Church (building)
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A church, church building, church house, or chapel is a building used for Christian worship services, Christian religious activities. The earliest identified Christian church is a house church founded between 233 AD and 256 AD.<ref name="Snyder 2003 128">Template:Cite book</ref>
Sometimes, the word church is used erroneously to refer to the buildings of other religions, such as mosques and synagogues.<ref>Use of the term "The Manichaean Church" Template:Webarchive, Encyclopædia Britannica</ref><ref>"The term church is found, but not specifically defined, in the Internal Revenue Code (IRC). The term is not used by all faiths; however, in an attempt to make this publication easy to read, we use it in its generic sense as a place of worship including, for example, mosques and synagogues." [1] Template:Webarchive, US IRS Tax Guide for Churches & Religious Organizations</ref> Church is also used to describe a body or an assembly of Christian believers, while "the Church" may be used to refer to the worldwide Christian religious community as a whole.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
In traditional Christian architecture, the plan view of a church often forms a Christian cross with the centre aisle and seating representing the vertical beam and the bema and altar forming the horizontal. Towers or domes may inspire contemplation of the heavens. Modern churches have a variety of architectural styles and layouts. Some buildings designed for other purposes have been converted to churches, while many original church buildings have been put to other uses. From the 11th to the 14th century, there had been a wave of church construction in Western Europe.
Many churches worldwide are of considerable historical, national, cultural, and architectural significance, with several included in the list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites.<ref name="Tsivolas 2014 3–4">Template:Cite book</ref>
Etymology
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The word church is derived from Old English Template:Lang, 'place of assemblage set aside for Christian worship', from the Common Germanic word kirika. This was probably borrowed via Gothic from Ancient Greek Template:Transliteration, 'the Lord's (house)', from Template:Transliteration, 'ruler, lord'. Template:Transliteration in turn comes from the Indo-European root Template:Lang, meaning 'to spread out, to swell' (euphemistically: 'to prevail, to be strong').<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
The various forms of the cognates to church in various languages reflect the word's linguistic roots in Greek and Proto-Indo-European origins. For instance, in early Germanic languages such as Old High German, the word evolved into kirihha, highlighting its spread through the Christianization of Germanic peoples. This etymological journey illustrates how the concept of a place of Christian worship was linguistically adapted as Christianity expanded across Europe. Additionally, the use of the word in early Christian communities emphasized the association of the building with its dedication to God.<ref name="OEtymDChurch" />
The Greek Template:Transliteration, 'of the Lord', has been used of houses of Christian worship since Template:C., especially in the East, although it was less common in this sense than Template:Transliteration or Template:Transliteration.<ref name="OEtymDChurch">Template:Cite web</ref>
History
[edit]Churches have evolved from early house churches (pre-4th century) to grand basilicas after Christianity's legalization in 313 AD. The Romanesque period (10th–12th century) featured thick walls and round arches, while the Gothic style (12th–16th century) introduced pointed arches and flying buttresses for taller, light-filled structures. Later styles include Renaissance symmetry, Baroque ornamentation, and modernist minimalism.
Common church features include:
- Nave and apse – The main hall and altar area. Modern churches blend tradition with function, from minimalist designs to contemporary community spaces.
- Transept – Forms the cruciform shape.
- Clerestory windows – High windows for natural light.
- Steeples and towers – Often house bells.
- Vaulting – Structural support using arches.
Modern churches blend tradition with function, incorporating minimalist designs and contemporary community spaces while preserving a sense of originality and faith.
