Branch of architecture focused on church buildings
Church architecture
Top: Etchmiadzin cathedral plan; Arches of the Hagia Sophia sketch; Centre: Saint Peter's Basilica; Bottom: Saint Paul's Cathedral nave
The 800-year-old Ursuskerk of Termunten in the north of the Netherlands
Church architecture refers to the architecture of buildings of churches, convents, seminaries etc. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian religion, partly by innovation and partly by borrowing other architectural styles as well as responding to changing beliefs, practices and local traditions. From the birth of Christianity to the present, the most significant objects of transformation for Christian architecture and design were the great churches of Byzantium, the Romanesque abbey churches, Gothic cathedrals and Renaissance basilicas with its emphasis on harmony. These large, often ornate and architecturally prestigious buildings were dominant features of the towns and countryside in which they stood. However, far more numerous were the parish churches in Christendom, the focus of Christian devotion in every town and village. While a few are counted as sublime works of architecture to equal the great cathedrals and churches, the majority developed along simpler lines, showing great regional diversity and often demonstrating local vernacular technology and decoration.
Buildings were at first from those originally intended for other purposes but, with the rise of distinctively ecclesiastical architecture, church buildings came to influence secular ones which have often imitated religious architecture. In the 20th century, the use of new materials, such as steel and concrete, has had an effect upon the design of churches. The history of church architecture divides itself into periods, and into countries or regions and by religious affiliation. The matter is complicated by the fact that buildings put up for one purpose may have been re-used for another, that new building techniques may permit changes in style and size, that changes in liturgical practice may result in the alteration of existing buildings and that a building built by one religious group may be used by a successor group with different purposes.
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Churcharchitecture refers to the architecture of buildings of churches, convents, seminaries etc. It has evolved over the two thousand years of the Christian...
that are found less often in parish churches. They also tend to display a higher level of contemporary architectural style and the work of accomplished...
distinct style gradually resulted in the Greek cross plan in churcharchitecture. Civil architecture continued Greco-Roman trends; the Byzantines built impressive...
Eastern Orthodox churcharchitecture constitutes a distinct, recognizable family of styles among churcharchitectures. These styles share a cluster of...
Kerala architecture is a style of architecture found in the Indian state of Kerala, and in parts of the Tulu Nadu region of Karnataka. Kerala's architectural...
Russian churches often have various recurrent elements in their architecture. The onion dome is for example a recurrent and important element in the architecture...
Typical Romanesque architectural forms Portal, Church of Santa Maria, Viu de Llevata, Catalonia, Spain The vault at the Abbey Church of Saint Foy, Conques...
Stylistically, Renaissance architecture followed Gothic architecture and was succeeded by Baroque architecture and neoclassical architecture. Developed first in...
high church movement which sought to emphasise the continuity between the established church and the pre-Reformation Catholic church. Architecture, in...
In Byzantine, Romanesque, and Gothic Christian church (including cathedral and abbey) architecture, the term is applied to a semi-circular or polygonal...
Armenian churcharchitecture is the architectural style of the Armenian church buildings created since the Apostolic era of Christianity in the Armenian...
ecclesiastical architecture, and Gothic cathedrals and churches, as well as abbeys, and parish churches. It is also the architecture of many castles...
Churcharchitecture of England refers to the architecture of buildings of Christian churches in England. It has evolved over the two thousand years of...
Church windows are windows within cathedrals, basilicas and other church edifices. They have been a central element in churcharchitecture since Early...
(151 ft) Abbey, with architectural discussion and ground plans Cathedral architecture Cathedral diagram List of highest church naves The Editors of Encyclopaedia...
In churcharchitecture, the chancel is the space around the altar, including the choir and the sanctuary (sometimes called the presbytery), at the liturgical...
the basilica of Saint-Martin that became a hallmark of Frankish churcharchitecture was the sarcophagus or reliquary of the saint raised to be visible...
The architecture of Russia refers to the architecture of modern Russia as well as the architecture of both the original Kievan Rus', the Russian principalities...
The buildings and architecture of Chicago reflect the city's history and multicultural heritage, featuring prominent buildings in a variety of styles....
developed Romanesque Revival churcharchitecture. Penson was influenced by French and Belgian Romanesque Revival architecture, and particularly the earlier...
Ilocos Norte in the Philippines. Completed in 1710, the church is famous for its distinct architecture highlighted by the enormous buttresses on the sides...
of the Catholic Church, and today they can be found on every continent including Antarctica. The history of Marian churcharchitecture tells the unfolding...
architecture, and Armenian churches in particular, have several distinctive features, which some believe to be the first national style of a church building...
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