Early Christian

Early Christian (200-1025)

▪ The final phase of Roman architecture.
▪ Christianity became the state religion.
▪ House-churches, early venue for religious practices.
▪ Roman basilica form was adopted as the ground plan
for most churches: rectangular plan and a nave with
two side aisles.
▪ Basilican churches were constructed over the burial
place of a saint.
▪ Facades faced west.
BASILICA
San Clemente, Rome.

An early Christian church, characterized

by a long, rectangular plan, a high
colonnaded nave lit by a clerestory and
covered by a timbered gable roof.
Early Christian Basilica. San Clemente, Rome; 4th century AD. (Opus Grecanicum, glass mosaic decorations)
Main Parts of an Early
Christian Basilica

▪ Apse, sanctuary.

▪ Bema, stage for clergy

▪ Altar, under the

baldacchino

▪ Nave, central aisle

▪ Atrium, forecourt

▪ Narthex, for the

penitents

▪ Choir, enclosed by a
cancelli

▪ Ambo, pulpit
 1 apse 15 northern aisle, gospel side,
2 cathedra, bishop’s throne women’s side
3 synthronos, synthronon 16 southern aisle, epistle side,
(podium or benches) men’s side
5 bema, altar platform 17 side chapel
6 solea (raised floor, used by 18 sacristy, vestry, revestry,
the clergy) vestiary
7 choir screen 20 exonarthex
8 apsidiole (secondary apse) 21 belltower
10 choir, schola cantorum 22 cloister
11 cancelli 23 atrium, atrium paradisus,
12 gospel ambo paradise
13 epistle ambo 24 prothyron (space in front of the
14 nave entrance)

Early Christian Basilica. San Clemente, Rome; 4th century AD.

Plan of the old St. Peter’s; Rome, Italy.
Section and pictorial view of the old St. Peter’s. (Timber roof and use of Roman motifs.)
Baptistery
Baptistery, Ravenna.

A space, area or separate building of a

church or cathedral, containing a font
where baptism takes place.
Octagonal structure having fine mosaics
representing the baptism of Christ.
On a canonical sense…
▪A basilica is the name given to certain churches granted
special privileges by the pope or the Vatican.
▪The criteria are based on special spiritual, historical,
and/or architectural significance.
▪This is the highest permanent designation for a church
building.
Major basilica
Highest-ranking Roman Catholic
churches; Papal basilicas.

 Archbasilica of St. John in the

Lateran
 St. Peter's Basilica
 The Basilica of St. Paul Outside the
Walls
 Basilica di Santa Maria Maggiore
Minor basilica
There are 13 minor basilicas in the
Philippines as of 2015.
 Basílica Minore del Santo Niño, Cebu
 Basilica of the Black Nazarene,
Quiapo
 Metropolitan Cathedral-Basilica of
the Immaculate Conception, Manila
 Basilica of San Sebastian, Manila
 Basilica of Our Lady of Manaoag,
Pangasinan
 Byzantine
Architecture
The Eastern and Western Roman Empire.
Byzantine (300-1450)
▪ Circular or polygonal plans for churches, tombs, and
baptisteries.
▪ Characterized by masonry construction, round arches,
shallow domes carried on pendentives, and the
extensive use of rich frescoes, and colored glass
mosaics to cover whole interiors.
▪ Facades faced west.
19 basket capital; 20 dosseret and basket capital; 21 dosseret and trapezoidal capital.

Dosseret. A thickened abacus or supplementary capital set above a column capital to receive the thrust of an
arch; also called a pulvin, impost block or supercapital.

Byzantine capitals.
Basilica di San
Vitale
Ravenna, Italy.

A Byzantine centralized church.

Prime example of Byzantine architecture
in the West.
Basilica di San Vitale, Ravenna, Italy.
 1 apse
3 synthronos, synthronon
5 bema, altar platform
25 prothesis, pastophorium (niche
reserved for objects used in worship)
26 diaconicon, pastophorium (for the
keeping of garments and vessels)
27 ambulatory (ground floor)
28 gallery (upper level)
29 narthex

San Vitale, Ravenna, 526–547.

St. Mark’s Basilica; Venice, Italy. (Greek cross plan.)
St. Mark’s Basilica
Venice, Italy.

■ Greek cross plan

■ Golden mosaics (Church of Gold)
■ It lies at the eastern end of the
Piazza San Marco, adjacent and
connected to the Doge's Palace.
Hagia Sophia, Istanbul, Turkey, 532–537 AD, architect Anthemios of Tralles & Isidorus of Miletus.
Hagia Sophia
▪ “Sacred wisdom” in Greek.

▪ Constructed by Emperor Justinian;

designed by Anthemios of Tralles
and Isidorus of Miletus.