Antiquity
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Template:Further The earliest archeologically identified Christian church is a house church (domus ecclesiae), the Dura-Europos church, founded between 233 AD and 256 AD.<ref name="Snyder 2003 128"/>
In the second half of the third century AD, the first purpose-built halls for Christian worship (aula ecclesiae) began to be constructed. Many of these structures were destroyed during the Diocletianic Persecution in the early 4th century. Even larger and more elaborate churches began to appear during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great.<ref>Template:Cite book (Chapter 3)</ref>
Medieval times
[edit]From the 11th through the 14th centuries, a wave of cathedral building and the construction of smaller parish churches occurred across Western Europe. Besides serving as a place of worship, the cathedral or parish church was frequently employed as a general gathering place by the communities in which they were located, hosting such events as guild meetings, banquets, mystery plays, and fairs. Church grounds and buildings were also used for the threshing and storage of grain.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Romanesque architecture
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Between 1000 and 1200, the Romanesque style became popular across Europe. The Romanesque style is defined by large and bulky edifices typically composed of simple, compact, sparsely decorated geometric structures. Frequent features of the Romanesque church include circular arches, round or octagonal towers, and cushion capitals on pillars. In the early Romanesque era, coffering on the ceiling was fashionable, while later in the same era, groined vaults gained popularity. Interiors widened, and the motifs of sculptures took on more epic traits and themes.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Romanesque architects adopted many Roman or early Christian architectural ideas, such as a cruciform ground plan, as that of Angoulême Cathedral, and the basilica system of a nave with a central vessel and side aisles.<ref name=dkp>Template:Cite book</ref>
Gothic architecture
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The Gothic style emerged around 1140 in Île-de-France and subsequently spread throughout Europe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Gothic churches lost the compact qualities of the Romanesque era, and decorations often contained symbolic and allegorical features. The first pointed arches, rib vaults, and buttresses began to appear, all possessing geometric properties that reduced the need for large, rigid walls to ensure structural stability. This also permitted the size of windows to increase, producing brighter and lighter interiors. Nave ceilings rose, and pillars and steeples heightened.<ref name=wd>Template:Cite book</ref><ref name=dkp/> Many architects used these developments to push the limits of structural possibility – an inclination that resulted in the collapse of several towers whose designs had unwittingly exceeded the boundaries of soundness. In Germany, the Netherlands and Spain, it became popular to build hall churches, a style in which every vault would be built to the same height.
Gothic cathedrals were lavishly designed, as in the Romanesque era, and many share Romanesque traits. Bagneux Church, France (1170–1190) exhibited both styles - a Romanesque tower, and Gothic nave and choir.<ref name=dkp/> Several also exhibit unprecedented degrees of detail and complexity in decoration. Notre-Dame de Paris and Reims Cathedral in France, as well as the church of San Francesco d'Assisi in Palermo, Salisbury Cathedral and the wool churches in England, and Santhome Church in Chennai, India, show the elaborate stylings characteristic of Gothic cathedrals.
Some of the most well-known gothic churches remained unfinished for centuries after the style fell out of popularity. One such example is the construction of Cologne Cathedral, which began in 1248, was halted in 1473, and didn't resume until 1842.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Renaissance
[edit]In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries, the changes in ethics and society due to the Renaissance and the Reformation also influenced the building of churches. The common style was much like the Gothic style but simplified. The basilica was not the most popular type of church anymore, but instead, hall churches were built. Typical features are columns and classical capitals.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
In Protestant churches, where the proclamation of God's Word is of particular importance, the visitor's line of sight is directed towards the pulpit.
Baroque architecture
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The Baroque style was first used in Italy around 1575. From there, it spread to the rest of Europe and the European colonies. The building industry increased heavily during the Baroque era. Buildings, even churches, were used to indicate wealth, authority, and influence. The use of forms known from the Renaissance was extremely exaggerated. Domes and capitals were decorated with moulding, and the former stucco sculptures were replaced by fresco paintings on the ceilings. For the first time, churches were seen as one connected work of art, and consistent artistic concepts were developed. Instead of long buildings, more central-plan buildings were created. The sprawling decoration with floral ornamentation and mythological motives lasted until about 1720, in the Rococo era.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
The Protestant parishes preferred Protestant churches often prioritize proximity between worshippers, the nave (main worship space), and the altar (often called a communion table).<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> This is achieved through various architectural designs and practices, including moving the altar loser to the congregation, decreasing the distance between the entrance and altar, and employing simpler architectural styles that focus attention on the pulpit and communion table.
