Architecture of cathedrals and great churches
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The earliest large churches date from Late Antiquity. As
Function
Among the world's largest and most architecturally significant churches, many were built to serve as cathedrals or abbey churches. The categories below are not exclusive. A church can be an abbey church and serve as a cathedral. Some
Cathedral
A
, 'seat' of the bishop, known as the episcopal throne. The word cathedral is sometimes mistakenly applied as a generic term for any very large and imposing church.The role of bishop as an administrator of local
The
Cathedrals are not always large buildings and there are no prerequisites in size, height, or capacity for cathedrals to serve as such beyond those required to be a typical church. A cathedral might be as small as the historic Newport Cathedral, a late medieval parish church declared a cathedral in 1949. That said, size, height, capacity, and architectural prominence are all categories in which most cathedrals excel (at least comparatively within the municipal context of each building).[7]
There exist a number of practical reasons for this:
- The cathedral was created to the glory of God. It was seen as appropriate that it should be as grand and as beautiful as wealth and skill could make it.[6][full citation needed]
- As the seat of a bishop, the cathedral was the location for certain liturgical rites, such as the ordination of priests, which brought together large numbers of clergy and people.
- It functioned as an ecclesiastical and social meeting-place for many people, not just those of the town in which it stood, but also, on occasions, for the entire region.
- The cathedral often had its origins in a monastic foundation and was a place of worship for members of a holy order who said the mass privately at a number of small chapels within the cathedral.
- The cathedral often became a place of worship and burial for wealthy local patrons. These patrons often endowed the cathedrals with money for successive enlargements and building programs.
- Cathedrals are also traditionally places of better source needed]
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Cathedral of Christ the Saviour, Moscow, Russia
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Saint-Stephen Cathedral, Metz, France
Collegiate churches
Monastic churches
An abbey church is one that is, or was in the past, the church of a
In many parts of the world, abbey churches frequently served the local community as well as the monastic community. In regions such as the
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The Romanesque Abbey Church of St Etienne, Nevers, France
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The Gothic Abbey Church of Batalha Monastery, Portugal
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The Baroque Einsiedeln Abbey at Einsiedeln, Switzerland
Basilica
The meaning of "basilica" in architecture is discussed below; in the Roman Catholic ecclesiastical sense, a "basilica" is a title awarded by the
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Basilica of St Josaphat, Milwaukee, United States
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Basilica of St Giles, Bardejov, Slovakia
Origins and development of the church building
The church building grew out of a number of features of the Ancient Roman period:
- The house church
- The atrium
- The basilica
- The bema
- The mausoleum – centrally planned building
- The cruciform ground plan – Latin or Greek cross
From house church to church
From the first to the early fourth centuries most Christian communities worshipped in private homes, often secretly. Some Roman churches, such as the
Atrium
When Early Christian Communities began to build churches they drew on one particular feature of the houses that preceded them, the
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The atrium at theBasilica di San Clemente, Rome, with reused Ancient Roman columns
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The Romanesque atrium at the Basilica of Sant'Ambrogio, Milan
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A section of the enormous colonnade around theSt Peter's Basilica, Rome
Basilica
Early church architecture did not draw its form from Roman temples, as the latter did not have large internal spaces where worshipping congregations could meet. It was the Roman basilica, used for meetings, markets and courts of law that provided a model for the large Christian church and that gave its name to the Christian basilica. Both Roman basilicas and Roman bath houses had at their core a large vaulted building with a high roof, braced on either side by a series of lower chambers or a wide arcade passage. An important feature of the Roman basilica was that at either end it had a projecting exedra, or apse, a semicircular space roofed with a half-dome. This was where the magistrates sat to hold court. It passed into the church architecture of the Roman world and was adapted in different ways as a feature of cathedral architecture.[11]
The earliest large churches, such as the cathedral of
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The Ancient Basilica of Sant'Apollinare in Classe, near Ravenna, Italy
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The interior of Sant'Apollinare in Classe
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The "bema" of the Basilica of Saint Paul Outside the Walls, Rome
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The nave ofBasílica of Saint Sofia, Sofia
Mausoleum
One of the influences on church architecture was the mausoleum. The mausoleum of a noble Roman was a square or circular domed structure which housed a sarcophagus. Constantine the Great built for his daughter Constantina a mausoleum which has a circular central space surrounded by a lower ambulatory or passageway separated by a colonnade.
