1 - Architecture of Medieval Ages

Architecture of Medieval ages
(200-1400 A.D)
Architecture of Medieval ages (200-1400 A.D)
• The architecture of medieval ages phrase used to
conclude the Middle Ages European architecture:
1. Early Christian ‫عمارة فجر المسيحية‬

2. Byzantine Architecture ‫العمارة البيزنطية‬
3. Romanesque Architecture ‫عمارة الرومانيسك‬
4. Gothic Architecture ‫العمارة القوطية‬
5. Renaissance Architecture ‫العمارة الرومانسيكية‬

6. Baroque & rococo Architecture ‫عمارة الباروك والركوكو‬
• The medieval architecture begins with the early
Christian architecture, where Christianity was started
from the eastern part of the roman empire where
Jesus was born in Nazareth, Bethlehem in Palestine.
• Early Christian architecture was influenced by the

Roman architecture, Because of the spread of the
Christian religion to become the official religion of
the Roman Empire.
• This was obvious in taking the plans of the roman
basilica buildings as a horizontal plans for the early
Christian churches.
• Theses simple rectangular plans

consisted of a nave church and
two isles, with longitudinal and
horizontal emphasis. All
cathedrals were designed up to
the Renaissance on the basis of
this early Christian model.
• The medieval architecture was associated with the church.
• The so-called “master” architect was a high – ranking figure in

society.
• This period of western history witnessed a strong link

between society and the city, and then between society and
architecture, which was reflected in the harmony of the
buildings and the construction of the church in the center and
heart of the city.
• There were art and trade associations that contributed

greatly to the beautification of the churches as the centers
that gathered them in the heart of the city.
Early Christian
Architecture (200-1025 A.D)
Early Christian Architecture
(200-1025 A.D)
• Early Christian was an integral part of the architecture of the
later Roman empire.
• At this time the declaration of the Milan charter allowed the

construction of churches.
• Constantine converted to Christianity and he confirmed his faith

in Christianity when he moved his capital to the east in
Byzantium and made Christianity a state religion since 325 A.D
Early Christian Architecture
(200-1025 A.D)
• Constructing churches was one of the most
important symbols of Christian liberty.
• Constantine built many churches, such as Saint Jean

De Larraine churches, saint Pierre Church, and Saint
Paul Church outside the fences…etc.
Early Christian Architecture (200-1025 A.D)
• The temples were closed and some of them were
demolished, as in Alexandria. So the Basilicas was
the formal form of churches for the Christians.
• Thus the form of the church has been identical to
the basilica since the fifth century.
• Early Christian architecture started and centered in
two important sites; Rome and Constantinople.
• Early Christian architecture took place in Rome and

its surroundings, then spread to other parts of the
European and Asian region.
Early Christian architecture refers to the early
Christian churches of the Roman period:
• These buildings are divided into two types: the

basilica church and the church with various plans’
forms (circular, octagonal…………etc.)
• With the acceptance of Christianity as a state religion

in Rome and its common spread, it became
necessary for architecture to respond to the
requirements of the new religion and to create new
spaces to meet its needs.
Besides building churches of central and circular plans, like circular
roman temples. Also Christian churches influenced by Roman motifs:-
Their Columns and Marbles and

churches other other
modelled on characteristic materials
Roman from old from the older
basilicas buildings buildings
One style was evolved from another gradually that

it is impossible to say exactly where the one ended
and the next began.
This gradual growth characterizes progress in other

fields as well as Architecture. Each age express in its
way of its own ideals, features modifying the art of
the past to meet present conditions.
Santa Costanzia Church is :
1. One of Rome’s two surviving circular churches.

2. Symmetrical in plan.
3. With a central space beneath a domed brick roof.
4. And an encircling aisle.
5. It was built in 330 A.D as a tomb for Constantine’s
daughter, then it was converted to a church in
1256 A.D.
Santa Costanzia Church
The other church with the circular plan is the largest among
the remaining ones is called Santo Stefano Rotondo, built in
468 A.D, with a 63 m diameter:
1. It is the largest circular church in existence.

2. The huge central nave is encircled by Ionic columns, it’s
lighted with 22 windows (clerestory).
3. Its unusual plan blends a cross with concentric circle.
➢In east Constantine built:
• Santa Sofia 1st Church which was finished in 366 A.D, it was lost.
• Basilica of san Sipolker which was designed by Ostach in
Jerusalem.
• “Chrisms” Al Milad basilica in Bethlehem.
Santo Stefano Rotondo
Chapel
Aisles
Ambulatory
Clerestory
Nave
Plan Exterior perspective