▪ The interiors were beautified by

richly colored marble pavements in
opus sectile or opus Alexandrinum.

▪ Used as a church, mosque, and

presently a museum.
Hagia Sophia
Spatial configuration.

A 30-meter square forms the center. At

the corners, piers rise up to support four
arches, between which are pendentives
that hold a dome scalloped with forty
ribs. Windows line the base of the dome,
making it seem to float.
 12 high altar
13 apse
2 arcade, cloister
15 parecclesion: side chapel
3 atrium paradisus: forecourt
16 pastophorium: clerical
4 cantharus, piscina:
chamber
fountain, font
17 prothesis: table/niche
5 exonarthex: outer vestibule
18 diaconicon: garments and
6 esonarthex: inner vestibule
vessels
10 navis media: nave
19 aisle
11 bema: altar platform
21 campanile: belltower
22 baptistery

Hagia Sophia (prior to addition of minarets), Constantinople (now Istanbul), Turkey, 532–537 AD, architect
Anthemios of Tralles & Isidorus of Miletus.
St. Basil’s Cathedral, Moscow, Russia. Designed by Postnik Yakovlev and Ivan Barma. (Most distinct features are
the bulbous-shaped domes and unusual details.)
Romanesque
Architecture
Romanesque (800-1180)
▪ "Roman-like”
▪ Heavy articulated masonry construction with narrow
openings, round arches, barrel vaults, introduction of
central and western towers, and sparse ornament.
▪ Churches gradually changed to cross-shaped plans
formed by wings called transepts and the choir.
▪ Towers at the west and east ends and the crossing of
nave and transepts.
▪ known in England as Norman architecture.
The cathedral complex of Pisa; Tuscany, Italy.
 The cathedral complex of Pisa

▪ Cathedral

▪ Baptistery

A space, area or separate

building of a church or cathedral,
containing a font where baptism
takes place.

▪ Campanile

Bell tower, freestanding or

attached to a building.

▪ Camposanto

A cemetery surrounded by a
colonnade.
Plan, Cathedral of Pisa.
SOUTH FRANCE. Notre Dame du Port. (Characterized by the use of inlaid decoration
formed of different colored lavas;
CENTRAL EUROPE. Worms Cathedral. (Castle-like; claimed to be the representative
cathedral of the period.
SPAIN. Santiago de Compostela. (Religious pilgrimage site housing the relics of St. James.)
SPAIN. Loarre Castle.
ENGLAND. Durham Cathedral.
ENGLAND. Worcester Cathedral.
ENGLAND. Canterbury Cathedral. (Romanesque and Gothic elements combined.)
Canterbury Cathedral; England. (Partial section and interior vaulting.)
Benedictine
Abbey of Corvey
Carolingian
Pertaining to the pre- and early
Romanesque art and Byzantine-
influenced architecture in France.

Abbey
A community of monks overseen by an
abbot, or of nuns by an abbess; also the
main buildings of this community.
 1 apse
17 atrium, atrium paradisus,
2 choir bay
paradise
3 presbytery
18 cloister
6 crossing (crypt of Virgin
20 baptistery (chapel of John
Mary)
the Baptist)
7 transept
21 singers' gallery, minstrel
9 altar screen
gallery
11 nave
23 imperial choir, capella
12 aisle
imperialis
13 narthex

GERMANY. Benedictine Abbey of Corvey on the Weser.

ENGLAND. Fountains Abbey; monastery.
ENGLAND. Windsor Castle.
 Gothic
Architecture
Gothic (1050-1530)
▪ “Style Ogivale”
▪ Progressive lightening and heightening of structure
(made possible by the flying buttress)
▪ Use of the pointed arch and ribbed vault.
▪ Richly decorated fenestration.
Cathedral
A large and principal church of a diocese (district
under the pastoral care of a bishop), cathedra, the
seat of a bishop.
Amiens Cathedral
Amiens, France.
 1 arcade
3 triforium
3b triforium, blind arcade
4 clerestory, clearstory
6 flying buttress
7 finial, pinnacle
8 gargoyle, water spout
9 buttress, pier
10 aisle
11 nave

Cathedral of Notre Dame, Amiens, France, c.1220–69, Robert of Luzarches, Thomas and Renault of Cormont
(prior to addition of chapels in 16th century)
 9 buttress, pier
21 choir stalls
10 aisle
22 chapel, radiating chapel
11 nave
23 high altar
12 west end
24 chancel aisle, apse aisle,
13 body
ambulatory, deambulatory
14 transept
25 parclose, perclose (a
15 chancel
screen in a church to
16 chevet, radiating chapels
seclude a chapel from the
17 arm, projecting transept
main space)
18 porch
26 Lady Chapel (chapel
19 crossing
dedicated to the Virgin
20 choir screen, rood
Mary)
screen