This burial place became a place of worship,
Ancient circular or polygonal churches are comparatively rare. A small number, such as the Temple Church, London were built during the Crusades in imitation of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre as isolated examples in England, France and Spain. In Denmark such churches in the Romanesque style are much more numerous. In parts of Europe there are also round tower-like churches of the Romanesque period but they are generally vernacular architecture and of small scale. Others, like Rotunda of St Martin at Vyšehrad in the Czech Republic are finely detailed.
The circular or polygonal form lent itself to those buildings within church complexes that perform a function in which it is desirable for people to stand, or sit around, with a centralised focus, rather than an axial one. In Italy the circular or polygonal form was used throughout the medieval period for baptisteries, while in England it was adapted for chapter houses. In France the aisled polygonal plan was adapted as the eastern terminal and in Spain the same form is often used as a chapel.
Other than Santa Costanza and San Stefano, there was another significant place of worship in Rome that was also circular, the vast Ancient Roman Pantheon, with its numerous statue-filled niches. This too was to become a church and subsequently a Roman Catholic basilica and lend its style to the development of ecclesiastical architecture.[5][11]
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Theaugusta Constantina. (See interior below.)
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Church of Saint George, Sofia, Bulgaria, built during the 4th century in the Roman city of Serdica.
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Bjernede Kirke is one of several circular Romanesque churches in Denmark.
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Temple Church, London was inspired by the rotunda of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, Jerusalem and built by the Knights Templar.
Bema
As numbers of clergy increased, the small apse which contained the altar, or table upon which the
Latin Cross and Greek Cross
Many of the earliest churches of
.Most cathedrals and great churches have a cruciform
Architecture
Architectural forms common to many cathedrals and great churches
Note- The list below is compiled from
Axis
As described above, the majority of cathedrals and great churches are cruciform in shape with the church having a defined axis. The
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The ByzantineGreek Cross plan with central dome and the axis marked by the narthex(transverse vestibule).
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baptistryat the west.
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Southwark Cathedral, London, shows strongly projecting transepts, long eastern end and the central tower common in Britain.
The majority of cathedrals and large churches of the Western European tradition have a high wide nave with a lower aisle separated by an arcade on either side.[15] Occasionally the aisles are as high as the nave, forming a hall church; this is mostly a German type.[16] Many cathedrals have two aisles on either side. Notre-Dame de Paris has two aisles and a row of chapels.
In the case of a centrally planned church, the major axis is that between the main door and the altar.
Transept
The transept forms the arms of the church building. In English cathedrals of monastic foundation there are often two transepts.[17] The intersection where the nave and transept meet is called the crossing and is often surmounted by a small spire called a flèche, a dome or, particularly in England, a large tower with or without a spire.[18]
Vertical emphasis
There is generally a prominent external feature that rises upwards. It may be a dome, a central tower, two western towers or towers at both ends as at Speyer Cathedral. The towers are often topped by a spire. Often towers rise above the main entrance at the west front, or they may be placed centrally, or at the east end, but spires were unusual at the west end before James Gibbs's innovative and much-copied St Martin-in-the-Fields, London, in the 1720s.[19] The towers may be finished with pinnacles or spires or a small dome.
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Lincoln Cathedral, England, has two west towers and a huge crossing tower topped for 200 years by the world's tallest spire.
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Bamberg Cathedral, Germany, has a tower at each corner, topped by spires which rise from gables and are called "rhenish helms".
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campanileand the largest dome built before the 19th century.
West front
The façade or "west front" or in some cases termed the (westwork), is the most ornate part of the exterior, with the processional doors, often three in number, and often richly decorated with sculpture, marble or stone tracery.[20][21][22] The façade often has a large window, sometimes a rose window or an impressive sculptural group as its central feature.
In the Western European tradition, there are frequently paired towers framing the façade. These towers have their origin in a tradition practiced at the
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The polychrome façade of Siena Cathedral, Italy, has Byzantine, Romanesque and Gothic elements.
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Notre Dame de Paris, has a Gothic west front in which verticals and horizontals are balanced.
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The Renaissance façade of Sant'Andrea della Valle, Rome, is a two tiered temple with paired columns.
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The Spanish Baroque west front of the RomanesqueCathedral of Santiago de Compostela
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The Gothic west front of Cologne Cathedral was not completed until the 19th century.