Architectural Characteristics..
➢The way and the method of worship specified the
form of the Church.
Requirements include:
• A Roaming Route for entry and exist.
• The Altar area.
• A space for the separation between the clerics and the
worshipers during the funeral procession.
Factors influenced the architecture at the
early of Christianity.
➢Geological aspect.
➢Social aspect.
➢Religious aspect.
➢Climate aspect.
➢Historical aspect.
Factors influenced the architecture at the early
of Christianity.
Geological aspect:
• The geological aspect did not have a direct impact on
architecture at the early of Christianity but an indirect
affect:
• The use of the remnants of ruins of the ancient

temples and remains of the Roman ruins as quarries
and source of building materials such as stones,
columns, mosaics and statues in the churches of the
new religion.
of Christianity.
Climate aspect:
• Climate variability required the use and addition of the various
architectural elements and methods appropriate to each region
– such as Italy, Syria, Egypt and North Africa – and these factors
are evident in their buildings and in their arts that are affected
by these climatic conditions.
• For example, the flat surface are joined with domes of the
original eastern trait, and the small narrow openings of the
relatively high windows above the level of the floor. These
factors formed the architectural properties of the Byzantine
style.
of Christianity.
Religion aspect:
• Christianity made a new different addition to the architecture.
• The establishments of churches to protect the worshipers from

the opponents of the new religion, until the deployment of King
Constantine in 313 AD his famous order from Milan to give the
Christian religion its full rights as other religions, and he
accepted the new religion in 323 AD, which became the official
religion of the country.
• Christian churches were built to establish prayers and worship.

Factors influenced the architecture at the early of Christianity.
Social aspect:
• Constantine moved his capital from Rome to Byzantine in 324 AD.
Christianity suffered greatly from the turbulence and wars that took
place between the east and the west, and several emperors took
power until the empire was united in 475 AD in Constantinople as
the capital.
• Several monarchs were elected to govern in Italy, North Africa and
Spain. This change was reflected in the increase in the power of the
Christian religion, and thus the Pope’s growing power in Rome.
• The medieval spiritual and intellectual life in Europe centered around
the church; so the architects designed churches, monasteries and
other religious buildings.
• They also designed castles, forts and other non- religious
installations.
Factors influenced the architecture at the early of Christianity.
Historical aspect:
• Due to the lack of material resources, the building
materials needed for the new buildings (churches)
were used from ruins of the Roman temples.
• The reason why artisans and architects called for the

unification of church heights to facilitate the use of
columns obtained from the Roman building.
• This lead to the similarity between the interior spaces

of the churches and the interior spaces of the Roman
temples.
Architectural
Characteristics
Architectural Characteristics
• Church buildings during the early western were a
continuation of the Roman architectural style.
• Early Christians and Roman professionals continued
to use their construction traditions, and their old
building materials, due to the recession of luxury in
that period. They also took advantage of some
architectural elements from the old buildings, along
with using the basilica buildings themselves as
churches due to the fitting of their rectangle plan to
the design requirements of the church.
• Also, the floors were made from marble, which was from
the Roman ruins with different geometric shapes.
• The stone coverage replaced the timber coverage in the
new plan with a cross shape.
• Also, the Corinthian caps of the columns became simpler,
and sometimes took the shape of an incomplete inverted
pyramid “Minus inverted pyramid”.
• After that, decorating the surfaces of the arches with
mosaic drawings.
• Churches had slight ornaments, but in case ornaments
were found, then they belonged to Romanesque period.
• Mosaics were used in both the interior and sometimes in
the exterior. Also, the interest given to the outer façade
was little.
• Thus, the early Christian buildings did not hold any
architectural value; their style depends on old- style
models used only by this period to resolve the structural
problems. The truss in these old Christian churches was
not coated. While the apse roof (Mihrab) was a semi-
dome.
Analytical comparison of architectural
elements ‫مقارنة تحليلية للعناصر المعمارية‬
1. Plans
2. walls
3. Openings
4. Roofs
5. Columns
Analytical comparison of architectural elements
1. Plans
• At the early of Christianity, the plans of the churches
took place on the same bases as the Roman basilica.
Many roman buildings were used as baths, large halls,
public halls and dwellings as places of worship.
• Churches towers appeared at the 682 AD and the

baptismal building, which is an “independent circular
building connected to the church or the cathedral”.
• These elements are considered to be the most

