Introduction
In this paper, the author tries to answer the question regarding the relationship between the typology of religious buildings (e.g. church, mosque, and etc.) and the religious rituals that they house. The thesis statement in this paper basically suggests that the architecture (i.e. typology) of a religious building has a functional correlation to the religious rituals that it houses. Considering that the focus of the analysis and discussion is on architecture, the author looked into a total of 6 religious building architecture types (i.e. typology) namely Byzantine, Romanesque, Gothic, Renaissance, Baroque, and Contemporary.
Developments and Discussions
In this case, there are going to be two variables, one independent and one dependent. The independent variable would be the different church typologies that were reviewed; the dependent variable would be the religious rituals that they housed or at least were supposed to house. In order to prove the functional correlation between the independent and dependent variables (which is what the main goal of this paper is), the existence of certain rooms or chambers in a particular church typology must coincide with the practice of a certain religious function.
In the Old Testament, churches were built so uniquely. This church typology, the one with a tabernacle (as in the case of the Tabernacle of Moses) existed prior to the emergence of the Byzantine one. The diagram below shows the typical architecture typology of churches built prior to the Byzantine era.
The entire area covered by the fences would be the religious building. What is unique about this church type is that it is used as a meeting place for God and His people. It is not just a house of prayer; it is also where His followers could offer their sacrifices (usually crops and farm animals). The covered building in the diagram is where the people communicate with their God. Today, the large areas outside the church where the offerings and sacrifices are prepared no longer exist. This is because offerings and sacrifices are now presented as money. This is basically an affirmation of this research paper’s research hypothesis about the correlation between church type and function.
The Byzantine era was marked as the period when Roman Catholicism rose. Relying on encyclopedic sources, the architecture behind Byzantine churches is based on a combination of (the architectural plans for) a basilica and a symmetrical central plan. This architectural design of churches was termed as the Byzantine-Greek cross plan church (mainly because of the mix up of architectural characteristics). During this period the grip of the church and religious factions on the government was still tight. Churches were not only used to deliver sermons but also to hold meetings of political and societal relevance. This can be evidenced by the presence of the large domed roofs and the extravagance of the designs and fixtures. After all, that building is being used to hold the most powerful people in the Byzantine Empire as well.
The Romanesque church type, on the other hand, can be distinguished by the presence of semi-circular arches and European middle age era designs. In terms of the timeline of existence, the consensus is that the Romanesque churches were built at around the same period as the Byzantine churches. The Romanesque church type is the predecessor of the Gothic one. Therefore, their functions and area components are basically the same with only a slight revision on the design and architecture. The former is basically a combination of Byzantine and ancient Roman designs while the latter is more complexly designed similar to that of castles. During the era of these two church types, Romanesque and Gothic, a lot of churches had built in monasteries and convents—buildings such as these were called abbeys. Below is a diagram of a typical Romanesque and Gothic church.
Romanesque
Gothic
The Renaissance and Baroque church types were also introduced at around the same period. The latter started at around the late 16th century while the former at around the early 15th century. Notably, these two church types also coexisted. Renaissance churches were lighter, Baroque ones were more sophisticated and massive. The function of such sources remained relatively the same with that of the Byzantine churches. Those were also periods when the grips of the church on the states were still strong and so political relevance also remained at high levels. This is why in terms of building functions and the religious rituals that they housed, nothing has changed drastically. They were still used to house prayers, worships, and religious, political, and societal meetings.
Baroque
Renaissance
And lastly, the contemporary churches; they are basically the ones that are most evolved. In terms of number, they can drown out the churches built between the Byzantine and Baroque era of church architecture typologies. However, they greatly lack the architectural sophistication that those older church types exhibited. This is because contemporary churches are more functional; they are still being used to house the same religious rituals; this is why the main building where the worship services are being held is still the largest part of a church complex. However, funding is probably the main differentiating factor. As the separation between the state and the church became complete, churches no longer had the privilege to receive funding from political entities for extravagant construction and renovation projects; they were basically left on their own. This is why contemporary churches have buildings dedicated for business and fund raising (e.g. bookstores, food courts, personal care homes, assisted living communities, art galleries and etc.).
Conclusions
So far, all the evidences reviewed in this paper suggest that there is indeed a direct correlation between church typology and the religious rituals and other functions that they house. For much of the period between the post-Old-Testament description of churches and the end of the Baroque era (of church architecture), the religious rituals that these buildings housed remained practically the same. This is the major changes that can be seen were only in the design aspects. The most drastic changes in function only happened in the contemporary period when churches were forced to raise funds for themselves aside from being solely dedicating their facilities to religious and worship services.
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Endnotes
