Early Christian Architecture

Introduction• DURING the first three centuries the Christian

religion was discredited and persecuted; and though many interesting memorials of this time remain in the Catacombs, it is chiefly for their paintings that the touching records of the past which have been preserved to us in these secluded excavations should be studied

Early Christian Architecture• . Early in the fourth century Constantine the

Great became Emperor, and in the course of his reign (from A.D. 312 to 337) he recognized Christianity, and made it the religion of the State. It then, of course, became requisite to provide places of public worship. Probably the Christians would have been, in many cases, reluctant to make use of heathen temples, and few temples, if any, were adapted to the assembling of a large congregation.

Early Christian Architecture• But the large halls of the baths and the basilicas

were free from associations of an objectionable character, and well fitted for large assemblages of worshippers. These and other such places were accordingly, in the first instance, employed as Christian churches. The basilica, however, became the model which, at least in Italy, was followed, to the exclusion of all others, when new buildings were erected for the purpose of Christian worship; and during the fourth century, and several succeeding ones, the churches of the West were all of the basilica type.

The Early Christian Churches

• The invention of the Christian church was one of the brilliant--perhaps the most brilliant--solutions in architectural history. This was achieved by a process of assimilating and rejecting various precedents, such as the Greek temple, the Roman public building, the private Roman house, and the synagogue.

The Early Christian Churches

• The Early Christian period saw the growth of Christianity, effectively an underground Eastern mystery cult during the first three centuries AD. It was established as the state religion of the Empire under the successors of Constantine. Ecclesiastical administration set up within the framework of the Roman Empire.

San Clemente Church

Plan

The Basilica• A Basilica is a large, important church. The

word can also be used for an Ancient Roman building that was used for law and meetings. The word "basilica" is Latin which was taken from the Greek "Basiliké Stoà".

The St. Peter’s Basilica

Plan

Atrium• The main quadrangle in a Roman

dwelling-house; also the enclosed court in front of an early Christian Basilican church.

Atrium

Influences• Geographical- . Early Christian architecture at

Rome was influenced by, and was the logical outcome of, existing Roman art, and it was 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.

Influences• Geological.- Geological influences may be said

to have acted indirectly rather than directly on Early Christian architecture, for the ruins of Roman buildings often provided the quarry whence materials were obtained. This influenced the style, both as regards construction and decoration ; for columns and other architectural features, as well as fine sculptures and mosaics from older buildings, were worked into Basilican churches of the new faith.

Influences• Religious- In all human history there is no record

so striking as that of the rise of Christianity, and no phenomenon so outstanding as the rapidity with which it was diffused throughout the civilized world, and, not only in this period but also in all subsequent ages, Christianity has inspired the building of some of the greatest architectural monuments.

Influences• The purpose of the Christian church was

to shelter worshippers who met for prayer and praise to an unseen Deity, and, during the unsettled conditions at the beginning of Christianity, various places were adapted for this worship.

Influences• Historical- The Early Christian period is generally

taken as lasting from Constantine to the death of Gregory the Great (A.D. 604), although in Rome and many Italian cities it continued up to the tenth century.

Representative buildings Herod’s Temple Herod’s Temple Plan

The Catacombs• The Catacombs of Rome are ancient catacombs,

underground burial places under or near Rome, Italy, of which there are at least forty, some discovered only in recent decades. Though most famous for Christian burials, either in separate catacombs or mixed together, they began in the 2nd century, much as a response to overcrowding and shortage of land. Many scholars have written that catacombs came about to help persecuted Christians to bury their dead secretly.

Catacomb of San Callisto

Catacomb of San Sebastiano