The Catholic Sanctuary and Ecclesiastical Architecture

  • Thread starter Thread starter Caesar
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
This is a great thread, Caesar! I love the pictures that you have posted and your explanations. You definitely know your Church history. 👍
 
I found an essay on the Basilica of San Clemente in Rome, which is an excellent example of an early church. It dates from the fourth century (although the site was used by the Church since the first century), was destroyed by fire and rebuilt by order of Pope Paschal II in 1084, closely following the orignal plan. The form of the church at the time of its completion has survived to this day.

This essay gives some information on early churches in the opening paragraph, which I will post. The rest of the essay, dealing with the Basilica of San Clemente itself is also worth a read.

Learning from San Clemente, by D. V. Marcantonio
There is much talk nowadays about restoring selected liturgical practices of the primitive Church so as to uncover an original purity, obscured by centuries, it is claimed, almost millenia, of extraneous accretions. So far as the Church’s building program is concerned, this is also true. Typically the archi-liturgical reform program is marked by an appeal to evoke the domestic setting of the early Church’s liturgy. As Christians were either persecuted or, at best, de facto tolerated until Constantine issued the Edict of Milan in 313 A.D., they were indeed forced to meet secretly. However, there is still heated debate, fueled by comparatively little evidence, as to precisely what were the physical arrangements. We know that some churches were built before the end of the persecutions; however, none have survived so we know next to nothing about them. We do have evidence that Christians gathered in the tituli, or private properties donated to the Christian community by sympathetic patricians. But, again, very little is known about the architectural modifications that were made to accommodate religious services. For all we know, these places were used in such a way as to imitate as much as possible the Temple and synagogal forms of the Jews. Indeed, what would one expect of the early Church, which grew directly from the Hebrew tradition. In any case, we should not be surprised at the lack of evidence as the primitive Church was convinced of the imminence of the Second Coming, a significant disincentive to investment in lasting church buildings.
Click to expand...
Despite the paucity of remains, however, there is a suggestion in the liturgical reform program that a domestic setting per se is most fitting for the liturgy. Hence contemporary churches ought somehow to imitate this domestic intimacy, principally by designing horizontally proportioned spaces, and arranging the seating “in-the-round” in order to focus attention on the assembly. The proposed imitation of the ancient liturgical setting ends there, however, as the program for archi-liturgical reform, broadly speaking, also promotes the adoption of architectural forms which are decidedly untraditional, namely those modernist forms which are currently the fashion in the architectural profession today. In support, one often hears the phrase from Sacrosanctum Concilium “The Church has not adopted any particular style of art as her very own” (123) repeated with a depressing lack of finesse, as though the Church were obliged to adopt every trend without distinction.
Click to expand...
There is every reason to believe, however, that an examination of the early basilicas built under Constantine and soon after would be very instructive regarding the primitive Church’s attitude toward the architectural setting for the liturgy, for a serious argument could be made that there was no radical shift in the Christian mentality regarding building after 313. It must be remembered that the construction of these early basilicas was a delicate political affair. Most of the aristocracy and the general population were still pagan, and would have been offended had Constantine pursued a triumphalist Christian building program ordered to the purposes of the state, possibly provoking an unstable political situation. For this reason, he proceeded very cautiously. The early basilicas were all constructed on private land on the outskirts of town, most outside the city walls (fuori le mura), and their exteriors were highly austere, even plain, so as not to attract attention. Only the interiors were richly decorated, and those would only be seen by the faithful. With this in mind one would expect these new church buildings to have been designed in organic continuity with the more secretive architectural settings which preceded them. Whatever was novel (permanent altars, elaborate decorations, etc.) represented the release of a longing that had been growing for generations, and the faithful who lived through the construction of the churches would not have been surprised, much less offended, by anything built.
Click to expand...
 
I can’t add much of a scholarly contribution, but I can add a prayer for Ceasar’s discernment :signofcross:
 
lak611 said:
Caesar, this is a wonderful link! 👍 One question: what is the vestment that Pope Benedict XVI is wearing in this picture?
Click to expand...
Papal choir dress. Watered-silk cassock, rochet (though this can’t be seen), red satin mozzetta, and a stole, with the pectoral cross on a gold cord.

Here he is in choir dress again, but without the stole this time (note the lace rochet):

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

And here he is in choir dress with the winter fur mozzetta, this time with the stole:

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

St. Pius X in winter mozzetta and stole:

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)

Here is John XXIII in a white fur mozzetta, worn during Eastertide:

(Please Note: This uploaded content is no longer available.)
 
