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After 313 AD, as Christianity became accepted by the Roman government under Constantine the Great, early churches were beginning to be established in Western Europe and the Roman Empire. By this point, churches had already existed throughout the Sassanian Empire and Armenia, but had yet to be established, at least formally, in the Roman Empire.<ref>For a history on early Christianity, including its spread in areas outside of the Roman Empire, see: Atiya, Aziz Suryal. 2010. ''History of Eastern Christianity''. Piscataway, NJ: Gorgias Press.</ref> Initially, late Roman Empire churches often utilized converted pagan temples, as these were readily available structures that could accommodate many people. It was also convenient to use existing worship areas for the masses that had converted. Perhaps the best example of this is the Pantheon in Rome, which is still used as a church today and is one of the longest continuously-used buildings in the world given its conversion into a Christian church.<ref>For information about early churches converted from old pagan temples, see: Doig, Allan. 2008. ''Liturgy and Architecture from the Early Church to the Middle Ages''. Liturgy, Worship, and Society. Aldershot, England ; Burlington, VT: Ashgate, pg. 83.</ref> In part, this was a quick solution as Christianity became an open religion but few places of worship were available as most had previously been in secret locations.
[[File: 1200px-Rome Pantheon front.jpg|thumbnail|Figure 1 - Pantheon, Rome]]Soon, another popular earlier Roman design gained increasing use in the early Christian church. Early Christianity wanted to break from the Pagan past but also practically needed more space in their churches. Early church leaders, therefore, turned to the Basilica style architecture already in use in the Roman Empire, which consisted of a large building often with columns that had an apse and large central aisle that was usually raised to give it extra light.<ref>For background into the Basilica design of early churches and their origin, see: Kieckhefer, Richard. 2004. Theology in Stone: Church Architecture from Byzantium to Berkeley. New York: Oxford University Press, pg. 22.</ref> The central aisle, or nave, was usually flanked by side aisles with the building also covered by a dome. Basilicas were generally secular buildings in the Roman sense, but were used as areas of public gatherings and business, often located in the central town forums. In fact, Basilica architecture also becomes adopted by the Eastern Roman Empire, which developed into the Byzantine Empire. The most famous example is Hagia Sophia, which is a Byzantine period Cathedral. The style, therefore, began to spread to Eastern Christian churches as well. The apse, central aisle, and side aisles, in fact, were subsequently retained, and formed into a crucifix shape, in later and even modern church architecture, at least for some denominations.<ref>For information on the construction of Hagia Sophia, see: Mainstone, Rowland J. 1997. ''Hagia Sophia: Architecture, Structure and Liturgy of Justinian’s Great Church Church; with 305 Illustrations, 56 Plans and Drawings''. 1. pb. ed. London: Thames & Hudson.</ref> Figure1. Many early churches simply used pagan temples. Perhaps the most famous example is the Pantheon in Rome (see https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/06/Rome_Pantheon_front.jpg). By Roberta Dragan - Own work, CC BY-SA 2.5, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=1597477
==Early Medieval Architecture==
In the early Medieval period after the fall of Rome, particularly between the 6th and 11th centuries AD, Romanesque architecture developed, which in large part was influenced by the Basilica design and Roman style of thick outer building walls. The designs were generally simple, symmetrical, with pillars, arcades, and arches. The Basilica style that was initially developed during the Roman period was also sustained, with churches having apses and columned central naves and side aisles.<ref>For more information about the development of Romanesque architecture, see: Fernie, Eric. 1995. ''Romanesque Architecture: Design, Meaning and Metrology''. London: Pindar Press.</ref> Famous example Romanesque, Medieval churches include San Liberatore a Maiella located in Abruzzo, Italy (Figure 2). Overall, this style is still commonly seen in contental Europe.
Figure 2. San Liberatore a Maiella in Abruzzo, Italy (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Serramonacesca_chiesa_benedettina_05.jpg).
==Gothic Style==
Christian churches changed substantially over the centuries. Initially, the use of pagan Roman architecture was utilized, but soon the Basilica style became practical, as its large size and structure for accommodating large numbers of people, while it also allowed the early Christians to distinguish themselves from earlier paganism. This development then led to Romanesque architecture, which also utilized Roman elements in the early Medieval period; structures had thick walls and allowed major buildings to be sturdy and accommodating for increasing populations in Europe. The Gothic style became then synonymous with the cathedral building boom that occurred in Europe throughout the late Middle Ages; this design allowed to build elegant and large churches that dominated towns and expressed both civic pride and the authority of the Church. At the end of the Middle Ages and spanning the Renaissance, a new style emerged that was inspired by concepts of perfection perceived in earlier Roman and Greek architecture, which was symmetrical and well portioned. In fact, the Renaissance Classical-inspired styles and their offshoots continued into modern periods and 19th century.
==References==
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[[Category:Ancient History]] [[Category:Religious History]] [[Category:History of Architecture]] [[Category:Middle Ages History]]
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