Cathedral of Notre Dame, Amiens, France, c.1220–69, Robert of Luzarches, Thomas and Renault of Cormont
(prior to addition of chapels in 16th century)
Gothic compound pier
Colonettes facing the nave continue upward to
reach all the way to the vault, whereas the
colonettes on the inside become part of the
ribs of the vaults in the side aisles.
Rib or Ribbed vault
A vault constructed of structural arched stone
members or ribs with an infill of masonry.
 A bay
B haunch, hanche, rib
C cell, web, severy
D groin
E transverse rib
F wall rib, forcement
G diagonal rib, groin rib, ogive
H tierceron, secondary rib
K lierne, tertiary rib
L transverse ridge-rib
M longitudinal ridge-rib, ridge
rib
N boss, pendant
O compound pier

Anatomy of a ribbed vault.

Parts of a Rib Vault
▪ Diagonal Rib
A rib crossing a compartment of a rib vault on a diagonal.
▪ Ridge Rib
A horizontal rib marking the crown of a vaulting
compartment.
▪ Boss
An ornamental, knob-like projection at the intersection of
ogives.
Parts of a Rib Vault
▪ Lierne
A tertiary rib in a vault often for decorative rather than
structural purposes.
▪ Tierceron
A subsidiary rib which connects a point on the ridge rib or
central boss with one of the main springers or supports.
English Gothic
Early English
▪ Also known as Lancet, First Pointed or Early
Plantagenet.
▪ Use of lancet-shaped arches and plate tracery
(tracery using masonry into which shapes has been
cut).
Worcester Cathedral. (Early English)
Decorated Style
▪ Also Geometrical and Curvilinear, Middle Pointed,
Edwardian, or Later Plantagenet.
▪ Rich tracery, elaborate ornamental vaulting, and
refined stone-cutting techniques.
Westminster Abbey. (Decorated)
Perpendicular
▪ Also Rectilinear, Late Pointed, or Lancastrian.
▪ Perpendicular tracery (use of a lacework of vertical
glazing bars), fine intricate stonework, and elaborate
fan vaults.
Gloucester Cathedral, Gloucester, England. (Perpendicular Gothic)
Bath Abbey; Somerset, England; King's College Chapel; Cambridge, England. (Fan vaults)
French Gothic
Three Phases of French Gothic
▪ Primarie: a lancettes, pointed arches and geometric
traceried windows.
▪ Secondaire: rayonnant, circular windows, wheel
tracery.
▪ Tertiaire: flamboyant, flowing and flamelike tracery.
Three Phases of French Gothic: A lancette, rayonnant, and flamboyant.
Notable Structures
England
Salisbury Cathedral. (Double transepts)
Wells Cathedral.
Windsor Castle.
France
Notre Dame Cathedral
Rheims Cathedral. (Figures of Mary were visible in every part of the church; houses the relic of the tunic that had
allegedly belonged to the Virgin Mary.
Chartres Cathedral. (Epitome of the new cathedral design where the nave on the outside is almost completely
obscured behind an intimate tangle of buttresses.
Germany
Ulm Cathedral (Regarded as the tallest cathedral in the world.)
Cologne Cathedral
Spain
Seville Cathedral (Tallest cathedral in Spain.)
Burgos Cathedral
Barcelona Cathedral
Italy
Siena Cathedral. (Use of striped marbles.)
Milan Cathedral
Other Building Types
CASTLES. Chateau D’Amboise, France. (Built on mounds above rivers, with thick walls and small windows.)
PALAIS DE JUSTICE. Palais de Justice de Rouen, France.
MANOR HOUSE. Ightham Mote, England. (A moated merchant’s house)
Renaissance
Architecture
Renaissance (1420-1550)
▪ Developed during the rebirth of classical art and
learning in Europe.
▪ Initially characterized by the use of the classical
orders, round arches, and symmetrical proportions.
▪ Pure Renaissance architecture was based on regular
order, symmetry, and a central axis with grandiose
plans and impressive facades.
▪ Personality of the architect has increased in
importance.
Renaissance (1420-1550)
▪ Silhouettes were clean and simple, with flat roofs.
▪ Walls of large dressed masonry blocks (rusticated
masonry) gave buildings an imposing sense of dignity
and strength.
▪ Emphasis on horizontality.
▪ Ornamentation was based on pagan or classical
mythological subjects.
▪ Sgraffito, scratched and colored plaster.
Phases
Early, High, and Late Renaissance
Early Renaissance
Adoption of Classical detail and ornamentation.
Brunelleschi
Riccardi Palace.