Here is an article on Altars from SanctaMissa.org- Altars. Explains the significance of the Altar in scripture.
 
Churches of the East

http://www.orthodoxinfo.com/images/Theotokos Raised Border.jpg

I decided to devote some more time to Eastern Church forms, which I mentioned in early on in the thread when discussing the layout of early churches. While Latin churches have gone through substantial evolution and development over the centuries, the churches of the East have retained much of the same form they had in the patristic age, as have their liturgical rites. Although some variations on the form and function of the sanctuary exist amongst the different Churches of the East, there are more points of similarity then difference. I will be focusing on Byzantine churches.

http://img3.freeimagehosting.net/uploads/e1a3f3c2e8.jpg

As I wrote earlier, the very layout of the Eastern church is highly symbolic. The sanctuary is representative of Heaven and God, while the nave is the Earth and the people of God. The nave and sanctuary are joined by the Iconostasis, which, as Cardinal Ratzinger noted in Feast of Faith, does not separate the faithful from the sanctuary- from the Divine presence- but acts as a mystical bridge between them. Earth is joined with Heaven; the faithful are joined with God through Christ in the Holy Eucharist.

There are different shapes that the church can take. The most common is the form of the Ship of Salvation (a rectangular structure with an apse at the East end), though the Greek Cross (an equal-armed cross with an apse at the end of each arm) is often used in Byzantine churches. The sanctuary is situated in the East apse, or in the area before the apse. The nave is in the center of the church and is sometimes designed to be square, while the narthex is at the entrance of the west end of the church. In early churches, when the function of the narthex was still as the place of the catechumens, it was sometimes an enclosed courtyard or atrium. There are usually one or more domes atop the churches, which I will speak more about later on.

At the entrance to the church is the narthex or vestibule. In the early Church the catechumens (those preparing to enter the Church) were forbidden from witnessing the Eucharistic Liturgy, and so were taken from the nave after the readings and sermon to the narthex for further instruction and study. Today in the Eastern rites of baptism the ceremony begins in the narthex.

The nave is where the laity gathers for the Liturgy. Traditionally the congregation stands (as in former Latin custom), though today it is not uncommon for some Eastern churches to have pews. At the front of the nave, before the sanctuary, is the Tetrapod, a small table with candles, a cross and an icon where various rites, such as marriage and baptism, are performed. Sometimes there will be numerous Tetrapods with icons for the faithful to venerate. It is customary for the faithful to approach the Tetrapod and venerate the icon by kissing it and making the mytania (a bow while making the sign of the cross- similar in use to genuflection in the Latin Church) when first entering and before leaving the church.

In front of the Iconostasis is a stepped platform called the Solea, which extends into the nave at the center, forming a dais called an Ambo. It is from the Ambo that readings are sung and sermons given. Just as Christ delivered His Divine message and teachings to the people, so the readings are sung towards the nave from the entrance to the sanctuary. The sanctuary is raised onto steps to reinforce its symbolic nature as Heaven.

Continued below…
 
…Continued from above

As in the Latin Church until the 16th and 17th centuries, an important part of the Eastern liturgy is the veiling of the sacred mysteries, and so Eastern churches continue the tradition of having not only a barrier separating the nave and the sanctuary (emphasizing, among other things, the distinction between the laity and the clergy) but a barrier that hides the liturgical acts from the eyes of the common people, just as the Holy of Holies was removed from the sight of all but the priests in the Jewish Temple, and just as God concealed Himself from Moses in the cloud. The Iconostasis has its origin in the ancient choir screen (see post 11), a low wall set between columns with an entrance in the middle for the clergy. In early Greek tradition (and in early medieval Latin tradition) a ciborium, or canopy, was erected over the Altar on four pillars with curtains drawn between them during the Liturgy (though this tradition no longer exists in either the Greek or Latin Churches, it is still customary in some places to have an Altar canopy or baldacchino). In some Eastern Churches a curtain takes the place of the Iconostasis or a tent like structure is used, representing the Tabernacle of ancient Israel where the Ark of the Covenant was kept. Over time the gaps between the columns of the choir screen were filled with icons and relics for the veneration of the faithful, and by the 17th century the screen had evolved into the Iconostasis, as we know it today. While in many traditions, notably the Greek tradition, there is space between the ceiling of the church and the Iconostasis, with the iconography of the sanctuary walls and the apse partly visible; in the Russian Church the Iconostasis has achieved its most elaborate appearance, often forming a solid wall of row upon row of icons from ceiling to floor. In the Iconostasis are three entrances for the passing of the clergy: the Holy Doors in the center (also called the Royal Doors or Beautiful Gate), through which priests and bishops pass, and where symbolically Heaven is joined to the Earth; on either side of the Holy Doors are the Deacon’s Doors, used by the assisting deacons and acolytes.