important features of the plans in Early Christian
architecture.
1. Plans
2. Walls
• The walls were built in the
same Roman way using
stones or concrete and
covered with stone, brick or
whiteness.
• Mosaic decoration was made
at the interior walls and
sometimes from outside to
the western wall, where
they did not care much
about the exterior
architectural appearance.
3. Openings
• The semi-circular arch was
sometimes used to build
arcades, doors and windows,
and the arches of the
arcades were directly based
on the column capitals, with
no entablature(‫( تكنة‬in these
cases.
• Use of straight lines for
doors and windows with the BASILICA-CHURCH OF SAN MINIATO,
FLORENCE
addition of thin films of
marble or alabaster around
the openings.
4. Roofs
• The wooden ceiling were used to cover the church’s nave using
the simplest construction methods, such as the use of the
wooden truss ceiling of the one or the two posts (king or
queen).
4. Roofs
• The roofs of the sides of the church was built in the style
of the vault and dome, to roof the nave and cover the
walls with beautiful glass mosaic.
5. Columns
• The pillars and columns of the churches differs in height
because of the use of old columns taken either from the ruins of
the old buildings or deliberately removed from them.
• Naturally, the Roman
building materials, the
construction methods,
and the decorations,
were the predominant
used in this era,
especially the Doric,
Ionian and Corinthian
columns.
Basilica church type
• The early churches were generally simple and
reflective of their functional design.
• The design was based on Christian worship.
• The architectural designs of the churches that

appeared in this period were not entirely new style,
but they used the Roman forms available to meet the
new need.
• The chosen model of the Church was "The Roman

basilica"
• It was suitable for use as a church without serious
alterations and can be easily and quickly built at low
cost.
• The most common form of early church was a
rectangular hall with a wooden roof "timber trussed
roof“.
• There was also one or two isles on each side of the
central nave.
• The apse was located at one end facing the main
entrance at the other end.
BASILICA-PLAN CHURCH (West)
Narthex
Side Aisles
Clerestory
Nave
Apse
• The churches of the east were similar
to rectangular Basilica buildings,
covered with double timber layers, at
the end of the axis there was a
sanctuary space in the shape of an
Ewan between two square rooms,
like in the northern Antakya churches
and northern Aleppo.
• On the other hand, the Cathedral
plan in Bosra- Syria was central
circular or a polygon shape and was
roofed with a dome since 512 A.D.
The Prophets Church ( Al- Anbiya
church ) in Jarash (474 A.D) was built
based on a crossed plan.
• The Basilica temples’ plans, which were the basis of early
Christian churches, were either with closed columns to
hold the ceiling or more widely spaced columns carrying
semicircular arches.
• The basilica church has three to five aisles, covered with a
simple timber roof, which is typical of the early Christian
style.
• The basilica was based on a rectangular plan with three
parts; the middle one was higher than the other two sides,
and ends with the sanctuary space covered with the semi
dome.
• The most important Roman churches are: San Loran church
and in the east we can find the church of Santa Sophia the
first, which was built in 360 AD. The most famous Roman
basilica is Santa Sabina.
S. Giovanni in Laterano
(AD 313-320)
S. Giovanni in Laterano (AD 313-320)
• A typical example of the early
Christian church in Laterano
Rome.
• It was also built as the
Cathedral of the Bishop of
Rome.
• It has been rebuilt several
times.
• The church consists of central
nave surrounded by two
narrow isles separated by
massive columns.
• The height of the central
nave was higher and then
gradually lower in height;
the internal isle surface was
higher than the outside.
• The nave was marked by an
apse ending.
• The structure was brick and
concrete, while the roof was
covered with a simple
trussed- timber.
S. Peters, Rome (333AD)
• The church of St. Peter’s was the most
important basilica church built by
Constantine.
• The church entrance is a rectangular
gate leading to the atrium.
• The church is roofed with
wooden roof made of
interlocking wooden beams.
• The nave does not lead
directly to the apse but instead
ends up in a transverse space
(the cross space) that has the
same height as the nave.
Santa sabina, Rome (422-432AD)
• Rectangular and longitudinal

basilica plan.
• Introduced a new and more

refinement into the design as
maybe seen today.
• Arcades carried on marble

columns with Corinthian
capitals and bases.
S. Lorenzo, Milan
S. Lorenzo, Milan
S. Lorenzo, Milan
S. Clemente, Rome
S. Clemente, Rome
Alternative Church Form
Rectangular basilica was not the only form adopted for
the early church.
• More centralized plans have been adopted, focusing
on the central vertical axis rather than the horizontal
length.
❑ the central Churches include two types:

• Fully Circular churches
• Churches with circular or octagonal area surrounded
by an ambulatory.
The baptistery Church Form
The baptistery of Constantine, Rome (430-440 AD)
• Built near the Lateran church by Sixtus III and not by

Constantine which is generally referred to him, it is
among the oldest Italian Baptists.
• Its plan is octagonal in shape.
• The roof is supported by eight columns of marble
and porphyry in the form of a ring. These columns
are continuous for two floors and are taken from old
pagan buildings.
• The center is the old Roman bath of green basalt.
Octagonal form
Round alternative form (St Constanza)
• This church was originally designed as a mausoleum for the
daughter of Emperor Constantine.
‫نصب تذكاري‬
• Designed as a central memorial.
• Symmetrical plan with a central space covered with a dome.
• The domed central space was ringed by an arcade with 12

pairs of double colonnade.
• Beyond the arcade is an encircling ambulatory.
• A barrel vault is used to roof the ambulatory.

