The evolution in architecture of the great Churches of Christendom are usually described showing how church design has progressed through the different styles over time:
These categories are helpful but simplistic. The evolution of church architecture is best understood by considering the following complications:
Because of these factors it is sometimes difficult to strictly categorize Churches as one style or another. Some churches are very representative of a certain style and easy to categorize, but others are a mix.
The construction of large, public, Christian churches did not begin until Constantine made Christianity legal in the Roman Empire in the early 4th century. The first churches were modeled on Roman 'Basilicas' or large public buildings, rather than Jewish or Roman Temples. Four of the first Catholic churches built in Rome in the mid 300's still exist as 'Major Basilicas', but each has either been rebuilt entirely or remodeled extensively.
Two of the oldest, the Basilicas of St. John Lateran (left) and St. Maria Maggiore (right), show below, have the external appearance of Roman public buildings.
Other Ancient Churches that were built in during the reign of Constantine include the following. Most are still in operation, although several have been rebuilt entirely and all have been extensively remodeled..
Only a hundred years after Constantine make Christianity legal, the Roman Empire in the west was near collapse and the center of Roman culture moved to Constantinople, capital of the Eastern Empire. For the next few centuries, the art and architecture of the Greek speaking regions of the Roman Empire were prevalent and many of the great churches built from the 6th to the 9th century were Byzantine. The most famous of these was the Cathedral of Santa Sophia in Constantinople, for hundreds of years the largest Church in Christendom.
Distinctive features of Byzantine style Church architecture include some of the following:
Byzantine style Churches were prevalent from the 5th century, not only in the East, but also in Africa and parts of Italy, such as Ravenna and Venice, that were under the influence of the Eastern Roman Empire. St. Mark's Cathedral in Venice, and Basilica of San Vitale in Ravenna are examples of Italian-Byzantine Architecture.
By the 8th century, Moslem Arabs had over-run much of the Eastern Empire, and few new Christian churches were built. The Byzantine influence in architecture continued in Slavic regions that adhered to Orthodox Christianity, and also in Moorish Spain.
While the Byzantines fought of Moslems in the East, Christendom was gradually becoming the dominant civilizing force in the west. The Barbarian leaders of Spain, France, and England had all adopted Catholic Christianity. The monastic movement begun by Saint Benedict spread rapidly over the west, and under Gregory I, the papacy was reformed and strengthened..
By the time Charlemagne rose to power in the late 8th century Christianity had become principle unifying force in the west, and there was a flurry of building activity. By the 10th century, Church architecture throughout Western Europe had evolved into a 'Romanesque' style, characterized by cross-shaped (cruciform) Churches, with massive walls and pillars, round arches, groin vaults, towers and arcades. The Normans build many new structures when they conquered England so what are called ‘Norman’ castles, monasteries are essentially Romanesque.
The primary weakness of Romanesque architecture was that wide walls were needed to support ceilings, and roofs eventually collapsed due to long term pressure. Romanesque structures were also relatively dark because the walls could not support large windows.
Because of this there are few surviving original Romanesque churches, and most that we do know of were built between 1000 and 1200. In most cases, Romanesque churches were converted to Gothic churches when they were damaged or replaced. The Gothic architecture that evolved in the 12th and 13th centuries was developed specifically to improve the weaknesses of Romanesque architecture.
Nevertheless, many of the elegant features that are associated with Gothic cathedrals, such as plate tracery, compound piers, and groups of narrow windows, evolved during the Romanesque period, along with the three tiered walls. The reason these features are more associated with Gothic than Romanesque architecture is that the 12th century improvements allowed for more stable, longer lasting structures. While there are few original Romanesque Churches still in existence, there are hundreds of Gothic churches throughout Europe.
The principles of Gothic Architecture were first developed in France in the early twelfth century, and during its period of flourishing was known as "French Work". The new techniques spread throughout France, England, and Northern Europe but were never entirely adopted in warmer climates where large windows were not practical. Since Gothic architecture was popular in northern rather than southern countries, it came to be associated with the Germanic or 'Gothic' regions.
While many of the features associated with Gothic Churches, include the cruciform layout, rounded apse, three tiered walls, and tracery, evolved gradually during the Romanesque period, the innovations that definitely mark Gothic structures were first employed in the Abbey of St. Denis when the choir was reconstructed by Abbot Suger in the 1140s. These innovations included pointed arches, flying buttresses, and ribbed vaulting.
Although seemingly independent design changes, all three worked together to revolutionize the manner in which Cathedral ceilings were built. In short, pointed arches and ribbed vaulting (i.e. pointed arches within a ceiling structure) allowed the pressure of the roof to press down upon supporting columns at a steeper angle. This directed more weight onto the piers and once buttresses were put in place to stabilize columns, the walls of the Cathedral itself did not bear much weight from the ceiling and could be made dramatically thinner.
The use of the pointed arch allowed for great flexibility in the interior design and could extend upwards to great heights. Pointed arches also allowed for a greater distance between the columns. Also from the top of these piers were arches that crisscrossed the ceilings and were locked together by a boss stone. Pushing against these piers on the outside were the flying buttress. It all held together. The walls were no longer load bearing so they could have large openings for windows. It has been said that you could remove all of the walls in a Gothic cathedral, and it would still stand.
These four elements - pointed arches, vaulted ceilings, flying buttresses and stained glass windows offered innumerable possibilities. . . . .
