The Ground Plan of the English Parish ChurchThompson, A. Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton)
History
The Ground Plan of the English Parish Church
Thompson, A. Hamilton (Alexander Hamilton)
Church architecture -- England
Sec. 5. The sixth century basilicas of Ravenna, Sant' Apollinare in Classe
and Sant' Apollinare Nuovo, differ in plan from the Roman basilicas (1)
in the fact that they have always had the altar at the east, and the
entrance at the west end; (2) by substituting, for a colonnaded atrium,
a closed porch or _narthex_ in front of the entrance of the building. In
process of time, two of the greater Roman basilicas, San Paolo and San
Lorenzo fuori le Mura, were enlarged in a westward direction, so that
the positions of the altar and entrance were reversed; and, in several
of the early basilicas at Rome, a space near the entrance of the nave
was screened off, from which penitents and catechumens might watch the
service. But, in the first instance, the eastern chancel and the
structural _narthex_ appear to have been introduced from the eastern
empire. Neither at Ravenna nor at Rome did bell-towers originally form
part of the plan of the basilica: the round _campanili_ of both churches
at Ravenna are certainly later additions. It may also be noted (1) that
ordinarily the aisles were single, not double as at old St Peter's. (2)
The columned screen of the apse at old St Peter's appears to have been
exceptional. The ordinary screen or _cancelli_, from which is derived
our word "chancel" for the space thus enclosed, was a low wall. This is
the arrangement at the basilica of San Clemente, in which the enclosed
quire also remains. (3) The transept, even in Rome, was an exceptional
arrangement, and does not appear in the basilicas of Ravenna.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account