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Russian Revival façade of The Cathedral of Peter and Paul with polychrome details, tented roofs and domes
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The Neoclassical façade of Vilnius Cathedral, Lithuania, with its pediment and columns...
East end
The east end is the part of the building which shows the greatest diversity of architectural form. At the eastern end, internally, lies the sanctuary where the altar of the cathedral is located.
- Early Christian and Byzantine – A projecting semi-circular apse.
- Romanesque – A rounded end. It may be a lower apse projecting from a higher square end, usual in Italy, Germany and Eastern Europe. In France and England the chancel terminated in a high eastern end of semi-circular form, surrounded by an ambulatory. While common in France, in England this form has only been retained without significant change at Norwich Cathedral.
- France, Spain, German and Eastern European Gothic – The eastern end is long and extends into a high vaulted apsidal end. The eastern aisles are continued around this apse, making a lower passage or chevet.
- English Gothic – The eastern ends show enormous diversity. chevet. In the some, notably Lincoln Cathedral, the east end presents a square, cliff-like form while in most this severity is broken by a projecting Lady Chapel. There are also examples of the lower aisle continuing around the square east end.
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TheAbbey of San Salvatore, Italy, has three simple apses
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The Church of St Nicola, Kungur, Russia, has an apse and wide ambulatory.
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chevet of radiating chapels with flying buttresses
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Lincoln Cathedral, England, has the cliff-like, buttressed east end usual in English Gothic churches
External decoration
The external decoration of a cathedral or large church building is often both architectural and pictorial. Decorative architectural devices include columns, pilasters, arcading, cornices, moldings, finials and tracery. The forms taken by these features is one of the clearest indications of the style and date of any particular building. Pictorial elements may include sculpture, painting and mosaic.
Sculpture is the predominant pictorial decorative element in most regions where buildings are of stone construction. In the great medieval churches of France, Spain, England and much of Germany, figurative sculpture is found adorning façades and portals.
Churches of brick, such as those of much of Italy, are often adorned with mosaics, inlays, inset marble friezes and free-standing statues at the roofline. Mosaics were a particular feature of Byzantine architecture and are the main form of adornment of many Orthodox churches, both externally and internally.
The most common theme in the decoration, both external and internal, of any church, is the
Section references:Banister Fletcher,[3][full citation needed] Wim Swaan,[6][full citation needed] Larousse.[23][full citation needed]
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The Gothic façade of Orvieto Cathedral is veneered with polychrome marble, and set, like a reliquary, with colorful mosaics and free-standing statues of marble and bronze.
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The Gothic transept façade of Westminster Abbey (13th and 19th centuries) is decorated with layers of architectural details such as tracery, arcading and figurative carving.
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The Baroque façade of thearchitectural formswith precise Classical details and careful placement of free-standing sculpture.
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Thekokoshniks.
Internal features
The main body of the building, making the longer arm of the cross, where worshippers congregate, is called the
The nave is braced on either side by lower aisles, separated from the main space by a row of piers or columns. The aisles facilitate the movement of people, even when the nave is full of worshippers. They also strengthen the structure by buttressing the inner walls that carry the high roof, which in the case of many cathedrals and other large churches, is made of stone. Above the roof of the aisle are the clerestory windows which light the nave.
In some large churches, particularly late Medieval churches, there are two aisles on either side of nave. Other churches have a single aisle and a row of chapels on either side. In some churches, particularly in Germany, the aisles are almost as high as the nave, forming a "hall church". In this case, because there is no clerestory, the aisle windows are often very tall, to admit light to the nave.
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The nave of Orvieto Cathedral, Italy, has two stages: arcade and simple clerestory windows separated by a cornice.
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Medieval Lincoln Cathedral, England, has three stages: arcade, gallery and clerestory, united by vertical shafts.
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The Baroque Schöntal Abbey at Schöntal, Germany, is a hall church with nave and aisles rising to about the same height.
Crossing and transept
The crossing is the point in a church at which the transept intersects the nave. This point is often marked externally by a tower or dome and internally by the piers and arches that are required to bear the weight of such a structure. The interior of the dome or tower may be one of the major architectural features of the interior of the church. In a centrally planned church such as Hagia Sophia, and typical of many Orthodox churches, the major interior space of the building is roofed by the dome.
