Ancient Rome Church
Structures By:Becca dipiazza
What role did architecture play in ancient Rome? During the reign of the Ancient Roman Empire there were many new contributions to architecture. One of the biggest contributions was the Roman Catholic cathedrals. A cathedral is a church that contains a bishop’s throne and is the most important church in the bishop’s diocese. There are more interesting facts about ancient roman architecture.
Basilicas
St. John the Lateran is a popular basilica in Rome. According to the author of “The Early Christian Basilica” It had amazing interior décor. The author quoted “The decorations are too marvelous for words”. He said this to emphasize the beauty of the decorations. The author said
“The church was 333 1/3 roman feet long”. He mentioned this to show how much they care about it. The original church was replaced by a 17th and 18th century building. The original Constantinian church is known only through the things archaeologists uncovered.
Basilicas were also adapted to functions as audience halls as part of palace complexes. According to Wikipedia, a basilica a large and important church, that holds meetings. “The word was originally used to describe a Roman public building”. the author of, the article, “Basilicas” says this to show how things changed so easily.
Citations:
“The Early Christian Basilica” The Early Christian Basilica.N.p.,n.d.Web.13 Mar.
2013
“Basilica.”
Wikipiedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 03 oct. 2013. Web. 13
Mar. 2013
Prize Winning
Price
According to the article “Rome City Guide”, “Rome has more churches than you have the time or interest for.” They mentioned this to exaggerate the amount of churches. They mentioned Romehad plenty of Baroque churches. The style of Baroque came from the Romans.They spent lots of time and money on these churches. They had such expensive churches “Rome City Guide” quoted “They gave away prizes to the most expensive churches.
Prizes also went to the churches with cool and pretty effects. A quote from the article mentions “The cool interior features Renaissance frescoes and sculptures”. He says this to show the importance of their art. Another cool effect mentioned were colored marble, and gold tiles. They really cared for their churches and the structure.
Citations:
‘Rome City Guide” Rome Guest House Casa Romana Churches in Rome N.P.,n.d.Web.13
Mar.2013
Past to
Future
The churches structures have changed from then to now. According to the article“Church Architecture”, “The religious rituals, and other religious things, are different from today.” He mentions this as an example of how they have changed. According to the article, the ancient Roman basilica was rectangular in shape, with the long, central portion of the hall made up of nave. The nave was flanked on either side by a colonnade that delineated the side aisles, which were of a lower height than the nave.
The article said “The cathedrals and former monastery churches are larger now”. This is another difference he quotes. The buildings now include a narthex. The narthex is a entrance foyer. According to “Church Architecture” daily access would be through a door on the north or south side. This is the prof that churches were different than, then they are now.
Citations:“Church Architecture”- Smarthistory.
N.p.,n.d.Web.13 Mar.2013