Search

In his final report of the excavations at Dura-Europos, Syria, the scholar Carl Kraeling established the site's Christian Building as the ancient world's preeminent example of a domus ecclesiae , a house converted into a church through architectural adaptation. In Kraeling's interpretation, a private domestic structure (House M8A) built in 232 CE was later remade as a community-owned church through a single, deliberate program of modification. This article engages with legacy ideas about the Christian Building, unexplored archival records, and recent studies of Dura-Europos to rethink the building's phases, functions, and dating. I argue that House M8A was not the domus ecclesiae that Kraeling envisioned—wholly, instantly, and permanently converted to a church—but a Christian house that retained a domestic aspect even as it was adapted for religious activity. The article proposes new phases for the building and advances an earlier chronology for its construction in the late second or early third century CE, a time that better fits revised estimates of Dura's Roman development. This reinterpretation of the world's oldest domestic church building bears significant repercussions for our understanding of early Christian architecture and communities and underscores the value of critical thinking and revisiting legacy ideas in archaeology. 1 [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Recently, Germany has seen a series of inner-city projects that tend to reconstruct pre-war buildings or ensembles lost in the Second World War after demolishing earlier attempts to redefine the place in which they had been located with the means of modernist architecture. While those modernist buildings are often seen as "eyesores" by ordinary citizens advocating their demolition, the newer reconstructionist projects are criticized heavily by architects and planners not only because they often bring along revisionist political attitudes but also lack a profound examination of the achievements of their predecessors and do without the creative possibilities new designs may offer. The article discusses the trend in its historical context starting in the early 1980s and flourishing after the German reunification by presenting four major types of reconstructionism and related case studies, and debates that accompany them. This allows an interpretation of the current trend and places it in the wider German debates about post-modern planning and urban design. It shows that beyond the most prominent examples of reconstructionism such as the reconstructed Frauenkirche church in Dresden and the Palace in the center of Berlin, there are certain parameters that loosely determine the trend. The article ends with recommendations for the ongoing debates on future reconstructions of bombed cities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Acta Musei Brukenthal is the property of Brukenthal National Museum and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Ukraine’s independence in 1991 changed the direction of society’s development, the most important of which was the revival of the spirituality of the Ukrainian nation, which is connected with thousands of years of religious traditions. The purpose of the article is to demonstrate the development of sacred construction in the environment of modern Ukranian cities as an important factor of reviving the nation and building a new national identity. The article analyzes selected realized objects in the residential environment, systematizes architectural prototypes, which architects turn to nowadays in search of a modern image of a sacred building. Based on the methods of comparative, synchronic and semiotic analysis, the significance of new sacred objects for the formation of the image of the city was revealed, and their social and symbolic meanings was also clarified. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article describes a Smart Heritage computational system that automatically produces a wide range of design proposals for new timber Gothic churches based on an intelligent interpretation of an architectural database of historic churches. The system enlists the software 'Houdini' and a digitally archived dataset of 19th Century timber Gothic churches. The cases presented here focus primarily on timber churches built in Wellington, New Zealand. Through a process of analysis and deconstruction of these historic churches into their characteristic architectural components, spatial organisation and geometric relationships, the system assembles them into novel designs based on high-level design parameters. This paper details this computational system, its development, its operation and its outputs. The role of the system that has been developed is two-fold. One is designing in an architectural heritage context, and one is as an aid to historical architectural investigations, or what can be called digital forensics. The particular outputs are automatically generated hybrid churches that capture the historical design values and complexities of Gothic inspired churches in New Zealand. However, the broader applications are as an investigative tool for historians, and as an objective generative tool for those involved in heritage reconstruction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article studies the ways in which communicative attributions change when a church building, in this case the Dominican Church in Münster (Westphalia, Germany) is converted from a place of religious ritual to a place which exhibits art. The Dominican Church was deconsecrated in November 2017 and, since June 2018, houses an art installation by Gerhard Richter: a Foucault Pendulum. The observation and analysis of this process of deconsecration and conversion demonstrates, first, how the physical built structure is embedded in different kinds of communication (e.g. religion, art, politics, economics). Second, this study focuses on the agency of socio-spatial arrangements which afford specific kinds of communication. In this regard, I introduce the concept of "atmosphere" to analytically grasp the semantic agency of a given architectural setting in its entanglement with social communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores unauthorized church architecture in socialist Poland featuring some buildings that constitute a localized variant of international postmodernism. Topics discussed include a background of postmodernism and church construction in Poland during the late 20th century, the architectural designs of St. Lucia and the Ascension Church, and sacred architecture in Poland during the period.

