medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
From: W. Eugene Kleinbauer [log in to unmask]
Roman basilicas served a variety of functions: mainly market place
buildings, but also judicial halls, imperial audience halls, reception
rooms in aristocratic mansions or villas, riding grounds for horsemen.
When Roman authors mention basilicas they refer to their function, not
their design. As to their layout they can be aisleless or aisled, with
a nave and two or four or six or in one case in North Africa 8 side
aisles. They are either single-storied or double-storied (galleries
above the side aisles, as in, e.g., the huge Basilica Ulpia of the
emperor Trajan in Rome (beautifully published by James Packer). Their
plans and sizes vary immensely.
When today we use the term basilica we refer to the design: a
rectangular (not centralized) layout, with nave only or nave and any
number of aisles, with or without galleries, with one or three apses.
In the early Christian period they are wooden roofed. (Some Roman
aisleless basilicas, such as the Aula Palatina at Trier built by the
emperor Constantine, were wooden roofed as well.) In the Middle Ages
these basilicas become vaulted in masonry. Post-Roman basilicas are
usually identified as churches only, but studies since World War II have
brought to light in transalpine Europe all-purpose buildings, barns, and
even royal halls, which qualify as basilicas in layout
.
The earliest Christians met in houses, as the Bible informs us. The
earliest preserved house church (=domus ecclesiae) that is dated is
located at Dura Europos, near the Euphrates in modern Syria, pre 256
(probably 240s, as Carl Kraeling established in his monograph years
ago). Some houses in the city or Rome became churches, or house
churches (usually called tituli), though their dates are sometimes hard
to pin down. An excellent survey of the archaeological evidence for
these Roman house churches (usually a single hall, or aisle) can be
found in Ross Holloway, Constantine and Rome (2004).
-----Original Message-----
From: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and culture
[mailto:[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Christopher
Crockett
Sent: Friday, December 03, 2004 2:22 PM
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: [M-R] churches as houses
medieval-religion: Scholarly discussions of medieval religion and
culture
From: Charles Giguere <[log in to unmask]>
> Sorry to betray my ignorance, but for what did the Romans use
> basilicas, or
basilica-like buildings, before Christians adopted the architectural
style?
to "house" their _basileus_ (when he was holding court) --like
everything else Roman (except for the vault and cement) they stole the
name and the idea from the Greeks.
there's a nice late Roman _basilica_ still surviving at Spolato on the
Adriatic.
it has an aisled arcade and a semicircular nich ("apse)) at the Business
End, but otherwise doesn't look too much like a Constantinian basilica.
c
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