Architecture
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A common trait of the architecture of many churches is the shape of a cross<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> (a long central rectangle, with side rectangles and a rectangle in front for the altar space or sanctuary). These churches also often have a dome or other large vaulted space in the interior to represent or draw attention to the heavens. Other common shapes for churches include a circle, to represent eternity, or an octagon or similar star shape, to represent the church's bringing light to the world. Another common feature is the spire, a tall tower at the "west" end of the church or over the crossing.Template:Citation needed
Another common feature of many Christian churches is the eastwards orientation of the front altar.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Often, the altar will not be oriented due east but toward the sunrise.Template:Clarify This tradition originated in Byzantium in the fourth century and became prevalent in the West in the eighth and ninth centuries. The old Roman custom of having the altar at the west end and the entrance at the east was sometimes followed as late as the eleventh century, even in areas of northern Europe under Frankish rule, as seen in Petershausen (Constance), Bamberg Cathedral, Augsburg Cathedral, Regensburg Cathedral, and Hildesheim Cathedral.<ref>Heinrich Otte, Handbuch der kirchlichen Kunst-Archäologie des deutschen Mittelalters (Leipzig 1868), p. 12</ref>
Types
[edit]Basilica
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The Latin word basilica was initially used to describe a Roman public building usually located in the forum of a Roman town.<ref name="OXFORD1">The Oxford Dictionary of Christian Art and Architecture (2013 Template:ISBN), p. 117</ref><ref>Template:Cite web</ref> After the Roman Empire became officially Christian, the term came by extension to refer to a large and influential church that has been given special ceremonial rights by the Pope.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The word thus retains two senses today, one architectural and the other ecclesiastical.
Cathedral
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A cathedral is a church, usually Catholic, Anglican, Oriental Orthodox or Eastern Orthodox, housing the seat of a bishop. The word cathedral takes its name from cathedra, or Bishop's Throne (In Template:Langx). The term is sometimes (improperly) used to refer to any church of great size.
A church with a cathedral function is not necessarily a large building. It might be as small as Christ Church Cathedral in Oxford, England, Porvoo Cathedral in Porvoo, Finland, Sacred Heart Cathedral in Raleigh, United States, or Chur Cathedral in Switzerland. However, frequently, the cathedral, along with some of the abbey churches, was the largest building in any region.
Cathedrals tend to display a higher level of contemporary architectural style and the work of accomplished craftsmen, and occupy a status both ecclesiastical and social that an ordinary parish church rarely has. Such churches are generally among the finest buildings locally and a source of national and regional pride,<ref>Batsford and Fry, 1-3</ref> and many are among the world's most renowned works of architecture.<ref>Richard Utz. "The Cathedral as Time Machine: Art, Architecture, and Religion." In: The Idea of the Gothic Cathedral. Interdisciplinary Perspectives on the Meanings of the Medieval Edifice in the Modern Period, ed. Stephanie Glaser (Turnhout: Brepols, 2018). pp. 239–59.</ref>
Chapel
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Either, a discrete space with an altar inside a larger cathedral, conventual, parish, or other church; or, a free standing small church building or room not connected to a larger church, to serve a particular hospital, school, university, prison, private household, palace, castle, or other institution. Often proprietary churches and small conventual churches are referred to by this term.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
Collegiate church
[edit]Template:Main A collegiate church is a church where the daily office of worship is maintained by a college of canons, which may be presided over by a dean or provost. Collegiate churches were often supported by extensive lands held by the church, or by tithe income from appropriated benefices. They commonly provide distinct spaces for congregational worship and for the choir offices of their clerical community.
Conventual church
[edit]Template:Further A conventual church (in Eastern Orthodoxy katholikon) is the main church in a Christian monastery or convent, known variously as an abbey, a priory, a friary, or a preceptory.
Parish church
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A parish church is a church built to meet the needs of people localised in a geographical area called a parish. The vast majority of Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran church buildings fall into this category. A parish church may also be a basilica, a cathedral, a conventual or collegiate church, or a place of pilgrimage. The vast majority of parish churches do not however enjoy such privileges.
In addition to a parish church, each parish may maintain auxiliary organizations and their facilities such as a rectory, parish hall, parochial school, or convent, frequently located on the same campus or adjacent to the church.
Pilgrimage church
[edit]Template:Main A pilgrimage church is a church to which pilgrimages are regularly made, or a church along a pilgrimage route, often located at the tomb of a saints, or holding icons or relics to which miraculous properties are ascribed, the site of Marian apparitions, etc.
Proprietary church
[edit]Template:Main During the Middle Ages, a proprietary church was a church, abbey, or cloister built on the private grounds of a feudal lord, over which he retained proprietary interests.