The transept is symbolic of the arms of the Cross, but also provides space for congregation and for additional chapels. Transept chapels are often dedicated to a particular saint, or to a particular aspect in the life and ministry of Christ, such as the Nativity or the Resurrection. In some English cathedrals there is often a second transept containing chapels, to facilitate the saying of the Divine Office by clergy each day.[26][27][full citation needed]
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ByzantineHagia Eirene, Istanbul, has a dome on pendentives.
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Romanesque Hildesheim Cathedral has a simple flat roof over the crossing, which is common in most Romanesque churches.
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Gothic Rouen Cathedral has a lantern tower with ribbed vault.
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Norman Ely Cathedral has a Gothic octagon supported on wooden hammer beams.
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Church of the Theotokos of the Sign, Dubrovitsy, has an elaborate Rococo variation on the Russian tented roof.
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The 18th centuryPantheon, Paris, has a dome on a rotunda.
Chancel, choir and presbytery
In a church in which part of the body of the church extends beyond the transept, then this extension is architecturally termed the "
In those English cathedrals with two transepts, there is a further area beyond the choir which is called the
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The Norman choir at Peterborough Cathedral, England
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The Gothic choir at Amiens Cathedral, France
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The choir and papal altar ofSt Peter's Basilica, Rome
Altar
The altar in the Roman Catholic church is the center of the church where the sacrifice on the cross is made present in sacramental form.
The sanctuary is often separated from the body of the church by railings and screens, and, in the case of Orthodox and
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The Gothic Revivalreredos at Ely Cathedral, England, with east window behind
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Tapestry by Graham Sutherland in Coventry Cathedral, England
Choir stalls and organ
The term "choir" is used in two distinct ways in relation to cathedrals. It firstly means the
The organ which provides music and accompanies the choir may be located on the screen, or may be in the gallery above the choir, or in a transept. Some churches have an organ loft at the west end of the church. These are usually a later addition to medieval churches; large examples had portative organs, often several.[37]
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A choir practising in Norwich Cathedral, England
Font, lectern and pulpit
Towards the western end of the nave stands the font, or water basin at which the rite of
The third significant furnishing of the nave is the pulpit or rostrum from which the sermon is preached and the biblical readings are expounded. The pulpit might be of marble or wood, and may be a simple structure or represent a highly elaborate carved sermon. It is often decorated with the winged figures of a man, a lion, a bull and an eagle, representing the Gospel writers, Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.[38]
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Font atSalamanca Cathedral, Spain
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Lectern at Beverley Minster, England
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Sant'Apollinare Nuovo, Ravenna
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Pulpit atSarajevo Cathedral, Bosnia and Herzegovina
Decoration
The internal decorative features of a cathedral or great church might follow a carefully conceived scheme which might continue the theme begun on the west front. There are many examples which give evidence of this, and include the mosaic vaults of Orthodox churches, the stained glass windows of Medieval churches and the sculptural schemes of Baroque churches. However, in many other cases, any unified scheme has been lost with the vagaries of the building's history.[citation needed]
Despite losses and changes of direction, the over-riding aim in the decoration of church interiors is to convey the message of the
The symbolism used in ancient churches is not always easy for modern people to read. Virtues and vices may be represented by small figures with particular attributes, or by animals that were thought to embody a particular quality. A common example is the pelican which was thought to peck its breast to feed its young on the blood, thus representing the love of Christ for the Church.[citation needed]
The decorative scheme generally culminated at the altar, where there would be a painted altarpiece or sculptured reredos, or it would be framed by a stained glass window, or an apsidal mosaic.[39][full citation needed][40][full citation needed]
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The interior of Vologda Cathedral, Russia, is painted with murals.
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Monreale Cathedral, Sicily, is decorated with mosaics in the Byzantine manner.
Architectural style
Early Christian
The period of architecture termed Early or Paleo-Christian lasted from the first Christian Church buildings of the early 4th century until the development of a distinctly Byzantine style which emerged in the reign of Justinian I in the 6th century, foundation of Constantinople by Constantine in 330 CE. Some of the earliest Christian churches were constructed by the Arsacid dynasty of Armenia, where king Tiridates III converted to Christianity in 301. The small aisleless Kasagh Basilica at Aparan in the Kingdom of Armenia is traditionally dated to the 4th or 5th century.[41]
Large Early Christian churches generally took the form of aisled basilicas with an apse.
