Academic literature on the topic 'Basilica'

This paper presents the results of the research of the planning structure of the basilica of the Early Byzantine castle and mediaeval town located on the plateau of Eski-Kermen in the mountainous area of the Crimea (late sixth to the late thirteenth century). In the eleventh or twelfth century, three polyhedral apses with pilasters typical of the Middle Byzantine cross-inscribed churches were added to the eastern part of the basilica, thus greatly changing the appearance of the original basilica, which reconstruction now causes certain difficulties. However, it is quite obvious that this structure belonged to the same type of basilicas featuring the nave and two aisles, one narthex, wooden raftering, and most probably one semi-circular or faceted apse. The designers of the basilicas of Cherson and Eski-Kermen most likely used the system of numerical proportions, uncovered by an architect and architectural historian Hans Buchwald. Although the ground plan of the basilica of Eski-Kermen contains numerical proportions of all three variants of the proportional system of the basilicas of Chersonese, it is not possible to attribute the basilica of Eski-Kermen to one of the said variants. Its central part, or naos (1:1 o.c./cl.) corresponds proportionally to the “shortened” basilicas of Chersonese (3rd variant of the proportional system). However, the proportions of the naos with the apse or narthex (2:3 cl./o.c.) are comparable with the basilicas of Chersonese with “medium” proportions (2nd variant). It is related to the enlarged volumes of its chancel and narthex. Although the set of numerical proportions of the basilica of Eski-Kermen is individual, almost all of them have analogies in the early Byzantine architecture of basilicas, especially in Chersonese, the administrative and religious centre of the south-western Crimea. The specificity of the planning structure of the basilica of Eski-Kermen are explained, primarily, by its small size and the need to extend the space of the chancel and narthex. The possibility of combining numerical proportions in the building of basilicas indicates that the set of these proportions was not strictly regulated, so they were chosen according to the specific conditions and needs.

The article is an attempt to arouse a discussion about the originality of the de­sign of Roman Christian basilica. The author deals with the form of basilica Con­stantiniana and strives to reconstruct its architectonic and functional programme. Formal borrowings from forum basilicas and imperial audience halls have been indicated. The formal adoption from those objects has been justified in two ways. The idea of acquiring the scale and inside arrangement from forum basilicas stemmed from the similarity of function. In turn, hierarchical order of the interior was achieved due to an apse moved to the shorter side with the entrances on the opposite one; such a compositional solution was taken from imperial basilicas. It was aimed to focus an attention of the faithful at actions which were taking place against the apse as well as at the bishop himself. The apse’s symbolic significance raised the rank of a building, thus granting a bishop the emperor’s authority. The development of Roman Christian basilica – understood as such process – turned this object into original architectonic creation. It joined ingeniously the function of gathering the faithful (procedure unknown to the prior Roman cult architec­ture) with the visualisation of the symbolism of power – of a bishop, in this case – emanating from the form of the apse and from the structure of the building, both derived from imperial basilicas.

The City Basilica of Patara, which dates back to the second half of the 5th century AD, offers valuable evidence regarding the interior design of buildings of this type and the liturgical traffic-flow within them. Excavations conducted at the basilica have revealed diverse liturgical furnishings, including the templon, the altar, column bases associated with the ciborium, the sacred water well, the synthronon, and a section of the opus sectile flooring in the bema. This study focuses on the analysis, evaluation, and indication of potential connections among the remains of templon elements found at the City Basilica of Patara, encompassing templon stylobates, bases, slabs, columns, and column capitals. Its primary objectives are to examine the marble objects excavated in the basilica, particularly those attributed to the templon, with the intention of proposing a reconstruction of the basilica’s interior, as well as to describe these objects, especially their decorative motifs, and assess their resemblance to other examples of Byzantine art and architecture. The remains of the templon in the City Basilica at Patara are carefully examined and compared to similar specimens. The analysis considers the characteristics of the decoration, dimensions, style, and materials used in the high templon arrangement. Based on this evaluation, the templon is assigned to the second half of the 5th century AD, which corresponds to the dating of the first phase of the basilica.

Interpretation of the historical and epigraphical data can only provide a bare outline of the political and social environment of Knossos between the 5th and 7th centuries AD. Consequently, our understanding of late Antique Knossos comes primarily from the excavated remains of two of the Christian basilicas in the Valley; the Sanatorium Basilica and the KMF Basilica. Although excavations of the former have been published in full, concerning the KMF Basilica, only a brief summary of its architecture has been published. As a result, a detailed analysis of the excavations of the basilica itself will be made available here, including particulars of its architecture, mosaics, and summaries of the associated elements of the entire basilica complex (a detailed discussion of the whole Late Antique KMF excavations is forthcoming). As such, not only is a new and full interpretation of the KMF Basilica provided, but also for the first time the material culture of Late Antique Knossos is collated and subsequently analysed to provide a clear understanding of the nature of the city during this period. Despite a dearth of domestic evidence, a contextual study of the surviving architecture (principally religious) in conjunction with the mortuary remains, allows a broad perception of society and a clear comprehension of the development of the city. Thus the aim here is to examine the compelling evidence that, contrary to common belief, during the Late Antique period Knossos continued to be a vibrant and influential city as it had been in the Roman period.

