Floor Plan Of Early Christian Basilica

Review the plan of old st.

Floor plan of early christian basilica.

The plan generally included a nave q v or hall with a flat timber roof in which the crowd gathered. One or two side aisles. Church in architecture a building designed for christian worship. The early christian basilica will form the foundation of much we know of christian church architecture.

The roof above the middle aisle the nave is raised above the adjacent aisles so that its supporting walls have openings for air and light. Because the nave rose considerably higher than the side aisles the wall that supported the nave roof stood above the level of the side aisle roofs and could thus be pierced at the top with windows to light the centre of the church. Unfortunately none of them has survived in its original form but the plan of the greatest constantinian church st. So it is important that we share a common vocabulary.

According to vitruvius who in this certainly agrees with greek authorities the usual construction of a basilica was the following. Ancient christians found a glorified version of their church s floor plan in revelation 4 2 4. The earliest churches were based on the plan of the pagan roman basilica q v or hall of justice. 2 atrium in early christian byzantine and medieval architecture the forecourt of a church.

In this passage the throne in the middle is the altar the 24 elders sit in a circle around the throne instead of in a semi circle behind it and jesus in the role of the bishop sits on the altar instead of behind it because he is also the sacrifice. View down the nave toward the apse basilica of santa sabina c. 3 narthex the entrance hall or porch proceding the nave of a church. The ground plan was a parallelogram in which the width was not greater than one half of the length and not less than one third of it.

Peter s and glossary of terms included in my arth 109 site. As a rule enveloped by four colonnaded porticoes. In the typical early christian basilica the columns separating the nave from the side aisles carried either arches or an entablature straight band of molding and above these was a blank wall supporting the timber roof of the nave. The basic characteristics of a basilica in terms of a place of worship are.

The original constantinian buildings are now known only in plan but an examination of a still extant early fifth century roman basilica the church of santa sabina helps us to understand the essential characteristics of the early christian basilica. Parts of an early christian basilica. Peter s in rome is known with considerable accuracy figs.