‫نصب تذكاري‬
Plan of Santa Constanza

Types of buildings in early Christian architecture
❖The most important buildings in early Christian

architecture :
1. Churches.
2. Baptism buildings (christening buildings); a

separate buildings used only for the sacrament of
baptism were a feature of early Christianity.
3. Domed shrines (mausoleums, tombs).

Baptism buildings in early Christian architecture
❖Besides Churches we found in the early

Christian era a special buildings for baptizing,
that circular Roman temples ( After expanding
them to fulfill the requirements of the new
function) converted to this function some
times, and this ritual is exercised three times a
year, on three great Christian festivals; Easter,
Pentecost and epiphany as mentioned in a lot
of scientific references.
❖As the rite was administered only on three great

Christian festivals-Easter, Pentecost and Epiphany,
these buildings had to be of considerable size, and
until the end of the 6th century. They sometimes
adjoined the atrium or forecourt of the church; but
after this period and especially with the introduction
of infant baptism; the baptistery was replaced by a
font in the church close to the entrance.
❖Font. - a basin usually of stone which holds the

water for baptism.
• Also the Church, the monastery, the tomb, and the
Baptism placed together in one location, as in Saint
Sameon Church in Syria which was established during the
Era of the Emperor Zenon to fulfill upon the order of
Daniel Amoudi, the student of Samaan Amoudi.
• This church is considered one of the largest Christian
churches at that time, it was with domed roof, and its
building lasted for fourteen years, it was built on
thousand square meter area, including all the building
previously mentioned (The Church, Monastery, the
Tomb, and the Baptism).( 476-490 A.D)
Saint Simoen church
Saint Simoen church
Saint Simoen church
Tombs and Mausoleums
• Besides of the Baptizing buildings, there were

the tombs, Christianity objected to burning
the dead people, and insisted on burying
them in a specific places, in addition to the
desire to build monumental shrines related to
the Christian belief to make the mortal
memory of dead people, therefore the tombs
were domed and coated from inside with
glass mosaic, and mostly, tombs and shrines
were with simple façades and build of bricks.
Tombs and Mausoleums
Important Definitions
• Apse: the circular or multangular termination of a church
sanctuary.
• Timber roofs covered the central nave, while the Nave is
the central prayer hall of the church.
• Mosaic: decorative surfaces formed by small cubes of
stone, glass and marble.
• Arcade: a range of arches supported on piers or columns
attached to or detached from the wall.
• BAPTISTERY: Separate buildings used only for the
sacrament of baptism were a feature of Early Christianity.
For this rite, Roman circular temples and tombs were
occasionally used.
• Triforium: a gallery or arcade above the arches of the
nave, choir, and transepts of a church.

1 - Architecture of Medieval Ages

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Architecture of Medieval ages

1. Early Christian ‫عمارة فجر المسيحية‬

5. Renaissance Architecture ‫العمارة الرومانسيكية‬

• Early Christian architecture was influenced by the

• Theses simple rectangular plans

• The so-called “master” architect was a high – ranking figure in

• This period of western history witnessed a strong link

• There were art and trade associations that contributed

• At this time the declaration of the Milan charter allowed the

• Constantine converted to Christianity and he confirmed his faith

• Constantine built many churches, such as Saint Jean

• Early Christian architecture took place in Rome and

• These buildings are divided into two types: the

• With the acceptance of Christianity as a state religion

Their Columns and Marbles and

One style was evolved from another gradually that

This gradual growth characterizes progress in other

1. One of Rome’s two surviving circular churches.

1. It is the largest circular church in existence.

Plan Exterior perspective

• The use of the remnants of ruins of the ancient

• The establishments of churches to protect the worshipers from

• Christian churches were built to establish prayers and worship.

• The reason why artisans and architects called for the

• This lead to the similarity between the interior spaces

• Churches towers appeared at the 682 AD and the

• These elements are considered to be the most

• The design was based on Christian worship.

• The architectural designs of the churches that

• The chosen model of the Church was "The Roman

• Rectangular and longitudinal

• Introduced a new and more

• Arcades carried on marble

❑ the central Churches include two types:

• Built near the Lateran church by Sixtus III and not by

• Symmetrical plan with a central space covered with a dome.

• The domed central space was ringed by an arcade with 12

• Beyond the arcade is an encircling ambulatory.

• A barrel vault is used to roof the ambulatory.

Plan of Santa Constanza

❖The most important buildings in early Christian

2. Baptism buildings (christening buildings); a

3. Domed shrines (mausoleums, tombs).

❖Besides Churches we found in the early

❖As the rite was administered only on three great

❖Font. - a basin usually of stone which holds the

• Besides of the Baptizing buildings, there were

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