How Did Architecture Influence Christian Art And Architecture

Roman architecture was one thing that Early Christians took heavy influence from. Between Old Saint Peter’s, Santa Costanza, and Santa Sabina, the building layout and outer designs give away the significant resemblance of these Christian churches to older Roman basilicas. These plans show how modern Christian churches were fashioned from their ancestral models.

There are many similarities and differences between Classical Roman and Early Christian Art. What particularly stands out to me is how much these two cultures have in common when it comes to their art and architecture. Romans were geniuses when it came to engineering and we can see that in the monuments they left behind. Many early Christian architectural styles and ideas were adopted straight from the Romans. Their communities became organized geographically much like those of the Roman provincial governments. Christian cultural styles derived straight from Roman visual traditions. Early Christian art features the adoption of Roman art forms for Christian purposes. Their art also featured

Considering the early Christian believes such as the old testament that prohibits the making of graven images ,then it would be wise to analyze why the early Christians came up with their art in the first place . The use of images in early Christianity played an important role especially in spreading the religion .Most of the target converts were the Greco-Romans who had the culture of art from the beginning . The influence that Greco-Roman culture had on the converts continued . The converts continued to practice burial cultures such as use of catacombs to bury the dead . Catacombs were common among the average and poor Romans while sarcophagi or marble tombs were used by the wealthy(Guntram 40) . The Christians converts dug their catacombs

With such support from the state and the Emperor, the church was given a massive financial support, which was invested in the building of the Basilicas. They were used to perform rituals such as worship, baptism, prayers, scripture reading, preaching and recognition of the dead and the after life. The liturgy of the early churches was very plain. They were build on a rectangular classical floor plan. The Basilica floor plan was simple; consisting of a narthex (the outside building short end), apse, transept, and aisle such formation gives the idea of building resembling to the cross. The early Christians were inspiration to represent such building to the cross. Once more this is part of the spiritual journey of Christianity. The other model was the central plan which would consist of a dome in the middle of the church. Were all the activities would take place. Like the worship and the baptismal ritual. This center plan was more common in the Eastern-Orthodox churches. This shows the heritage of Roman Christian art from the early ancestors such as the Greeks and the Middle East. A great example is the San Vitale in Ravenna which was an important Byzantine outpost in Italy. San Vitale was constructed under the reign of the Byzantine Emperor Justinian in 547. This church has a domed central core which

The construction was initiated by Ecclesius, Bishop of Ravenna, after a trip to Byzantium with Pope John in 525 AD. It was completed by the 27th Bishop of Ravenna, Maximian. Since the church’s construction began under Ecclesius and consecrated by Maximian, it lasted around two decades and took place under four bishops, and two different political and religious regimes: Ostrogoth and Arian, Byzantine and

Christians then had to meet in secret and private homes became churches. If a Christian were found, they were publicly executed in arenas. They became martyrs, people

Christianity and Islam are religions are two of world’s most widespread religions. Both religions when founded were not accepted by the people of that time and they have faced great resistance. Early Islamic art and early Christian art both are historically important as both are similar in some ways. The most earliest architecture and first such structure from the Muslims is the Dome of the Rock located in Jerusalem. When the Muslims conquered the city of Jerusalem in they needed a place (Mosque) to worship and offer their prayers in congregation. At the same time they also wanted to build a monument that would show the success of Muslims and their religion Islam. Similarly, Christians used to build their

. In Early Christian and Byzantine period, Imperial Rome was greatly influenced with architecture. During the fourth century many Romans became Christians and despite the conversion, they maintained their artistic culture. Early Christians worshipped in private houses suited for small communities. During the fourth century, Christianity became an official religion from an alternative religion. The emperor, Constantine, endorsed this. He constructed its first churches in Rome and Constantinople. An impressive architectural setting had to be created for the new official faith. The Christian churches were influence by Imperial Roman. The temples were austere on the outside but had mosaics, marble columns, chandeliers and gold vessels on jeweled

