Early Christian Architecture - Lecture 6

Vocabulary terms based on Lecture 6 regarding the transition, development, and specific architectural forms of Early Christian architecture.

Early Christian Architecture (Pre-Constantinian)

Non-monumental architecture practiced in houses and ordinary spaces due to a lack of state recognition and the absence of a formal temple.

Pagan Temple

A structure fundamentally considered the house of a deity, serving as a residence for a god rather than a gathering place for the public.

Christian Liturgical Space

A community gathering place focused on collective prayer, reading, and ritual meals rather than the veneration of a divinity inside a temple.

Martyr's Tomb (3rd–4th Century)

A 'living place' that served as a center for religious life, where believers gathered for meeting, commemoration, and prayer.

Edict of Milan (313)

A legal decree that allowed Christian communities to build stable, visible, and durable structures for worship without fear of persecution.

Basilica

An architectural form preferred over the temple because its large interior space accommodated community assembly, processions, and orientation toward the altar.

Urban Geography of Late Roma

The reconfiguration of city centers of attraction toward the outskirts, specifically around martyr tombs, roads, and necropolises due to pilgrimages.

Baptistery

A separate architectural space used for baptism, symbolizing a unique 'threshold' or entry point into the Christian community.

Ravenna

Considered an architectural 'laboratory' where identical architectural forms were used to express different theological and political meanings through iconography.

Mausoleum of Theodoric

A singular monument expressing personal power that lacked typological continuity, meaning it did not create an architectural model followed by later traditions.