Evangelical church structures
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The architecture of evangelical places of worship is mainly characterized by its sobriety.<ref>Peter W. Williams, Houses of God: Region, Religion, and Architecture in the United States, University of Illinois Press, USA, 2000, p. 125</ref><ref>Murray Dempster, Byron D. Klaus, Douglas Petersen, The Globalization of Pentecostalism: A Religion Made to Travel, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2011, p. 210</ref> The Latin cross is a well known Christian symbol that can usually be seen on the building of an evangelical church and that identifies the place's belonging.<ref>Mark A. Lamport, Encyclopedia of Christianity in the Global South, Volume 2, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2018, p. 32</ref><ref>Anne C. Loveland, Otis B. Wheeler, From Meetinghouse to Megachurch: A Material and Cultural History, University of Missouri Press, USA, 2003, p. 149</ref> Some services take place in theaters, schools or multipurpose rooms, rented for Sunday only.<ref name="Caillou">Annabelle Caillou, Vivre grâce aux dons et au bénévolat Template:Webarchive, ledevoir.com, Canada, 10 November 2018</ref><ref>Helmuth Berking, Silke Steets, Jochen Schwenk, Religious Pluralism and the City: Inquiries into Postsecular Urbanism, Bloomsbury Publishing, UK, 2018, p. 78</ref><ref>George Thomas Kurian, Mark A. Lamport, Encyclopedia of Christianity in the United States, Volume 5, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2016, p. 1359</ref> There is usually a baptistery at the front of the church (in what is known as the chancel in historic traditions) or in a separate room for baptisms by immersion.<ref>William H. Brackney, Historical Dictionary of the Baptists, Scarecrow Press, USA, 2009, p. 61</ref><ref>Wade Clark Roof, Contemporary American Religion, Volume 1, Macmillan, UK, 2000, p. 49</ref>
Worship services take on impressive proportions in the megachurches (churches where more than 2,000 people gather every Sunday). In some of these megachurches, more than 10,000 people gather every Sunday. The term gigachurch is sometimes used.<ref>Sam Hey, Megachurches: Origins, Ministry, and Prospects, Wipf and Stock Publishers, USA, 2013, p. 265.</ref><ref>Ed Stetzer, Megachurch Research - Terminology Template:Webarchive, christianitytoday.com, USA, October 9, 2008.</ref> For example, Lakewood Church (United States) or Yoido Full Gospel Church (South Korea).<ref>Alicia Budich, From Megachurch to "Gigachurch", cbsnews.com, USA, April 6, 2012.</ref>
House church
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In some countries of the world which apply sharia or communism, government authorizations for worship are complex for Christians.<ref>Erwin Fahlbusch, Geoffrey William Bromiley, The Encyclopedia of Christianity, Volume 4, Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing, USA, 2005, p. 163.</ref><ref>Yves Mamou, Yves Mamou: «Les persécutions de chrétiens ont lieu en majorité dans des pays musulmans» Template:Webarchive, lefigaro.fr, France, March 20, 2019</ref><ref>Wesley Rahn, In Xi we trust - Is China cracking down on Christianity? Template:Webarchive, dw.com, Germany, January 19, 2018</ref> Because of persecution of Christians, Evangelical house churches have thus developed.<ref>Allan Heaton Anderson, An Introduction to Pentecostalism: Global Charismatic Christianity, Cambridge University Press, UK, 2013, p. 104.</ref> For example, there is the Evangelical house churches in China movement.<ref>Brian Stiller, Evangelicals Around the World: A Global Handbook for the 21st Century, Thomas Nelson, USA, 2015, p. 328</ref> The meetings thus take place in private houses, in secret and in "illegality".<ref>Mark A. Lamport, Encyclopedia of Christianity in the Global South, Volume 2, Rowman & Littlefield, USA, 2018, p. 364.</ref>
Alternative buildings
[edit]Old and disused church buildings can be seen as an interesting proposition for developers as the architecture and location often provide for attractive homes<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> or city centre entertainment venues.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> On the other hand, many newer churches have decided to host meetings in public buildings such as schools,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> universities,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> cinemas<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> or theatres.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref>
There is another trend to convert old buildings for worship rather than face the construction costs and planning difficulties of a new build. Unusual venues in the UK include a former tram power station,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a former bus garage,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> a former cinema and bingo hall,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> a former Territorial Army drill hall,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> and a former synagogue.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Template:HMS served as a floating church for mariners at Liverpool from 1827 until she sank in 1872.<ref name="LM100672">Template:Cite news</ref> A windmill has also been converted into a church at Reigate Heath.
