Worship and its Architectural Setting 崇拜与建筑环境.pptVIP

Worshipand its Architectural Setting 3. THE CHURCH AFTER CONSTANTINE The conversion of Constantine was the most significant event in church history since the resurrection of Christ. After a war with his rivals, in 312 Constantine – whose mother was a Christian – became Roman Emperor in in the West. His Edict of Toleration in 313 made Christianity a legal religion in the Roman Empire. His favor shown to Christianity gave the Church and its bishops a public status they had never known before. Though Constantine was not baptized until near death he considered himself “a Christian” after 312. After 312, Constantine provided generous endowments to the churches from the imperial treasury, instructing bishops to ask his officials for more money if what he had given was not enough. As his reign went on, Constantine became actively involved in Christian controversies, to call bishops his “brothers,” build magnificent churches, and emphasize his personal devotion to the God of the Christians . Beginning around 326 Constantine erected a great basilica over the burial place of Peter, on the Vatican Hill outside of Rome. After Constantine’s conversion, large buildings for Christian worship could be freely built. But what should they look like? Pagan temples were designed to house the statue of a deity and secret rooms, not accommodate meet-ings of worshipers. Sacrifices and public rites were offered outside. The Temple of Artemis at Ephesus was the largest in the Mediterranean world. There was a great outdoor sacrificial altar to the right, in this reconstructed view. The Roman basilica offered an excellent model for church buildings. Basilicas were common in Greco-Roman cities. They were both large and small, used for law courts, markets, and many other occasions that required bringing a group of people together. This is a cut-away drawing of a typical small basilica. Often the apse was on the same level as the main area, with no stairs. apse Some of Consta