By the 6th century a Germanic tribe called the Visigoths, converts to Arian Christianity, had established themselves as the aristocratic elite. The Christians built many monumental basilica-plan churches. The Santa Maria de Quintanilla de las Vinas, Burgos, Spain and San Juan de Banos de Cerrato are two such churches that still remain today. In the beginning of the 8th century Islamic Muslims conquered Spain and ended Visigothic rule. They constructed militaristic and religious architecture including castles, watchtowers, rock castes, the Great Mosque, and the Red Palace. The remaining Christians adopted some of the Islamic styles and soon built upon a new style that ended up

With the adoption of Christianity as the official religion, art was able, so to speak, to come above ground in the old pagan city of Rome, and painting, instead of being restricted to the decoration of the walls of the Catacombs or of small chambers and chapels, came into use on a large scale in the new churches that were at once set up. At the same time patronage moved from the hands of the poorer classes to the richer, and artists of outstanding quality came to be employed as well as those of obscurer character, who would work for small fees (www.religion-online.org). To wall painting was added the more luxurious art of mosaic; numerous sculptures were done, and minor objects, often in expensive materials, were in addition produced in the service of the Church, so that art production became at the same time both more extensive and more luxurious (www.religion-online.org ).

The Jewish community started Christianity, but Christianity later spread and convert from all over the Greco-Roman world were attracted by this religion during the progress of the first century CE. Ideas, traditions, ways of worship and traditions were brought along by the new convert of Christianity and it was adopted by their faith. This is through art because Christians who were once pagans of the Roman Empire stick to their artistic heritage when they became followers of Jesus Christ. Roman artistic forms and motifs and also Roman architecture were being used by this new convert to express their new faith. In further explanation, we’ll see how Roman art influenced the developing art of early Christians.

It is through Peter’s and Paul’s entrance to Rome that the Church felt as though Rome should be the focal point of the Christian Church. After a few years of persecution this environment allowed the growth of the church in Rome in turn promoted Christians to spread the gospel amongst the citizens. When Constantine took over as Emperor of Rome he established three churches. The first church was a residence for the Pope, the second church was thought to be built on the grave of Peter, and the third church was built on the

Christian art and iconography began, about two hundred years after the birth of Christ. Western Christian art and religious iconography was based on the classical art styles and imagery by the Ancient Romans. Medieval art iconography began to relate more to text of the Bible. Religious Christian art was created in the form of illuminated manuscripts, mosaics, and fresco paintings adorned churches. The colors of art were generally muted except those used in manuscripts and stained glass windows. Figures varied in sizes in relation their importance. Unlike artists in the Byzantine period who avoided making sculptures at all costs, Romanesque artists made sculptures which were often large, made of stone, and

As the saying goes “Rome wasn’t built in a day,” however long it took to build the capital, the days, months, years, centuries of work can be viewed as a long lasting landmark which paved the way for new and challenging architecture to come (How Roman architecture influenced modern architecture [sa]). According to Tony Rook (2013: [sp] ch.2) the typical Roman temple shows the Etruscan tradition combined with the Greek one. Although some of their premature concepts were acquired from the ancient Greeks and Egyptians, Roman architects transformed the body of architecture for all time to come, offering buildings and structures that has never been before, along the side of public buildings and infrastructure that could be used by

After Constantine embrace the Christian faith was developed what I call a symbiotic relationship between Jews and Roman because, Jews bring the Christian theology and the Roman afford their politic power and resources incorporating the faith to the Roman’s propagandistic machinery that was spread through the arts like paintings, sculptures and architectures. According to Dr. Allen Farber this interaction is clear due to “the transformation of Christianity that is dramatically evident in a comparison between the architecture of the pre-Constantinian church and that of the Constantinian and post-Constantinian church. During the pre-Constantinian period, there was not much that distinguished the Christian churches from typical domestic architecture.”