A number of Rome's churches have retained Early Christian mosaics. Those at Santa Costanza are similar to mosaics and painted decoration found in public and domestic interiors, being largely geometric or floral, but close examination reveals much Christian symbolism in the choice of motives. One of the most extensive decorative schemes from the period to have remained at least partially intact is that at Santa Maria Maggiore, where the proscenium of the apse is decorated with stories of the Infancy of Jesus drawn from the Gospel of Matthew.[citation needed]
The Anchiskhati Basilica is the oldest church in Georgia, dating from the 6th century.[citation needed]
Where churches of Early Christian foundation remain, they are mostly considerably altered, are badly deteriorated and no longer viable, or are roofless ruins, a state which almost overtook San Stefano, prior to a renovation in the 15th century. The 4th century
The Euphrasian Basilica in Poreč, Croatia, was founded in 360 on the site of a house church and retaining part of its Roman pavement. Although renovated and decorated in the late 6th century, the church has retained Early Christian features, including the atrium. Several Early Christian churches exist in Syria and Armenia, mostly in a ruined state. These show Roman rather than Byzantine architectural features, but have a regional character distinct from those of Rome.[3][full citation needed]
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The Ancient Basilica of Santa Sabina, Rome (circa 425) has a typical basilical plan with a high semi-circular apse.
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Internally, Santa Sabina appears little changed since Early Christian times.
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TheBasilica of Santa Maria Maggiore, Rome. Its foundation dated by tradition to a miraculous snowfall in 352. Ancient mosaics are incorporated into Baroque decorations.
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The Mausoleum of Santa Costanza, Rome (circa 350)
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The Early Christian apse mosaic of Santa Pudenziana in Rome has been retained despite later renovations.
Byzantine
In the same town stands the uniquely structured, centrally planned, and domed church of San Vitale, of the same date. Its main internal space is 25 m across. The central dome is surrounded by eight apsidal semi-domes like the petals of a flower.[45] There is a complex arrangement of curving arcades on several levels which gives a spatial effect only equalled by the Baroque church of Santa Maria della Salute built a thousand years later a few miles north in Venice. San Vitale was to be imitated in the 9th century in a simplified form by Charlemagne at Aachen, Germany.
In Venice stands San Marco's, one of the world's best known Byzantine-style churches, dating mainly from the 11th-century and decorated over many centuries but maintaining its centrally planned Byzantine form. It is called
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Hagia Sophia, though used as a mosque, retains some ancient mosaics.
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The apse of San Vitale showing the 6th century mosaics
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The Monastic Church of Hosios Loukas, Greece
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The glowing blue and gold mosaics ofSan Marco's, Venice
Romanesque
After the decline of the
Representative of the period are
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Saint-Georges de Boscherville Abbey, France, has a square tower over the crossing. The western pinnaclesare in the Gothic style.
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Speyer Cathedral, Germany, from the east, shows the apse projecting from a chancel framed by towers, with an octagonal dome over the crossing.
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campanileand presents a harmony of polychrome and arcades.
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San Miniato al Monte, Florence, has basilical form, open timber roof and decoration of polychrome marble and mosaic.
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Thetransverse archessupporting a series of barrel vaults.
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Vézelay Abbey has clusters of vertical shafts rising to support transverse arches and a groin vault. The east end is Gothic.
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The nave of Peterborough Cathedral is in three stages supporting a rare wooden ceiling retaining its original decoration.
