History Early Christain Churches

EXAMPLES OF
EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE :

(CHURCHES ,MONASTERIES, BAPTESTERIES)
PRESENTATION BY:
PRADNYA INAMDAR
St. Peter’s Basilica
 Old St. Peter's Basilica dates from the 4th century 300 AD.
Construction of the present basilica began on 18 April 1506 and
was completed on 18 November 1626.
 It was of typical basilical form, a wide nave and two aisles on
each side and an apsidal end, with the addition of
a transept or bema, giving the building the shape of a tau cross
 The atrium of rectangular court formed an imposing approach.
 This church had been built over the small shrine believed to mark
the burial place of St. Peter, though the tomb was "smashed" in 846
AD.] It contained a very large number of burials and memorials,
including those of most of the popes from St. Peter to the 15th
century.
 a wide central nave and two smaller aisles to
each side, which were each divided by 21
marble columns, taken from earlier pagan
buildings.
 An atrium, known as the "Garden of
Paradise", stood at the entrance and had five
doors which led to the body of the church; this
was a sixth-century addition.
 the site was outside the boundaries of the
ancient city, the apse with the altar was
located in the west so that the basilica's façade
could be approached from Rome itself to the
east. The exterior, unlike earlier pagan
temples, was not lavishly decorated.
MONASTERY
 A MONASTERY WAS A BUILDING, OR BUILDINGS, WHERE

PEOPLE LIVED AND WORSHIPED, DEVOTING THEIR TIME
AND LIFE TO GOD. THE PEOPLE WHO LIVED IN THE
MONASTERY WERE CALLED MONKS.
 THE MONASTERY WAS SELF CONTAINED, MEANING
EVERYTHING THE MONKS NEEDED WAS PROVIDED BY
THE MONASTERY COMMUNITY.
 THEY MADE THEIR OWN CLOTHES AND GREW THEIR
OWN FOOD. THEY HAD NO NEED FOR THE OUTSIDE
WORLD. THIS WAY THEY COULD BE SOMEWHAT
ISOLATED AND COULD FOCUS ON GOD.
 THE MONKS IN THE MONASTERIES WERE SOME OF THE
ONLY PEOPLE IN THE MIDDLE AGES WHO KNEW HOW TO
READ AND WRITE.
 THEY PROVIDED EDUCATION TO THE REST OF THE
WORLD. THEY ALSO HELPED TO FEED THE POOR, TAKE
CARE OF THE SICK, AND PROVIDED EDUCATION TO BOYS
IN THE LOCAL COMMUNITY.
ST. CATHERINE MONASTERY
 THE MONASTERY OF SAINT CATHERINE IS THE

OLDEST ACTIVE EASTERN ORTHODOX MONASTERY
IN THE WORLD, RENOWNED FOR ITS
EXTRAORDINARY HOLDINGS OF BYZANTINE ART.
 THE LOCATION OF THE MONASTERY IS
SIGNIFICANT FOR CHRISTIANITY, JUDAISM, AND
ISLAM, BECAUSE TRADITION IDENTIFIES IT AS THE
PLACE OF THE BURNING BUSH, A MAJOR BIBLICAL
EVENT WHERE MOSES ENCOUNTERED GOD.
 IT WAS BUILT AS A FORTRESS SHRINE ON MOUNT
SINAI.
 A CHANGE IN ARCHITECTURAL CONSTRUCTION OF
CHURCHES, MONASTERIES TOOK PLACE ON THE
ACCOUNT OF THE CRUSADES.
CHURCH OF HOLY SEPULCHRE, JERUSALEM
 Jerusalem is considered holy for Christians primarily
because Jesus was born and crucified in those areas. The
Church of the Holy Sepulcher .
 The Church of the Holy Sepulcher is one of the key sites
that Christians consider sacred and in some cases make
pilgrimage to those sites
 It is also considered as the place where Jesus was eventually
buried.
 Today, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher is the headquarters
of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.
 It was damaged by Persians and Muslims but was rebuilt by
Crusaders.
THE CHURCH OF NATIVITY,
BETHLEHEM (330 A. D)
 THE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY OR BASILICA OF THE
NATIVITY, IS A BASILICA LOCATED IN BETHLEHEM
IN THE WEST BANK.
 IT WAS FOUNDED BY CONSTANTINE AT THE BIRTH

PLACE OF JESUS CHRIST.
 IT CONSISTS OF AN ATRIUMS AND LARGE-SIZED

NAVE.
 TWO AISLES FORMED, TWO ROWS OF MONOLITHIC

CORINTHIANS COLUMNS ABOUT 6M IN HEIGHT.
Site and layout
 The centrepiece of the Nativity

complex is the Grotto of the
Nativity.
 The core of the complex connected
to the Grotto consists of the Nativity
itself.
 OUTER COURTYARD
 BASILICA OF NATIVITY
 GROTTO OF NATIVITY
S. MARIA MAGGIORE, ROME (432 A. D)
 THE BASILICA OF MAGGIORE IS THE MOST
CONVENIENT SINGLE SOURCE OF EARLY
CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE, YET FOUND.
 IT WAS BUILT BY POPE SIXTUS - III
 IT IS A LITTLE SUBTERRANEAN BUILDING