The Spanish Renaissance architecture is structured, in a general way, from pieces that, depending on the design criteria and the spatial configuration defined in the project, are joined to generate one result or another; this is what we will call “components.” This is justified by the fact that each builder had to plan the pieces of the puzzle that had been assigned to him and, therefore, it is not uncommon that, sometimes, disagreements appear between complementary pieces of the same work. Thus, the architect’s organizational capacity, as a composer of the formal configuration and as director of the executive process, plays a fundamental role. To recover the unfinished geometry of the church of Cazorla we will rely on the individualized study of the components that make up the set, paying special attention to the definition of the wall box that defines the volumetric envelope of the construction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the Renaissance church of La Villa in Montefrío, a milestone in the career of Diego Siloé, and presents an architectural analysis based on a new set of detailed plans. In this church, the complex topography of the hill and the changing urban reality are essential elements of the architecture. The audacious position of the building on the edge of the cliff and, even more notably, the dramatic protrusion of the apse and tower form part of an exercise in the control of distance, scale and movement, hallmarks of a mature Renaissance language. A homogeneous and unitary interior structure provides the basis for a series of formal strategies, culminating in a spatial duality that subtly transcends to the exterior. In this complex architecture created by Siloé, each compositional gesture operates simultaneously on several fronts, all combining to create a unified end result. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper draws on recent research on the construction of new religious buildings by diverse faith communities in the London Borough of Ealing in West London to compare the navigation of local planning processes in the realization of new permanent structures for worship. While existing research emphasizes barriers for minority faith communities, this paper suggests that faith communities are successful local actors able to navigate local planning governance particularly through accumulated expertise and social capital networks, although there are marked differences in capacity and experience between different faith groups. There is also evidence of the mobilization of narratives of "instutionalised multiculturalism" embedded in local policy documents in support for faith communities, but ongoing on-going austerity cuts since 2010 have reduced the capacity of the local state to support projects. Finally, the paper suggests that these planning processes indicate changing ideas of the nature of the suburbs and suburban multiculturalism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The realization of wooden models in the process of creating architectural works in Sicily has been documented since the end of the 15th century. Apart from some examples in the field of military architecture, they are mainly linked to design and construction of churches, for which a composite group of clients played a propositional role. In the Benedictine community, in particular, we noticed a modus operandi that includes the realization of wooden models. Civil architecture, however, is not excluded from this operating mode. This contribution analyses the testimonies related to such cases, evaluating the reliability of the interpretative parameters used in other studies on the topic, for the context under examination. In particular, attention has been paid to the functions attributed to wooden models in the design and construction of architectural works, the moments in which this tool was used within the aforementioned processes and the relationship with other media for the presentation of designs, and aspects related to their implementation (authors and their skills, material and costs). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article focuses on the history of musician nuns of the Convent of Santa Clara in Oporto. It mentions that works carried out by the nuns affected the music production such as two organ cases are visible in the interior of the church. It also mentions that King John V, a devoted Catholic, was responsible for a major investment in the construction and refurbishment of church buildings and the arts produced for religious institutions.

The church of the Holy Family in Salerno (Italy) built in 1971 radically revolutionized the spatial structure of pre-conciliar church building design. The circular stepped geometry of the roof required a complex work with the employment of shipyard workers to come out with a unique geometry. However, such futuristic geometry also resulted in challenging conditions for its acoustics, as they emerged when the construction was completed. In this paper, the results of measurements of the spatial distribution of the acoustic characteristics in this large space are reported. The analysis of the acoustic parameter values confirms the poor acoustic conditions for speech and music listening. With the help of modelling, the authors have investigated possible solutions for the acoustic correction of this modern architecture. This paper reports the conclusions of such a study. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the article, the author discusses the art of church building and facade decoration in Ottoman Macedonia and their kinship to Armenian medieval architecture. Other topics include a survey of monuments in Macedonia, the forced migration of Armenians into Macedonia as ordered by Byzantine Emperor Basil II in 976 and 987 AD, and how the Ottoman archives documented Armenians by their ethnic identification.

