-houses, and even
pagan temples as places of worship
B. WALLS

• These were still constructed

according to Roman methods of
using rubble or concrete, faced with
plaster, brick, or stone.
• Mosaic decoration was added
internally, and sometimes also
externally on west facades.
• Little regard was paid to external
architectural effect.
C. OPENINGS

• Arcades, doors, and windows were

either spanned by a semicircular
arch

• Which in nave arcades, often rested

directly on the capitals without any
entablatures, or were spanned by a
lintel.
D. ROOFS
• Timber roofs covered the central
nave, and only simple forms of
construction, such as king and
queen post trusses, were employed.

• The narrower side aisles were

occasionally vaulted and the

• Apse was usually domed and lined

with beautiful glass mosaics, which
formed a fitting background to the
sanctuary.
E. COLUMNS
• Differ both in design and size, often taken
from earlier Roman buildings. It was natural
that early Christian builders should use
materials and ornament of the pagan Romans.

• Used Tuscan, Doric, Ionic, Corinthian, or

Composite from ancient Roman buildings,
except those in S. Paolo fuori le Mura.

• The carved capitals are governed by Roman

pagan precedent and sometimes by that of
Byzantine, and in both the acanthus leaf forms
an important part.
F. MOLDINGS

• Coarse variations of old Roman types, and the

carving, though rich in general effect, is crude ;
for the technique of the craftsman had
gradually declined.

• Enrichments were incised on moldings in low

relief, and the acanthus ornament, although
still copied from the antique, became more
conventional in form.
G. ORNAMENTS

• The introduction of color gave richness and

glimmering mystery to interiors.

• The mosaics which was the principal form of

interior ornament, lined the domed apses
generally represented Christ surrounded by
apostles and saints with all those symbolic
emblems.

• Usually made of glass.

• Fresco painting usually in figure forms

 PART 3:
EXAMPLE BUILDINGS
 The Church of St. Clement
Rome, Italy
Rebuilt 1084-1108 over a 4th century church
 Ante-portico, or porch

 Atrium, or court; under which the penitent, and those who had fallen away from the
faith, demanded the prayers of the passers by.

 One of the side aisles, in which were the men, the catachumens, and the newly
converted.

 Aisles on the right for the women, narrower than the other.

 Space enclosed with a low wall of marble, within which were the acolytes, the
exorcists, and other functionaries of the minor orders.

 Sanctuary terminated in a semicircle, round which is the bench for the priests with
the episcopal seat; in the center an isolated altar, and in front the Confession.
Elevation of the ante-portico or porch before the atrium of the Church of St.
Clement, Rome
Elevation of the ante-portico or porch before the atrium of the Church of St.
Clement, Rome
At the center of San Clemente's forecourt there is a fountain, a traditional symbol of
the Blessed Virgin Mary
View of the nave, the schola cantorum with ambos to either side, the altar and
confession under the ciborium,and the beam at the back of the apse
The richly profiled altar is inscribed with a dedication to St. Clement,

whose relics, along with those of St. Ignatius, lie directly underneath

in the confessio. Here is a beautiful detail, common in paleo-Christian

churches, yet unfortunately never seen today. The confessio is simply

a chamber for relics below an altar. As a unit, the confessio and altar

form a cube, which is the ideal geometry of an altar.

View of the nave, the schola cantorum with ambos to either side, the altar and
confessio under the ciborium and the bema at the back of the apse.
• The altar sits just proud of the center of
the half-dome, the apse. The spectacular
mosaic tells us that this is truly the new
Garden of Eden. From the Cross's base
grows a sumptuously poetic Tree of Life,
filled with doves, peacocks, phoenixes,
and images of various saints.

• Above the Cross is the crowned Hand of

God the Father, and below the scene is
the Lamb of God surrounded by twelve
lambs, the apostles, each with a
corresponding portrait on the wall
below (plus the Blessed Virgin to
Christ's right).
Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe
Ravenna, Italy
 The church is on a nave and two aisles. An ancient altar in the mid of the nave
covers the place of the saint's martyrdom. The church ends with a polygonal apse,
sided by two chapels with apses.
The nave contains 24 columns of Greek marble. The carved capitals of the columns
depict acanthus leaves, but unlike most such carvings the leaves appear twisted as
if being buffeted by the wind.
 The decoration of the apse date to the 6th century, and can be divided into two parts:

• In the upper one, a large disc encloses a starry sky in which is a cross with gems and
the face of Christ. Over the cross is a hand protruding from the clouds, the theme of
the Hand of God.

• In the lower one is a green valley with rocks, bush, plants and birds. In the middle is
the figure of Saint Apollinaris, portrayed in the act of praying God to give grace to his
faithful, symbolized by twelve white lambs.

• In the spaces between the windows are the four bishops who founded the main
basilicas in Ravenna: Ursicinus, Ursus, Severus and Ecclesius, all with a book in a
hand.
OTHER BUILDINGS
The Church of Santa Fosca
Elevation of the Church of Santa Fosca.
Transverse section of the church and portico.
Plan of the Church of Sta. Fosca at Torcello, one
of the islands of the lagunes of Venice. On three
sides it is surrounded by a portico, with arches
on columns, some of which are round, and the
others octagonal in plan.
Basilica of Trier C. 310 A.D. Basilica Trier, Germany
Old St Peter’s C. 333 A.D. Basilica Rome, Italy
Santa Constanza C. 350 A.D. Martyrium Rome, Italy
Santa Constanza C. 350 A.D. Martyrium Rome, Italy
Santa Constanza Plan and Section