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Church architecture refers to the architecture of Christian buildings, such as churches, chapels, convents, seminaries, etc. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion , partly by innovation and partly by borrowing other architectural styles as well as responding to changing beliefs, practices and local traditions.
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 St John Lateran in Rome, consisted of a single-ended basilica with one apsidal end and a courtyard, or atrium , at the other end.
The traditional Gothic arrangement, following Saint-Denis near Paris, was two towers of equal size on the west facade, flanking a porch with three portals. In Normandy and England, a central tower was often added over the meeting point of the transept and the main body of the church, as at Salisbury Cathedral. [27]
Cathedral oriented to the east. The arrow indicates the west front entrance. The orientation of a building refers to the direction in which it is constructed and laid out, taking account of its planned purpose and ease of use for its occupants, its relation to the path of the sun and other aspects of its environment. [1]
In architecture, a steeple is a tall tower on a building, topped by a spire and often incorporating a belfry and other components. Steeples are very common on Christian churches and cathedrals and the use of the term generally connotes a religious structure. They might be stand-alone structures, or incorporated into the entrance or center of ...
The Cistercian architecture is also highlighted in the book, [1] and a description of those colourful stained-glass windows that complemented a play of colours inside the church building. [ 2 ] The main focus of the book is on the architect (a master mason ) and the construction process, such as transport of materials, laying of foundations ...
Amiens Cathedral floorplan: massive piers support the west end towers; transepts are abbreviated; seven radiating chapels form the chevet reached from the ambulatory. In Western ecclesiastical architecture, a cathedral diagram is a floor plan showing the sections of walls and piers, giving an idea of the profiles of their columns and ribbing.
In traditional Christian architecture, the plan view of a church often forms a Christian cross with the centre aisle and seating representing the vertical beam and the bema and altar forming the horizontal. Towers or domes may inspire contemplation of the heavens. Modern churches have a variety of architectural styles and layouts. Some ...