Gothic
By the mid 12th century many large cathedrals and abbey churches had been constructed and the
Buildings representative of this period include
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Cologne Cathedral, Germany
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Canterbury Cathedral, England
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Milan Cathedral, Italy
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Bourges Cathedral, France
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Salisbury Cathedral, England
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Basilica of Santa Maria Novella, Florence
Renaissance
In the early 15th century a competition was held in Florence for a plan to roof the central crossing of the huge, unfinished Gothic Florence Cathedral. It was won by the artist Brunelleschi who, inspired by domes that he had seen on his travels, such as that of San Vitale in Ravenna and the enormous dome of the Roman period which roofed the Pantheon, designed a huge dome which is regarded as the first building of the Renaissance period. Its style, visually however, is ribbed and pointed and purely Gothic. It was Renaissance (a rebirth) in its audacity and the fact that it looked back to Roman structural techniques.[48]
Brunelleschi, and others like him, developed a passion for the highly refined style of
The greatest cathedral building of the age was the rebuilding of St Peter's Basilica in Rome, the combined work of the architects
Pope Julius II could command the greatest artists of his day as designers. (The role of architect had not yet become a separate one from painter, sculptor or builder.) The product of these many minds is a massive, glorious and unified whole.[3][full citation needed][5][full citation needed][51][full citation needed]
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Sant'Andrea, Mantua
Baroque
By the time that St Peter's was completed, a style of architecture was developed by architects who knew all the rules that had been so carefully recovered, and chose to break them. The effect was a dynamic style of architecture in which the forms seem to take on life of their own, moving, swaying and undulating.[52] The name Baroque means 'mis-shapen pearl'.[53]
There are many large churches,
In Russia, for the most part, the Baroque style was overlaid as architectonic features on the essentially Byzantine forms used for church construction. Many churches were built in this style, notably the
Many European cathedrals have baroque features, high altars, façades and chapels. The façades of Santiago de Compostela, Jaén Cathedral and Valladolid Cathedral in Spain was rebuilt at this time. The Baroque style was carried by the Spanish and Portuguese to South and Central America, to the Philippines and to Goa in India where it was to become the prominent style of building for churches large and small. Both in the Americas and the Philippines, large Baroque churches often have a proportionally very wide façade which seems stretched between the towers. The intensely ornate decoration both in Spain and the Americas is called Churrigueresque.[56]
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Santa Maria della Salute, Venice (1631)
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St Paul's Cathedral, London, (1670–1710) uses a motif of paired columns to create dynamic interplay of spaces
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St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina(1696–1705)
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Karlskirche, Vienna, (1716–37)
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Santa Maria della Salute, Venice (1631)
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San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane, Rome (1634–47)
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St Paul's Cathedral, London
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The chancel of the Basilica of Our Lady of Mercy, Barcelona.
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The chancel ofEvora Cathedral, Portugal, (1718–1746)
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Smolny Cathedral fromElisabethan Baroquestyle
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Saints Peter and Paul Cathedral (Kazan), an example of Naryshkin Baroque
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The interior of the Saint Petersburg Peter and Paul Cathedral, Petrine Baroque
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Moscow Baroque
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Cathedral of the Theotokos of the Sign in Tyumen, Siberian Baroque
Rococo
The Rococo style is a late evolution of Baroque architecture, first apparent in French domestic architecture and design. It is distinguished by the asymmetry found within its decoration, generally taking the form of ornate sculptured
Perhaps the most remarkable large-scale example of Rococo church building was the
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TheBasilica of the Vierzehnheiligen, Germany
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The restoredFrauenkirche, Dresden, Germany
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Abbey of Saint Gall, St. Gallen, Switzerland
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The altar of the Seven Holy Helpers,Vierzehnheiligen, Germany
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The Abbey Church atBirnau, during a wedding
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Havana Cathedral, Cuba, (1748–77)
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The Church of San Juan, Manila, Philippines (1774)
Revivals
The 18th and 19th centuries were a time of expansion and
Cathedrals in the Gothic Revival style include Liverpool Anglican Cathedral in England, the New Cathedral, Linz in Austria, the Cathedral of St John the Divine in New York and St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne in Australia.
Not all of the cathedrals that are in a revivalist style are Gothic.
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Neo-Byzantine style
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St. Michael's Cathedral, Qingdao, China, (1931–34) in the German Romanesque style
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St Patrick's Cathedral, Melbourne, Australia, (1858–97) in the Gothic style
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Sacred Heart Cathedral, Delhi, India, (1929–30s) in the English Baroque style
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Church St. Pankraz at Anholt, Germany, in the Romanesque style
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Truro Cathedral, England, in the Early English Gothic style
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St. Andrew's Cathedral, Sydney, Australia, in the Perpendicular Gothic style
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Notre-Dame de Québec Cathedral, Quebec City, Canada, in the Italian Baroque style
Modern
In the 20th century, building in the Medieval style continued, but in a stripped-down, cleanly functional form, often in brick. A fine example is
After World War II traditionalist ideas were abandoned for the rebuilding of the bombed cathedral in Coventry. The old cathedral was actually a large parish church that had been elevated to cathedral status. Its glorious spire fortunately escaped severe damage. The 20th century Coventry Cathedral, of alternating slabs of masonry and stained glass attempts to capture symbolically the sense of an old cathedral church, without attempting to reproduce it. Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral is the 20th century's answer to the centrally planned church, a vast circular structure with the sanctuary at the centre.[39][full citation needed]
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Liverpool Metropolitan Cathedral, by Sir Frederick Gibberd, 1967
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Tokyo Cathedral, Japan
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Interior of theCathedral of Chillán, Chile.