This article examines the interrogation of visual history associated with Goan church architectural legacies offered by Vishvesh Prabhakar Kandolkar’s installation series, This is Not the Basilica! (2021). The artist’s subject is the 16th-century Basilica of Bom Jesus, which was built in locally domesticated Baroque style during Goa’s Portuguese colonial era and which houses the remains of the Spanish saint, Francis Xavier. Kandolkar’s work makes viewers intimate with the Basilica’s history, I contend, so as to posit the need for conservation efforts that will save the deteriorating church while also revealing its unseen aesthetic past as a symbol of still-unfolding Goan identity.

<p>The application of the procedures commonly used by computer graphics has allowed the author contextualize the existing remains under the present church of San Pelayo de Oviedo as corresponding to a high medieval crypt, built by the shop that built Santa Maria del Rey Casto basilica and Foncalada fountain, reigning Alfonso II (to 842), including making a joint hypothesis of the same with the primitive basilica of San Juan Bautista named by early medieval sources in Asturias, characterized by a complex liturgical equipment, "confessio" semi-underground low chancel and sanctuary high; by linking the building with other Europeans, the Merovingian and Anglo-Saxon area, of which derived type, also present in the s Roman basilicas of the eighth century.</p>

ABSTRACTThe most prominent and long-lasting of the timber truss-roofed buildings from imperial Roman times was the Basilica Ulpia, the interior of which has been reconstructed by recent writers but with little agreement regarding the upper sections. The reconstruction that best passes the test of engineering viability is shown here to be the one published by James E. Packer in 1997, but Packer’s reconstruction is unconvincing with regard to the roof. The argument advanced now is that the roof was constructed with double trusses of the kind once found in the early Christian basilicas of Old St Peter’s and San Paolo fuori le Mura, and then recorded in the eighteenth century by Jean-Baptiste Rondelet, which were very similar in size to those used for the Basilica Ulpia. The spacing of roof trusses was determined by the nave column spacing. Engineering analysis determines that the trusses had sufficient capacity to support the roof and that the double-truss arrangement was critical to avoid overloading the stone architraves. The article speculates that doubling the Roman truss may have been a previous innovation. It argues that the later early Christian basilicas relied on the Roman double truss because of its proven performance, and that this continuity was recognised by Auguste Choisy and others who considered their use to be a reflection of earlier Roman practice.

The authors of this paper reinvestigate the remains of the Basilica Sempronia, situated below the Imperial Basilica Julia in Rome. By combining the information from the original excavation with a new 3D digital documentation, new observations are made and previous interpretations reassessed. The present remains are discussed in relation to the contemporary built environment, as well as to preceding and following phases. It is argued that the Basilica Sempronia was an elongated hall with closed lateral walls and interior supports. It was erected on a podium that raised the building above the surrounding streets on all sides except the west. The Augustan renewal of the Basilica Julia entailed vast foundations works, which had a huge impact on the site. However, evidence of an intermediate phase indicates the existence of a building complex that merged the previous basilica with the Tabernae Veteres, partly preserving their original dimensions and orientations. This intermediate basilica complex comprised a large paved unroofed surface at an elevated position, possibly a peristyle courtyard. The paper briefly touches upon the possible implications for our understanding of the early Roman basilica, the use of public space, and the development of the Forum Romanum.

This paper offers a survey of the uses of Iasian marbles and their relationships with other stones. In the 6th century, these marbles were used for wall cladding and flooring, with an aim to alternate with or frame lighter marbles, as was the case in Iasos, in the Agora Basilica. Similar combinations were attested in the cladding of synthronoi of the basilicas A and C of Nea Anchialos. In the latter, the sides of the presbytery were framed with red cipollino slabs of different lengths and widths. In the prostoon, verde antico was added to red and white veined marbles. Other examples seem to demonstrate the use of the red cipollino to mark thresholds and passageways, as was the case of the solea of Hagia Sophia and the presbytery of the basilica of St. John in Ephesos. There, the templon stylobate and bases made of Iasian marble supported columns of verde antico and gray marbles; some slabs would have been of the openwork type; thus, the variety of marbles, their textures and workmanship must have contributed to the deep impact of the arrangement.