THE

ARCHITECTURE
OF THE
EARLY CHRISTIAN
JOEL VIVERO RICO, FPIA, UAP

HISTORY OF ARCHITECTURE 1

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After the legalization of
Christianity, places of
worship
. began to change.

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HISTORY

During its first two centuries, Christianity was

not a legal religion in the Roman-ruled world.
The Romans considered Christians to be
atheists because they refused to worship the
Roman gods or emperor.
Persecution of Christians was sporadic and not
always widespread, but it was still deadly as
various Roman officials considered Christians
to be a nuisance at best and sometimes even a
danger to the empire.

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HOUSE CHURCH

Therefore, Christians had to worship in secret,

so they met in house churches, which were
private homes modified to accommodate the
celebration of Christian sacraments, like the
Eucharist and Baptism.

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CONSTANTINE
Things changed for the Christian community in 313
CE when the emperor Constantine legalized
Christianity and gave it a protected status.
Christians began building churches, adopting and
adapting Roman basilicas, which were public
buildings often used for judicial purposes.
HOUSE CHURCH

ITALY

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 BASILICA
Christianity became legal
in 313 CE, and Christians,
who could now worship
openly, soon began
building actual churches.
They borrowed the form
of the Roman basilica, a
public building often used
for judicial proceedings,
but they adapted it for
their own purposes.
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FAMOUS EARLY CHRISTIAN BASILICAS
CHURCH OF
OUR LADY OF
ZION
ETHIOPIA
Considered the most important
church in Ethiopia, the Church of
Our Lady of Zion is said to contain
the Ark of the Covenant.
The original structure was
constructed during the reign of the
first Christian emperor of Ethiopia,
Ezana.
Today, it serves as a center of
pilgrimage for Ethiopian Christians.
APRAN
Located in the Aragatsotn Province of Armenia, the Basilica
BASILICA of the Holy Cross is one of the earliest Armenian churches in
Armenia. 390 A.D. Aparan, Armenia.
The original structure was destroyed but it was partly
restored to its original form in 1877.
Church of St. George
Sofia, Bulgaria.
4th century.
Constructed by the Romans, the
Church of St. George in Sofia,
Bulgaria is an Early Christian red
brick rotunda and is the most
ancient building in the city.
Located at the center of the
ancient town of Serdica, it
features a cylindrical domed
structure with a square base.
It is most famous for its 12th to
14th century frescoes.

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 ST. PETER’S
BASILICA
Vatican City. 333 A.D.

Known as the largest church

in the world, the St. Peter’s
Basilica is also the most
popular Christian church
today. It is known as a place
of pilgrimage especially
among Catholics and is
considered among the holiest
Catholic sites.
This church is also regarded
as the greatest building of its
age in terms of architecture.
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