Examples Of Early Christian Architecture

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Christianity has inspired beautiful and unique architecture since it came to be. Much of the architecture is featured in places of Christian worship and reflects Christian symbolism. Five examples of early Christian architecture are the focus of this paper. First, St Peter’s Basilica is the largest church in the world (Josef). It is located in the urban setting of Vatican City and is a very sacred place of pilgrimage for Roman Catholics from all over the world (Oxtoby, 2014, p. 161). St Peter’s Basilica is famous for its advanced architecture. It is built with a cruciform shape, symbolizing the cross Jesus died on. This serves as a reminder to the partitioners of the sacrifice Jesus made for them. The cruciform takes its shape from the long…show more content…
It is located in Vagharshapat, Armenia making it an urban cathedral. It has a cruciform shape similar to St Peter’s Basilica and a central cupola with four apses (Josef). There are also four central piers that are cruciform in section and divide the cathedral into 9 equal squares. The cathedral is said to be mostly simple in design. The 9 equal squares and basic cruciform shapes reflect that. The cathedral has interesting architecture because it has been added to since its original construction and features many different types of Armenian architecture from different time periods. The cathedral also depicts various art forms. These include frescoes, paintings and reliefs. The art reflects Christian symbolism from Old Testament stories, crosses and saints and served as a reminder of important teachings to partitioners (Wikipedia,…show more content…
It is located just outside of Antioch, Turkey making it a rural church. It is a cave carved into Mount Starius. The church has a stone facade and has many interior features also made of stone. There is a stonework platform on top of the church, a stone altar and a throne made of stone. The use of stone likely is due to the location of the church however, could reflect symbolism from the Bible. Jesus is sometimes referred to as a rock to reflect his strength and perseverance. The church also includes fading frescoes and floor mosaics that were likely included for the same reason they were in the Etchmiadzin Cathedral (Sacred Destinations). Fourth, the Church of St George is urban and located in Sofia, Bulgaria. It is a red brick rotunda and the oldest building in Sofia. It used to be in the center of the ancient town of Serdica. It is most famous for its frescoes dating between the twelfth and fourteenth centuries (Josef). Ancient ruins from Serdica still surround the church. The church is a cylindrical domed structure with a square base. (Wikipedia, 2018) The rotunda architecture is significant to the church because the circle represents unity and higher division thinking (3.3.1.1. The circular church

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