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Interior of the Cathedral of Brasília, Brazil
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Interior of theOakland, California
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Interior of theChrist Cathedral in Garden Grove, California
Post Modern
As with other
The functional and formalized shapes and spaces of the modernist movement are replaced by unapologetically diverse aesthetics: styles collide, form is adopted for its own sake, and new ways of viewing familiar styles and space abound. Perhaps most obviously, architects rediscovered the expressive and symbolic value of architectural elements and forms that had evolved through centuries of building—often maintaining meaning in literature, poetry and art—but which had been abandoned by the modern movement.
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The interior of the Basilica of Our Lady of Licheń clearly draws from classical forms of Western European church architecture.
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The Basilica of Our Lady of Peace in Yamoussoukro, Ivory Coast; built in 1989–1990.
See also
- Sacred architecture
- Church architecture
- Medieval architecture
- List of regional characteristics of European cathedral architecture
- Architecture of the medieval cathedrals of England
- Lists of cathedrals
- The Reformation and its influence on church architecture
Architectural styles (chronological order)
- Early Christian art and architecture
- Byzantine architecture
- Eastern Orthodox church architecture
- Romanesque architecture
- Gothic architecture
- French Gothic architecture
- Renaissance architecture
- Baroque architecture
- Victorian architecture
- Polish Cathedral style architecture
Architectural features
- Architectural development of the eastern end of cathedrals in England and France
- Cathedral diagram
- Clerestory
- Rose window
- Triforium
- Vault
Decorative features
Notes
- ^ Batsford and Fry, 1-3
- ^ John Harvey, The Gothic World.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k Fletcher, Banister (1905). A history of architecture on the comparative method (1st ed.). London : Batsford.
- ^ Ignatius of Antioch, in Letter to the Ephesians written c. 100 CE.
- ^ ISBN 9780060133887.
- ^ a b c d Wim Swaan, The Gothic Cathedral[full citation needed]
- ^ "From the earliest part of the Gothic era it was practically inconceivable to build a cathedral that was less than a hundred yards long" p.23 François Icher,Building the Great Cathedrals
- Santiago de Compostella, Canterbury Cathedral.
- ^ Gietmann, G. & Thurston, Herbert (1913). Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company. . In Herbermann, Charles (ed.).
- ^ "Basilicas in the World". GCatholic.org. 2019. Retrieved 12 December 2019.
- ^ a b c d e Andre Grabar, The Beginnings of Christian Art.[full citation needed]
- ^ Fleming, Honour and Pevsner, 21
- ^ a b Beny and Gunn, Churches of Rome.
- ^ An extreme example of this is the new Coventry Cathedral where the "East End" actually faces north, due to the construction of the new building at right angles to the shell of the old building destroyed in the Second World War
- ^ Fleming, Honour and Pevsner, 225, 10
- ^ Fleming, Honour and Pevsner, 149
- ^ Fleming, Honour and Pevsner, 325
- ^ Fleming, Honour and Pevsner, 86
- ISBN 0712620958. (Also see revised edition, edited by Howard Colvin, 2003)
- . Retrieved 2022-04-23.
- ISBN 978-1-4426-7943-6.
- OCLC 32131812.
- ^ a b c d e Larousse Encyclopedia of Byzantine and Medieval Art[full citation needed]
- ^ a b Rolf Toman, Romanesque – Architecture, Sculpture, Painting[full citation needed]
- ^ W. H. Auden, "Cathedrals, Luxury liners laden with souls, Holding to the East their hulls of stone"
- ^ Batsford and Fry, 48-49
- ^ Gerald Randall (1980). Church Furnishing and Decoration in England and Wales. London: B. T. Batsford Ltd. ISBN 0-7134-3382-5
- ^ Fleming, Honour and Pevsner, 72
- ^ Batsford and Fry, 46-50, 115-118 on stalls
- ^ Fleming, Honour and Pevsner, 253
- ^ Brittain-Catlin, 52, 114
- ^ "Catechism of the Catholic Church - IntraText". www.vatican.va. Archived from the original on 2004-05-01.
- ^ Batsford and Fry, 131. In fact reaching the church door or sometimes, as at Westminster Abbey, the wider church precinct was enough. Many sanctuary rights remained in English law until 1623.