There have been increased partnerships between church management and private real estate companies to redevelop church properties into mixed uses. While it has garnered criticism, the partnership allows congregations to increase revenue while preserving the property.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref>
Geographical distribution
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With the exception of Saudi Arabia and the Maldives, all sovereign states and dependent territories worldwide have church buildings.<ref name="Kurian 2015 187–188">Template:Cite book</ref> Among countries with a church, Afghanistan has the fewest churches globally, featuring only one official church: the Our Lady of Divine Providence Chapel in Kabul.<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Somalia follows closely, having once housed the Mogadishu Cathedral,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> along with the Saint Anthony of Padua Church in Somaliland.<ref>Somaliland's only Catholic church closed days after re-opening due to 'public pressures 'Template:Webarchive</ref> Other countries with a limited number of churches include Bhutan and Western Sahara.Template:Refn
In contrast, some estimates suggest that the United States has the highest number of churches in the world, with around 380,000,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> followed by Brazil and Italy.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> According to the Future for Religious Heritage, there are over 500,000 churches across Europe.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Several cities are commonly known as the "City of Churches" due to their abundance of churches. These cities include Adelaide,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Ani,<ref>Template:Cite EB1911</ref> Ayacucho,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Kraków,<ref name="diecezja">Józef Szymon Wroński (2007), Kościoły Krakowa (The churches of Kraków). Archidiecezja Krakowska. Retrieved 23 December 2012. Template:In lang</ref> Moscow,<ref>Template:Cite journal</ref> Montreal,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Naples,<ref>Template:Cite news</ref> Ohrid,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Prague, Puebla, Querétaro, Rome,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Salzburg, and Vilnius.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> Notably, Rome and New York City are home to the highest number of churches of any city in the world.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
Although building churches is prohibited in Saudi Arabia, which has around 1.5 million Christians,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> the country contains the remnants of a historic church known as the Jubail Church, which dates back to the fourth century and was affiliated with the Church of the East.<ref name=":1">Template:Cite journal</ref> Discovered in 1986, the site was excavated by the Saudi Antiquities Department in 1987. As of 2008, the findings from this excavation had not been published, reflecting sensitivities regarding artifacts from non-Islamic religions.<ref name=":1" /> In the Maldives, which has approximately 1,400 Christians,<ref>Template:Cite book</ref> building churches is prohibited. However, only foreign Christian workers are allowed to practice their religion privately.<ref>Template:Citation</ref> Despite the prohibition on church construction, both countries have secret home churches.<ref name="Kurian 2015 187–188">Template:Cite book</ref>
Christianity is the world's largest and most widespread religion,<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> with over 2.3 billion followers.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Churches are found across all seven continents, which are Asia, Africa, North America, South America, Antarctica, Europe, and Oceania. Antarctica is home to eight churches,<ref>Riedel, Dr. Katja. Faith in Antarctica – Religion in the land of eternal snow. Polar News. April 27, 2016. Retrieved January 18, 2017.</ref> with two additional churches located south of the Antarctic Convergence.<ref>Merchant, Brian. Prayer on Ice: The Six Churches Giving Sermons to Scientists on Antarctica . Vice. March 18, 2013. Retrieves January 2, 2017.</ref>
Many churches worldwide are of considerable historical, national, cultural, and architectural significance, with several recognized as UNESCO World Heritage Sites.<ref name="Tsivolas 2014 3–4"/> According to the Catholic Encyclopedia the Cenacle (the site of the Last Supper) in Jerusalem was the "first Christian church".<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> The Dura-Europos church in Syria is the oldest surviving church building in the world.<ref>Template:Cite web</ref> Several authors have cited the Etchmiadzin Cathedral (Armenia's mother church) as the oldest cathedral in the world.<ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref><ref>Template:Cite book</ref>
See also
[edit]Notes
[edit]References
[edit]Bibliography
[edit]- Template:Cite book
- Template:Cite book
- Erlande-Brandenburg, Alain, Qu'est-ce qu'une église ?, Gallimard, Paris, 333 p., 2010.
- Gendry Mickael, L'église, un héritage de Rome, Essai sur les principes et méthodes de l'architecture chrétienne, Religions et Spiritualité, collection Beaux-Arts architecture religion, édition Harmattan 2009, 267 p.
External links
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- New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia – Ecclesiastical Buildings
- New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia – The Church
- Prairie Churches Documentary produced by Prairie Public Television
- Iowa Places of Worship Documentary produced by Iowa Public Television
- Template:CathEncy