The sanctuary is where the liturgical acts take place. In the Holy of Holies of the Jewish Temple the presence of God resided in the Ark of the Old Covenant. The sanctuary of the church is the new Holy of Holies where the presence of God, in the Holy Eucharist, resides in the Ark of the New Covenant. Only the clergy and assisting acolytes are allowed to enter into the sanctuary. During the liturgy the priest enters into the nave with the Eucharist, just as Christ entered the world and became flesh, so that the faithful may be joined with Him, and Heaven joined with Earth, in Holy Communion. From the sanctuary the Divine Presence enters the world so that we may be joined with Him, and then returns to Heaven.

In the center of the sanctuary is the Holy Table, or Altar, upon which the unbloody Sacrifice, the consecration of the Eucharist, is performed (in smaller sanctuaries it is permissible to have the Altar at the back wall, but the ideal placement is in the center). On the Altar is the Ark or Tabernacle, usually a replica of a church, in which the Eucharist is kept (symbolic of the Ark of the New Covenant, with the Body and Blood of Christ within). Placed behind the Tabernacle is a seven-branched candlestick (recalling the menorah of the Jewish Temple), a processional cross, and the ripidia, fans in the image of six-winged seraphim that were once used to fan the Holy Gifts, and which accompany the cross in processions. On the North side of the sanctuary is the prothesis, the Table of Preparation (also called the Table of Oblation), where the preparation of the Holy Gifts and offertory takes place. On the prothesis are a cross, candles, the Holy Gifts of bread (prosfora) and wine, and the sacred vessels and instruments: the diskos (paten), chalice, asterisk (two arched bands of gold placed over diskos to keep the chalice veil from touching the Eucharist), and Holy Lance (a small knife in the shape of a spear, used to cut up the prosfora and symbolic of the lance that pierced the side of Christ as He hung on the Cross). On the South side of the sanctuary is the diakonikon, the Deacon’s Table, where the vestments and liturgical books are kept.

In the rear of the East apse is the High Place, symbolic of God the Father, where in some traditions the seat of the bishop is placed, with those of his attendants and clergy beside him. Greek custom often has the throne of the bishop along the side of the nave.

Here is a diagram of the Altar:

http://artemis.crosslink.net/~hrycak/altar.gif

And the Prothesis:

http://artemis.crosslink.net/~hrycak/prothe.gif

Continued below…
 
…Continued from above

Most Eastern churches are surmounted by one or more domes. The inner surface of the central dome, placed over the nave, depicts Christ Pantokrator in the center, surrounded by icons of the angels along the border of the dome. Hanging from the dome is the polyeleon, the central chandelier hung with icons of the Twelve Apostles. Looking up from below one would see Our Lord surrounded by the Hosts of Heaven and Earth.

As a matter of principle Eastern churches maintain the traditions of the past. In an Eastern church one can still see the a lot of the same form and structure of the early churches, though in modern times these churches are adopting western features likes pews for the congregation, lecterns and pulpits for the preaching of sermons, stained glass windows and organs. There is a move in many churches to diminish the barrier between the sanctuary and the nave by lessening the height of the Iconostasis and creating gaps between the icons so that the congregation might have a partial view of the liturgy beyond.

Here are some images of interest:

**The Iconostasis of St. Michael’s Cathedral in Kiev
Iconostasis of St. John the Baptist Russian Cathedral, Washington DC
Holy Trinity Russian Monastery in Jordanville, New Yok
Patriarchal Church of St. George, Constantinople
Iconostasis in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre
Example of an early Byzantine Choir Screen
Altar of a Coptic Church in Jerusalem
Interior of an Ethiopian church

Tour a Virtual Church**
 
If anyone wants to add their own pieces or opinions, or ask questions, or anything, feel free 🙂
 
Some pictures of interest from the Orbis Catholicvs blog. These are of a Byzantine Divine Liturgy, and we can clearly see the Altar and the various sacred vessals and instruments used in the Liturgy:







As a side note, it seems that the images I made for the original posts have disappeared. If anyone is still interested, I’ll upload them again.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top