EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE, 3001000 CE

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EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE, 300-1000 CE
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The Gothic Cathedral
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Rock-cut church in Lalibela, Ethiopia, 12th c.
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HISTORY Roman Emperor Constantine accepts
practice of Christianity, 313 CE. Byzantium
(later Constantinopole, in present-day Turkey)
chosen as center of the Empire in the East, 324
CE. Empire divided into West (with capital at
Milan and later at Ravenna), and East (at
Constantinopole), 365 CE. The East-West Schism
between Rome and Constantinopole The power and
influence of Constantinople would become
challenged by the bishop of Old Rome, the Pope.
This tension came to a head in 1054, when mutual
excommunications were exchanged between the
Eastern Patriarch and the Roman papacy. At the
center of the dispute was the doctrinal question
of the Nicene Creed That is, was Constantinople
to be supreme in its sphere (the East) as Rome
was in its own (the West), or was Rome rather to
be supreme throughout the whole
Church? Constantinopole became the center of the
Eastern Orthodox Church, while Rome became the
center of the Catholic Church. Breakdown of
Western Roman Empire, 5th c. The flourishing of
the monastic tradition, 6th-10th c. Translated
into building arts. Carolingian Dynasty and
kings of the Franks, Western Empire, 8th-10th c.
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Models for the Architecture of the Church Roman
Basilica The Arch Roman Atrium houses Catacombs
Basilica of Maxentius and Constantine, Rome, 306
CE
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Spatial Volume and Organization
Basilica in Trajans Forum Inversion of Greek
temple
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The Symbolism of the Portal
Arch of Titus, Rome, c 81 CE
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Entrance Court/Atrium
Atrium, House, Pompeii
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Catacombs, Rome
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Church Types Basilican Centralized
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Important Features of a Basilican church layout
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Apse
Sanctuary
Atrium
Nave
Old St. Peters, Rome, c. 330 CE
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Truimphal Arch at apse New Testament stories of
the Incarnation of Christ Mosaic
narratives Difference between plain exterior and
rich interior walls
S. Maria Maggiore, Rome, 432 CE
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A Atrium, B Nave, C Apse 1 Sacristy, 2
Baptistery, 3, 4, 6, 8, 9 Chapels
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St Apollinare, Ravenna, Italy, 534 CE
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The spatial experience of the basilican church
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Centralized Churches Models in tholos and
circular Roman temples such as the Parthenon
Santa Constanza, Rome, 330 CE
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Three concentric ambulatories flanked by Ionic
columns around a central space.
S. Stefano Rotondo, Rome, 468 CE
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S. Vitale, Ravenna, 526 CE
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Santa Sophia, Constantinopole (Turkey), 532 CE
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Mediating the centralized plan and the long plan
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Carolingian Architecture (Western Europe) 8th-9th
centuries
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Carolingian architecture is the style of North
European architecture promoted by Charles the
Great (Charlemagne), King of the Franks. The
period of architecture spans the late 8th and 9th
centuries, and was a conscious attempt to create
a Roman Renaissance, emulating Roman, Early
Christian and Byzantine architecture, with its
own innovation, resulting in having a unique
character. Carolingian churches generally are
basilican, like the Early Christian churches of
Rome, and commonly incorporated westwork, the
precedent for the western facades of later
medieval cathedrals.
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Lorsch Abbey Gateway, 800
Church of St Martin, Austria, 8th CE
The gatehouse of the monastery at Lorsch, built
around 800, exemplifies classical inspiration for
Carolingian architecture, built as a triple
arched hall, with the arched facade interspersed
with attached classical columns and pilasters
above.
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The Palatine Chapel in Aachen (Aix-la-Chapelle)
constructed between was inspired by the octagonal
Justinian church of San Vitale in Ravenna, built
in the 6th century, but at Aachen there is a tall
monumental western entrance complex, as a whole
called westwork - something initiated in
Carolingian times.
Palatine Chapel, Aachen, 792
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The Monastic Tradition and prelude to the
cathedrals Institutions around Ascetics and
saints Holy Relics Pilgrimage routes Increasing
power of the Catholic Church
St. Francis of Assisi, 12th c.
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Plan of St. Gall an ideal monastery
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The Plan of Saint Gall is a famous medieval
architectural drawing of a monastic compound
dating from the early 9th century. It is the only
surviving major architectural drawing from the
roughly 700-year period between the fall of the
Roman Empire and the 13th century. It is
considered a national treasure of Switzerland and
remains an object of intense interest among
modern scholars, architects, artists and
draftsmen for its uniqueness, its beauty, and the
insights it provides into medieval culture. The
Plan depicts an entire Benedictine monastic
compound including churches, houses, stables,
kitchens, workshops, brewery, infirmary, and even
a special house for bloodletting. The Plan was
never actually built, and was so named because it
was kept at the famous medieval monastery library
of the Abbey of St. Gall.
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Pilgrimage Routes
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Abbey Church, Cluny, Burgundy, 1088 complex
organization
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