The Dome of Florence Cathedral

(Duomo) was Brunelleschi's principal
work.
Other works, such as the Riccardi
Palace, are examples of the massive
rusticated buildings with heavy crowning
cornice for which the Florentine style is
noted.
Formulated the pictorial device of linear
perspective.
Window types: arcade (round arch and column in between), architrave (consoles on either side support a
horizontal or pediment cornice), and order (column on each side supporting an entablature above).
Leon Battista
Alberti
Santa Maria Novella.

Helped promote architecture from an

artisan’s trade to a profession.

Wrote the book, "De Re Aedificatoria,"

which largely influenced men's minds in
favour of the revived Roman style.

Santa Maria Novella is one of the first

churches in which consoles were placed
in the façade over the side aisles to
connect them with the nave.
Leon Battista
Alberti
Sant’Andrea, Mantua.

A type of modern Renaissance

churches, consisting of a single nave
with transepts, the interior ornamented
with a single order on pedestals
supporting a barrel vault.
High Renaissance
The pinnacle of classical simplicity and harmony in
Renaissance art and architecture.
Donato Bramante
Tempietto of San Pietro.

Martyrium, place of martyrdom or a

shrine with relics dedicated to a martyr.
This is the site where St. Peter is said to
have been crucified.
It is considered one of the first High
Renaissance buildings in Rome.
Late Renaissance
Featured a general relaxation of the severe simplicity
and order of the High Renaissance
Andrea Palladio
Villa Rotonda.

The Four Books of Architecture -

emphasized the systematization of the
ground plan and its relationship to the
section and elevation of a building.

Villa Rotonda, transforming a house into

a classical temple.
Giacomo Barozzi
da Vignola
Gesu Church.

Author of "The Five Orders of

Architecture.“

Gesu church, the Jesuit mother church,

in Rome. Other works include the
Sant’andrea in Rome and the two small
cupolas at St. Peter.
Michelangelo
Buonarotti
Farnese Palace.

A famous Florentine sculptor, and

painter of the roof of the Sistine Chapel
in Vatican.

He finished the Farnese Palace, and

carried out the Dome of St. Peter.
St. Peter’s Cathedral
▪ Officially the Basilica di San Pietro in Vaticano;
▪ Architects increased the importance of the dome by
lifting it boldly from its substructure and placing it on a
"drum.“
Synopsis of the history
▪ 1506. Bramante, the original architect, formulated a
design in the form of a Greek cross with entrances at
East end.
▪ 1513. Giuliano da Sangallo, Raphael, and Fra
Giocondo were entrusted with superintendence of the
work. Division of opinion existed as to altering original
plan to a Latin cross.
▪ 1536. Antonio da Sangallo the younger proposed a
central dome and lofty campanili.
Synopsis of the history
▪ 1546. Michelangelo restored the design to a Greek
cross and planned and commenced the construction
of the great dome.
▪ 1564. Vignola added the cupolas on either side of the
great dome.
▪ 1605-1612. Carlo Maderna lengthened the nave to
form a Latin cross and erected the present façade.
▪ 1629-1667. Bernini erected the fourfold colonnades
inclosing the piazza and erected the baldachino under
the dome.
Bramante’s plan for St. Peter’s (left); Michelangelo’s plan (center); Carlo Maderno’s addition (right)
St. Peter’s
Cathedral
Baldachino (Bernini) under the dome
(Michelangelo).
St. Peter’s Cathedral, Vatican City.
Plan of the Vatican in Rome.
Mannerism
A reaction against the classical perfection of the High
Renaissance; it either responded with a rigorous
application of classical rules, or flaunted classical
convention, in terms of scale and shape.
Uffizi Palace, Florence, Italy. Giorgio Vasari.
Baroque
French word meaning bizarre, fantastic, or irregular. It
was deliberate in its attempt to impress, and was most
lavish of all styles, both in its use of materials and in the
effects it achieves;

A reaction to the ‘artificiality’ of Mannerism; Attempt to

make art more natural (life-like); sensual.

Robust proportions; rich colors (variety of variegated

marbles)
Bernini
Piazza San Pietro
Borromini
San Carlo alle Quattro Fontane
St. Paul’s Cathedral, London, England. Christopher Wren.
SPAIN. Santiago de Compostela. (Romanesque church added with a Spanish Baroque facade.)
Rococo
Baroco; Final phase of the Baroque; It was associated
with lightness, swirling forms, flowing lines, ornate
stucco work, and arabesque ornament.
Lighter proportions; lighter colors (white with gold trim);
Sant'Agnese, Rome, Italy. Francesco Borromini.
The Catherine Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia. (The summer residence of the Russian tsars.)
The Catherine Palace, St. Petersburg, Russia. (The summer residence of the Russian tsars.)