OF HARDLY 13M IN LENGTH
 IT IS A SINGLE AISLE HALL WITH

BEAUTIFUL IONIC COLUMNS IN MARBLE.
Architecture
 The athenian marble columns

supporting the nave are even
older.
 And either come from the first

basilica or formed another
antique Roman building.
Interior
 The mosaic found in S. Maria

Maggiore are of the oldest
representation of the virgin mary in
christian Late Antiquity.
 These mosaic gave historian insights

into artistic, religious & social
movement during this time.
BAPTISTERIES
BAPTISM :
REBIRTH INTO NEW LIFE
ORTHODOX BAPTISTERY RAVENNA
BAPTISTERY AT NOCERA
 SEPARATE BUILDINGS USED ONLY FOR THE
SACRAMENT OF BAPTISM WERE A FEATURE OF
EARLY CHRISTIANITY.
 FOR THIS RITEROMAN CIRCULAR TEMPLES WERE

OCCASIONALLY USED
 FOR THIS, THESE BUILDINGS HAD TO BE OF

CONSIDERABLE SIZE
 BUT AFTER 6TH CENTURY WITH THE INTRODUCTION

OF BAPTISMTHE BAPTISTERY WAS REPLACED BY A
FONT IN THE CHURCH.
 WHEN CIRCULAR ROMAN TEMPLES WERE MODIFIED

TO MEET THE NEW REQUIREMENTS, THESE HAD TO
BE ENLARGED.
 IT WAS DIFFICULT TO COVER THE ENCLOSED AREA WITH ONE ROOF
SUPPORTED ONLY BY OUTSIDE WALLS, &THEREFORE ROMANS USED
INTERNAL COLUMNS ATTACHED TO THE WALLS IN A DECORATIVE WAY
 EARLY CHRISTAINS USED COLUMNS CONSTRUCTIVELY TO SUPPORT THE

CENTRAL ROOF AND SURROUNDED THE WHOLE WITH ONE STOREYED
AISLE ENCLOSED BY OUTER WALL WHICH SUPPORTED LOWER ROOF
ORTHODOX BAPTISTERY, RAVENNA:
 ALSO KNOWN AS NEONIAN
BAPTISTERY.
 (AFTER BISHOP NEON)
 RICHLY DECORATED WITH

MARBLE, STUCCO &MOSAICS
 LARGE FONT IN CENTRE
 OCTAGONAL WITH INTERNAL

WALL ARCADES, BLIND ARCHES
 BISHOP NEON REPLACED WOODEN

CEILING WITH DOME
1. HIERARCHY IN DECORATION :
-CONCENTRIC CIRCLES RISE TO HIGHER
POINTS
2. LOWEST (GROUND)LEVEL:
-INSCRIPTIONS FROM PSALMS & GOSPELS
RELATED TO BAPTISM
MOSAIC RINGS ABOVE PENDENTATIVES

THE BAPTISTERY, NOCERA
 IT IS 24.4 M IN DIAMETER AND HAS A RING OF

THIRTY ANTIQUE COLUMNS, IN PAIRS,
SUPPORTING THE DOME WHICH IS COVERED
EXTERNALLY BY A WOODEN ROOF.
 A BARREL VAULTED AMBULATORYENCIRCLES

THE CENTRAL DOMED AREA.
 IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BUILDING IS AN

OCTAGONAL FONT WITH 8 COLUMNS AND
STEPS DESCENDING INTO IT.
SECTION

History Early Christain Churches

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EXAMPLES OF

EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE :

 A MONASTERY WAS A BUILDING, OR BUILDINGS, WHERE

 THE MONASTERY OF SAINT CATHERINE IS THE

 IT WAS FOUNDED BY CONSTANTINE AT THE BIRTH

 IT CONSISTS OF AN ATRIUMS AND LARGE-SIZED

 TWO AISLES FORMED, TWO ROWS OF MONOLITHIC

 The centrepiece of the Nativity

 IT WAS BUILT BY POPE SIXTUS - III

 IT IS A LITTLE SUBTERRANEAN BUILDING

 IT IS A SINGLE AISLE HALL WITH

 The athenian marble columns

 And either come from the first

 The mosaic found in S. Maria

 These mosaic gave historian insights

ORTHODOX BAPTISTERY RAVENNA

 FOR THIS RITEROMAN CIRCULAR TEMPLES WERE

 FOR THIS, THESE BUILDINGS HAD TO BE OF

 BUT AFTER 6TH CENTURY WITH THE INTRODUCTION

 WHEN CIRCULAR ROMAN TEMPLES WERE MODIFIED

 EARLY CHRISTAINS USED COLUMNS CONSTRUCTIVELY TO SUPPORT THE

 RICHLY DECORATED WITH

 LARGE FONT IN CENTRE

 OCTAGONAL WITH INTERNAL

 BISHOP NEON REPLACED WOODEN

MOSAIC RINGS ABOVE PENDENTATIVES

 IT IS 24.4 M IN DIAMETER AND HAS A RING OF

 A BARREL VAULTED AMBULATORYENCIRCLES

 IN THE MIDDLE OF THE BUILDING IS AN

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