Christian Art
LE DATE
0
JESUS WAS BORN IN BETHLEM
30-33
JESUS’S EVANGELIZATION MISSION IN PALESTINA
33
JESUS DIED AND ROSE AGAIN
34
THE APOSTLES BEGIN TO TRAVEL AROUND THE WORLD
TO SPREAD JESUS’S WORD.
40-60
CHRISTIANITY TEACHINGS ARRIVED IN ROME: THE
PERSECUTIONS BEGINS AGAINST CHRISTIANS.
S. PIETER AND S. PAUL DIED IN ROME
60-100 MATTEO, MARCO, LUCA E GIOVANNI WROTE THE
GOSPELS
ll SEC. FIRSTS CHRISTIAN ICONOGRAPHIES IN CATACOMBS
LE DATE
313
CONSTANTINE’S EDICT OF MILAN: IT MADE THE
CHRISTIAN CULT FREE. INIZIANO LE COSTRUZIONI
DELLE PRIME CHIESE
330
COSTANTINE FOUNDED THE NEW CAPITAL OF EAST
EMPIRE : COSTANTINOPOL
380
TEODOSIO’S EDICT OF COSTANTINOPOLE : IT
DECREETED THAT CHRISTIANITY IS THE ONLY RELIGION
OF EMPIRE.
400-550
MONACHISIM WAS BORN IN EAST AND WEST AREAS
(HEREMITS E CENOBITS)
528
SAINT BENEDICT FOUNDED THE MONASTERY OF
MONTECASSINO AND THE BENEDECTINE ORDER. HE
ALSO WROTE THE BENEDECTINE RULE: “Ora et Labora”
We can find the beginning of Christian ideas in Plotino’s conception of the world. He said that the
world is an emanation from God. Man have to tend to God, to pure spirit, through knowledge.
After Christ, the main dates of Christian history are in the beginning of 4th century. The first, 313
a.C., when Constantine’s edict of Milan made the Christian cult free. The second main date is 380
a.C. when Teodosio’s edict of Costantinopole decreeted that Christianity is the only religion of
empire.
In the 4th century Mass’s cult is also codified and, therefore, men needed a new large space for
their cult and a new type of great buildings, because temple wasn’t suitable for ecclesia. At the
beginning Christians made use roman basilica for their cult because it was one of the oldest type of
building of roman architecture.
At the beginning Christians made use roman basilica for their cult because it was one of the oldest
type of building of roman architecture. Roman basilica was a great rectangular space with a nave
and two aisles, but in this particular case it’s important to put in evidence that the building wasn’t
characterized by a special symbolism. One of the most important examples is Massenzio’s basilica,
which was built from 306 to 312 a.C. by Massenzio emperor, and was completed by Constantine
emperor.
It has a nave and two aisles and every aisle have three high coffered barrel vault ceilings. The nave
has three enormous cross vaults, 35 meters high. Roman and Christian basilica plans are similar
The main difference is the organization and the use of pace in the plan. Christian basilica has a
nave, the transept, perpendicular to the building of the church and it is opposite the main nave.
Behind the transept there’s a semicircular apse. The area inside the transept, and between the
main nave and the apse, is called presbytery. This side of the church, the presbytery, is reserved
for clergy. People take place in the main nave. The plan of the Christian church is a symbolic
representation of the Christ’s cross, where the nave is the Christianity flourished from 3rd century
and lasted till the 7th decade of 4th century, 476 D.C., when roman empire collapsed and was
divided into two parts : west and east empire.
THE EARLY
CHRISTIAN BASILICA
THE ROMAN
BASILICA
Basilica of Trier
C. 310 A.D. - Trier, Germany
Presbytery
Column
o Pillar
Main wall
Portico
Bell tower
SAN PIETRO
TRUSS
TRUSSED
ROOF
CLERISTORY
WINDOWS
ARCHITRAVE
PORTAL
ROUND ARCH
CAPITAL
SHAFT
COLUMNS
NAVE
PLINTH
SIDE
AISLE