The article is devoted to the creative path of one of the most outstanding masters of the late Romanticism in Russian architecture, in whose work a leading place was occupied by church design and construction of buildings for the Ministry of the Imperial Court (Office of the Court Quartermaster) in St. Petersburg, Moscow region and on the territory of modern Lithuania. His works are characterized by polystylistics, including the conservative field of church architecture, commitment to the method of Romantic restoration. A number of structures are attributed to A. Rezanov for the first time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study presents the pivotal moments in the history of anti-ecclesiastical politics and architectural legislation. Definitive factors in church construction projects, the obtaining of planning permissions, fundraising processes, the identities of designers and the possibilities of designing, the size and quality of building materials have been uncovered through researching archival sources and church media records from that period. Regarding the tendencies of architectural morphology, it is safe to say that where financial conditions made it possible, commissioners insisted on traditional solutions. Highly qualified architects with international experience, Lajos Tarai, Antal Thomas, and Bertalan Árkay, however, identified with the modern ecclesiastical art evolving mainly in 1920s Germany. The detailed introduction of Bertalan Árkay's work provides us with an opportunity to describe Hungarian architectural practice (designing every detail of the building including its interior and the reasons behind the repeated use of certain shapes in the building material), most of which can also be found in the international architecture of the period. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article explores how the 1923 church of Notre-Dame du Raincy in France, designed by Auguste and Gustave Perret, resonated with other French buildings erected during or soon after World War I. Topics discussed include war-related symbols at Notre-Dame du Raincy, the church's commemoration of World War I in concrete and wood, and wartime kit-of-parts churches and houses.

The small Gulf state of Qatar is today home to as many Christians, and as many Hindus, as it is Qatari citizens, making it one of the most religiously diverse states in the Middle East. A somewhat unintended consequence of the developmental trajectory Qatar has embarked on, like other emergent social realities religious diversity poses a threat to the identity of both the state and the small citizen population, and must be managed. This article explores how the state is responding to the challenge of religious diversity by looking at 'Church city', a recently built complex that houses several Christian churches on the outskirts of Doha. I argue that efforts to manage religious diversity are informed by notions of protection and segregation, as can be identified both in Islamic historical precedents, and in the state's broader response to its developmental dilemma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The author explores the financing of the Cathedral of Milan's construction, revealing that it relied almost entirely on voluntary donations by a wide citizenry rather than upon taxes, tithes, or a single great benefactor. The analysis of the multiple, synergic techniques devised for alms collection, their monetization process and their sources reveals the crucial importance for cathedral financing of small gifts and donations-- silver coins, buttons, secondhand dresses or a piece of cheese. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the 19th century, there arises on the part of the Anglican Community the need to execute a church of new plant, after happening for different rents of places. Juan de Madrazo prestigious member of the Anglican church, receives the order of realizing a representative church concerning 1880. In this article there are analyzed the unpublished drawings of the original sketch realized by Madrazo for the accomplishment of the first Evangelical Spanish Church, located in Madrid. And after the death of this one, Enrique Repulles y Segarra will take again this project, which will study meticulously Madrazo's offer. These drawings allow to analyze Madrazo's rigorous study on the programmatical needs, and the way of projecting the building, as well as to know in major measure the architect as draftsman and his creative evolution from different preliminary sketches that will reflect the needs of program. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines how Fascism's economic autarky impacted on church construction in the late 1930s. The shortage of copper in Italy due to sanctions imposed by the League of Nations and the ensuing Italian policy of self-sufficiency led to the installation of loudspeakers instead of bells in newly erected churches. The amplified sound of recordings and of tubular bells could be heard from far greater distances than that of traditional bells. Although these technologies disregarded the Catholic Church's directives on utilising modern technical equipment in liturgy, their use was tolerated because of the economic circumstances. Indeed, some clergy endorsed these sound systems as a means of modernising the Church and as an act of patriotism. The practice, however, risked conflating ecclesiastical and Fascist broadcasts since the use of loudspeakers for political propaganda was widespread. In one case, the Fascist anthem Giovinezza was played regularly from a church belfry: after the war, furious citizens destroyed this audio system. The decision by dioceses as to whether to adopt technological alternatives to bells exposed the conflicting positions within the Church towards both modernity and the Regime. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This section presents a photography portfolio which features historic American buildings located in U.S. Southern States. Topics discussed include the notable characteristics of mid-nineteenth century American architecture, the social ideals of the Southern region which may be observed from these buildings, and the observed similarities between early rural Presbyterian, Methodist, and Baptist church buildings in the region.

