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Early Christian Architecture

Constantine became the first Christian emperor after his victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. He issued the Edict of Milan legalizing Christianity and began constructing grand churches throughout the Roman Empire. The new Christian churches needed large interior spaces to house growing congregations for mystery religion rituals. The basilica form, with its long nave and apse, was adapted from Roman civic buildings to meet these needs and convey Christianity's new imperial authority. Constantine built churches in this style, like Old St. Peter's in Rome, establishing the basilica as the dominant form of early Christian architecture.

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55 views

Early Christian Architecture

Constantine became the first Christian emperor after his victory at the Battle of Milvian Bridge in 312. He issued the Edict of Milan legalizing Christianity and began constructing grand churches throughout the Roman Empire. The new Christian churches needed large interior spaces to house growing congregations for mystery religion rituals. The basilica form, with its long nave and apse, was adapted from Roman civic buildings to meet these needs and convey Christianity's new imperial authority. Constantine built churches in this style, like Old St. Peter's in Rome, establishing the basilica as the dominant form of early Christian architecture.

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Early Christian architecture

By the beginning of the fourth century Christianity was a growing mystery


religion in the cities of the Roman world. It was attracting converts from
different social levels. Christian theology and art was enriched through the
cultural interaction with the Greco-Roman world. But Christianity would
be radically transformed through the actions of a single man.

Rome becomes Christian and Constantine builds


churches
In 312, the Emperor Constantine defeated his principal rival Maxentius at
the Battle of the Milvian Bridge. Accounts of the battle describe how
Constantine saw a sign in the heavens portending his victory. Eusebius,
Constantine's principal biographer, describes the sign as the Chi Rho, the
first two letters in the Greek spelling of the name Christos.
The Colossus of Constantine, c. 312-15 (Palazzo dei Conservatori, Musei
Capitolini, Rome)
Colossus of Constantine, c. 312-15 (Palazzo dei Conservatori, Musei Capitolini, Rome)

After that victory Constantine became the principal patron of Christianity.


In 313 he issued the Edict of Milan which granted religious toleration.
Although Christianity would not become the official religion of Rome
until the end of the fourth century, Constantine's imperial sanction of
Christianity transformed its status and nature. Neither imperial Rome or
Christianity would be the same after this moment. Rome would become
Christian, and Christianity would take on the aura of imperial Rome.

The transformation of Christianity 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. A striking example of this is
presented by a Christian community house, from the Syrian town of Dura-
Europos. Here a typical home has been adapted to the needs of the
congregation. A wall was taken down to combine two rooms: this was
undoubtedly the room for services. It is significant that the most elaborate
aspect of the house is the room designed as a baptistry. This reflects the
importance of the sacrament of Baptism to initiate new members into the
mysteries of the faith. Otherwise this building would not stand out from
the other houses. This domestic architecture obviously would not meet the
needs of Constantine's architects.

Emperors for centuries had been responsible for the construction of


temples throughout the Roman Empire. We have already observed the role
of the public cults in defining one's civic identity, and Emperors
understood the construction of temples as testament to their pietas, or
respect for the customary religious practices and traditions. So it was
natural for Constantine to want to construct edifices in honor of
Christianity. He built churches in Rome including the Church of St. Peter,
he built churches in the Holy Land, most notably the Church of the
Nativity in Bethlehem and the Church of the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem,
and he built churches in his newly-constructed capital of Constantinople.

Giovanni Ciampini, De sacris aedificiis a Constantino Magno constructis:


synopsis historica, 1693, p. 33
Old St. Peter's Basilica, Rome, from: Giovanni Ciampini, De sacris aedificiis a Constantino Magno
constructis: synopsis historica, 1693, p. 33

The basilica
In creating these churches, Constantine and his architects confronted a
major challenge: what should be the physical form of the church? Clearly
the traditional form of the Roman temple would be inappropriate both
from associations with pagan cults but also from the difference in function.
Temples served as treasuries and dwellings for the cult; sacrifices occurred
on outdoor altars with the temple as a backdrop. This meant that Roman
temple architecture was largely an architecture of the exterior. Since
Christianity was a mystery religion that demanded initiation to participate
in religious practices, Christian architecture put greater emphasis on the
interior. The Christian churches needed large interior spaces to house the
growing congregations and to mark the clear separation of the faithful
from the unfaithful. At the same time, the new Christian churches needed
to be visually meaningful. The buildings needed to convey the new
authority of Christianity. These factors were instrumental in the
formulation during the Constantinian period of an architectural form that
would become the core of Christian architecture to our own time: the
Christian Basilica.

Reconstruction of the interior of the Basilica Ulpia


Reconstruction of the interior of the Basilica Ulpia

The basilica was not a new architectural form. The Romans had been
building basilicas in their cities and as part of palace complexes for
centuries. A particularly lavish one was the so-called Basilica Ulpia
constructed as part of the Forum of the Emperor Trajan in the early second
century. Basilicas had diverse functions but essentially they served as
formal public meeting places. One of the major functions of the basilicas
was as a site for law courts. These were housed in an architectural form
known as the apse. In the Basilica Ulpia, these semi-circular forms project
from either end of the building, but in some cases, the apses would project
off of the length of the building. The magistrate who served as the
representative of the authority of the Emperor would sit in a formal throne
in the apse and issue his judgments. This function gave an aura of political
authority to the basilicas.

Basilica at Trier

Aula Palatina, Trier, early 4th century C.E. (photo: Beth M527, CC BY-
NC 2.0)

The Basilica at Trier (Aula Palatina)


Basilicas also served as audience halls as a part of imperial palaces. A
well-preserved example is found in the northern German town of Trier.
Constantine built a basilica as part of a palace complex in Trier which
served as his northern capital. Although a fairly simple architectural form
and now stripped of its original interior decoration, the basilica must have
been an imposing stage for the emperor. Imagine the emperor dressed in
imperial regalia marching up the central axis as he makes his dramatic
adventus or entrance along with other members of his court. This space
would have humbled an emissary who approached the enthroned emperor
seated in the apse.

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