MIDDLE AGES: EARLY CHRISTIAN

Two important historical factors that are key to remember when studying into the styles of the Middle Ages are the decline of Rome and the rise of Christ.  A great deal of continuity with form and style links the Ancient Roman period to the Early Christian and Byzantine periods such as dress, painting, sculpture and furniture.  Early Christians were associated with living in the West and the Byzantines in the East.  But comparing the the all encompassing legacy of Ancient Greece and Rome, the works of the Early Christians and Byzantines lack stylistic cohesiveness.

Early Christian: 330 CE - 800 CE

Semi-Vaulted Apse in Sant' Apollinare in Classe

This basis of this time period began with the death of Christ, and was born during the the Roman Empire, but gradually grew apart from the Romans after Emperor viewed Christianity as a threat, and the refusal caused the persecution of early Christians in Rome.  Christianity then flourished as an underground religion and served as a prospect of hope especially to those in the lower class giving them personal relationship and direct access to God. 

Even though Christianity was a religion that people where practicing for much time beforehand, Emperor Constantine of the Roman Empire declared it as an official religion by 313 CE.  This gave them the right to have houses of worship and to display holy artifacts proudly.  This also forced them to get to constructing new facilities for worship due to the overwhelming amount of new followers. 

Architecture

Christianity inherited two architectural styles from the Romans that were used throughout this period: the straightforward basilica and the centrally planned domed space.  Some attributes to best explain early Christian architecture for worshiping structures would be the centralized space planning, separation between the nave and flanking aisles, and clerestory windows.  

THEN:

Sant' Appollinare clerestory windows

NOW:

Residential design utilizing the clerestory windows to brighten the room with natural light.

THEN:

The interior view of the nave and the apse in the Sant' Apollinare in Classe in Ravenna, Italy.  This view shows the wooden beams on the ceiling, the centralized floor plan, and the grand open space provided for worship.  

NOW:

Although this is not a place of worship, the Grand Central Station Terminal Lobby is a modern example of Early Christian architecture with the clerestory windows, large open space for constant traffic, and the centralized floor plan for clear way-finding.