The article focuses on several aspects of practice, performance, and emotions in medieval and early modern heritage. It mentions that the foundation stone was laid for the newly commenced St. David's Cathedral in Hobart, Tasmania in January 1868. It mentions that the architectural plan and design of the new church has expressed an emblematic ‘architecture of royalty' adhering to late nineteenth-century principles of Gothic Revival architectural style.

The article discusses how noblewoman of Bergamo, Italy Lucrezia Agliardi Vertova built the church of Sant'Anna at Albino with her usufruct and introduced the female Carmelite Order to the diocese. It considers Agliardi's position as a usufructuary, a widow who has been granted the income from her dead husband's estate for her lifetime.

This article is an examination of Philip Johnson's Crystal Cathedral (1980) as an architectural environment intersecting with the televisual entertainment industry. Although the Crystal Cathedral has been read as a reflective glass building that abandoned the mysticism of transparency to assert its object status, using Peter Sloterdijk's theorization of immersion we may also understand the structure as an aqueous atmosphere into which one dips. Johnson's church speaks to the dual desires of being embedded and of breaking free by retaining the possibility of traveling between immersive territories—a key ethical concern for atmospheres in an age of screen culture. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines the characteristics of Korean church architecture from the perspective of the hanok (the traditional Korean house). Previously, Western commentators criticized Korean church architecture as not reflecting a theological ideology and lacking a consistent architectural style. However, examining Korean church architecture through the lens of Western church architecture does not allow for the adequate appreciation or understanding of this form. This study, therefore, considers the development of Korean churches through an examination of the hanok , including floor plans, the concept of spatial expansion, and attitudes toward daylight. In addition, gender-based seating arrangements, the horizontal extension of space, and windows that admit horizontal daylight also reflect common aspects of the hanok. Beyond showing how a distinctly Korean church architecture developed over time, these characteristics also demonstrate the central role of women and the congregation in Korean churches, in contrast to the clergy-centric design of Western churches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Lusitania Sacra is the property of Universidade Catolica Portuguesa, Centro de Estudos de Historia Religiosa and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

A survey of the north nave wall of St Mary's church in the Hythe area of Maldon suggests that the lower part of the wall is not only of Anglo-Saxon date, but earlier within that period. The construction technique of the primary wall is somewhat comparable to nearby St Peter's, Bradwell on Sea, while the implied dimensions of the primary church are very close to those of Reculver in Kent. The latter two churches are of late 7th century date. The early church at Maldon is associated with an adjacent 8th-9th century settlement site. The presence of loomweights at the settlement indicates a female component, and by extension, it is suggested that the site was that of an undocumented double minster of monks and nuns headed by an abbess. The church was first documented in 1068, when a large land endowment is evidence of its minster status. At about this time or shortly afterwards, the church was rebuilt as a substantial cruciform structure. The transepts and chancel of the latter have been lost, but their form could be retrieved by resistivity survey. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The design of religious buildings typically calls upon a number of motifs, ornaments, or specific forms to signal its function to the viewer or to create an atmosphere of spirituality. In culturally diverse environments, these motifs no longer hold value, leaving the architect to communicate in a way shared by all beholders. Inclusive collaborative design involving participants of diverse backgrounds can provide a solution to this issue. Discussed in this paper is the methodology and conclusion of a design project undertaken in this manner. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]