Early Christian

What I Learned About Early Christianity

Christianity began with the death of Christ in ancient Judea at an eastern outpost of the Roman empire. Rome was fairly tolerant of most religions, but not when it came to Christianity. This is because Christianity posed a threat the the emperor since they could not declare the divinity of the emperor. This unfortunately led to the persecution of early Christians in Rome. Christianity still prospered, though, and became a sort of "underground religion." Most people who followed the Christian faith were of a lower class. This is because Christianity was a faith that didn't favor the wealthier classes. You were judged on character instead of wealth. Christianity also promoted access to God through Jesus Christ in a personal relationship which provided a lot of hope for those in lower classes.

Then came Constantine. He was the first emperor to recognize Christianity as a valid religion in 313 C.E. Constantine legalized Christianity through the Edict of Milan. He declared it an official religion with all rights and privileges the others had. Also now Christians could have official houses of worship and display holy artifacts. Before this they had to worship secretly in church houses. Constantine had a vision of a shield containing a Christian cross before the battle of Milvian Bridge. He believed that this was a sign from god and from thereafter emperor's ceased to be considered divine. This secured his support from the Christian church.

Very few examples of Early Christian furniture remain to this day, but the ones we have are elaborate and richly decorated with jewels. They follow the Roman style and exhibit storage as the most important feature. The artwork that has been found included paintings, murals, and frescoes. They included religious motifs like the cross, dove, fish, grapevine, and lamb. They also show images of Christ the good shepherd, the apostles, and Mary. 

My Favorites

  

The early fifth Roman basilica of Sta. Sabina.

I love the inside of this building. It's so grand with it's high ceilings and the domed ceiling at the back. I also love the columns and decorations.

 

I love this piece of furniture because it has such intricate details carved into it. It's amazing how much detail they put into their furniture. They also put small details in the carvings on the sarcophagi they buried their dead in that can be found in the catacombs of Rome.

Sarcophagus of Junius Bassus.

Another sarcophagus that can be found in the catacombs of Rome.

Current Applications of Early Christian Design

  Early Christian design wasn't particularly different from Roman design but you can still see the inspiration in today's churches.

Domed ceilings still show up in modern churches.

This modern church still uses columns and high, curved ceilings.

This example is really interesting. This is an old church that has been turned into a bookstore. They utilized the shape of the old building and made the new stuff work with the existing shape instead of juxtaposing it.

Another picture of the church turned bookstore.

Classical Rome

What I've Learned About Rome

Rome was very important in spreading art and civilization. They were the greatest power west of China and they controlled commerce in the western Mediterranean Sea. They had mastered building roads and used the post and lintel construction techniques of the Greeks as well as vault and dome from the Etruscans. Romans are also responsible for the discovery of concrete. 

The Colosseum

The Colosseum seats 50,000 and is made of concrete and stone. It uses arch and barrel vaults and each of three orders are present in its architecture. You can see this in each level because each has a podium, column, and entablature. This venue was used for all sorts of things including gladiator fights and cultural events. The Colosseum was used as a prototype for building sports arenas. 

Outside of the Pantheon

Inside of the Pantheon

The oculus of the Pantheon.

The Pantheon was commissioned by Marcus Agrippa and rebuilt by the emperor Hadrian. As you can see in my first picture it is made up of a Roman portico in the front and a round temple with a dome in the back. It has the world's largest unreinforced concrete dome and the oculus measures 142 feet in diameter.

Interior Design in Classical Rome  included a lot of mosaics, stucco, and frescoes. They had an obsession with ornamentation which you can see used everywhere. Their floors were usually patterned and the ceilings were flat or vaulted. They also liked using black, gilt, and red colors. Their furniture was made of wood, metal, and stone. They made several types of seat furniture including thrones, couches, chairs (cathedras), and stools (sellas). The sella, or stool, was a seat of honor and a symbol of legal authority. They also made tables, which were usually multipurpose and made of marble, as well as beds that were an addition to the back of the couch.

My favorite architecture from this time includes the two I mentioned above: the Colosseum and the Pantheon. The Colosseum is just such an amazing building that we've based structures off of and the Pantheon is amazing. It's hard to believe that that dome is standing since it's not reinforced. It's also just amazing how big and beautiful it is.

Current Applications of Roman Design

This is a cocktail table that has a design based on the capital of a Roman ionic order column.

This is a bed that was inspired by the Roman style.