- ^ "Glossary: altar". United Methodist Communications. 21 October 2013. Retrieved 30 April 2022.
- ^ Batsford and Fry, 131
- ^ Batsford and Fry, 44-47, 110
- ^ Batsford and Fry, 41-43
- ^ T. Francis Bumpus, The Cathedrals and Churches of Belgium.
- ^ a b c d e Alec Clifton-Taylor, The Cathedrals of England.[full citation needed]
- ^ a b Nikolaus Pevsner, An Outline of European Architecture[full citation needed]
- ISBN 0-8109-0625-2.
- ^ Watkin, 71
- ^ Watkin, 70-74
- ^ Watkin, 74-75
- ^ Watkin, 79-80
- ^ Watkin, 83-86; Yarwood, 84-110
- ^ Yarwood, 134-199
- ^ Watkin, 168-170; 178-179
- ^ Watkin, 179-182
- ^ Watkin, 191-192
- ^ James Lees-Milne, St Peter's[full citation needed]
- ^ Fleming, Honour and Pevsner, 28-29
- ^ Encyclopædia Britannica. Vol. 3 (11th ed.). 1911. The usual account of the origin of the term, in French or Portuguese, but alternative explanations are available. .
- ^ Watkin, 285-291
- ^ John Summerson, Architecture in Britain
- ^ Watkin, 305-307
- ^ Watkin, 273-274
- ^ Watkin, 280-284
References
- ISBN 0-7506-2267-9
- Batsford, Harry and Fry, Charles, The Greater English Church of the Middle Ages, 1944 (2nd edn), Batsford
- Nikolaus Pevsner, An Outline of European Architecture, 1964, Pelican Books, ISBN
- ISBN 0-671-43447-0
- Brittain-Catlin, Timothy, Churches, 2008, Collins, ISBN 9780007263066
- T. Francis Bumpus, The Cathedrals and Churches of Belgium, 1928, T. Werner Laurie Ltd, ISBN
- Alec Clifton-Taylor, The Cathedrals of England, 1967, Thames and Hudson, ISBN 0-500-20062-9
- Alain Erlande-Brandenburg, The Cathedral: The Social and Architectural Dynamics of Construction , 2009 (new paperback edition), Cambridge University Press
- Giovanni Fanelli, Brunelleschi, 1980, Becocci, ISBN
- John Fleming, Hugh Honour and Nikolaus Pevsner, The Penguin Dictionary of Architecture, 3rd edn, 1980, Penguin, ISBN 0140510133
- Paul Frankl/Paul Crossley, Gothic Architecture, 2001 (2nd revised edition), Yale University Press
- Andre Grabar, The Beginnings of Christian Art, Thames and Hudson, 1967, ISBN
- John Harvey, The Gothic World, 1100–1600, 1950, Batsford, ISBN
- John Harvey, English Cathedrals, 1961, Batsford, ISBN
- Howard Hibbard, Masterpieces of Western Sculpture, 1966, Thames and Hudson, ISBN
- Rene Huyghe editor, Larousse Encyclopedia of Byzantine and Medieval Art, 1963, Paul Hamlyn, ISBN
- François Icher, Building the Great Cathedrals, 1998, Harry N. Abrams, ISBN 0-8109-4017-5
- James Lees-Milne, Saint Peter's, 1967, Hamish Hamiliton, ISBN
- Pio V. Pinto, The Pilgrim's Guide to Rome, 1974, Harper and Row, ISBN 0-06-013388-0
- Gerald Randall, Church Furnishing and Decoration in England & Wales, 1980, London: B. T. Batsford Ltd., ISBN 0-8419-0602-5
- ISBN 0-14-056003-3
- Wim Swaan, The Gothic Cathedral, 1988, Omega Books, ISBN 978-0-907853-48-0
- Wim Swaan, Art and Architecture of the Late Middle Ages, Omega Books, ISBN 0-907853-35-8
- Tim Tatton-Brown, John Crook, The English Cathedral, 2002, New Holland Publishers, ISBN 1-84330-120-2
- Rolf Toman, editor, Romanesque – Architecture, Sculpture, Painting, 1997, Konemann, ISBN 3-89508-447-6
- ISBN 0712612793
- Christopher Wilson, The Gothic Cathedral: The Architecture of the Great Church 1130–1530, 1992 (2nd Edition), Thames and Hudson
- ISBN 0600554309