Emperor Constantine was the first Roman ruler to recognize and permit Christianity to be practiced in the Roman Empire. This recognition necessitated the construction of churches where the faithful gathered. As Christianity grew and the numbers of its followers increased, builders sought to adapt the least pagan and most utilitarian of Roman structures to meet their needs. The Roman basilica, a structure used to house government offices was the best choice. And so, a former secular structure became the most popular form of Christian architecture. The purpose of this assignment is to familiarize you with the elements of the Early Christian basilica.
The attached chart is a schematic plan of a typical basilica plan church.
The individual components have been numbered. Using the information from this week’s reading assignments as well as the video, identify the numbered elements and explain purpose and/or function of each of the elements. Use these resources:
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https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/medieval-world/early-christian-art/beginners-guide-early-christian-art/a/early-christian-art-and-architecture-after-constantine