Editing Church (building) (section)

==Architecture==
{{main|Church architecture}}
[[File:Norwich Cathedral from Cloisters, Norfolk, UK - Diliff.jpg|thumb|upright|left|The view of the spire of [[Norwich Cathedral]] from the [[cloister]]s, in Norfolk, England]]
A common trait of the architecture of many churches is the shape of a [[Christian cross|cross]]<ref>{{cite book |last=Petit |first=John Louis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=dqIZAAAAYAAJ |title=Remarks on Church Architecture ... |date=1841 |publisher=J. Burns}}</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 [[vault (architecture)|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 (architecture)|crossing]].{{citation needed|date=January 2022}}

Another common feature of many Christian churches is the [[Orientation of churches|eastwards orientation]] of the front altar.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Institute for Sacred Architecture {{!}} Articles {{!}} Sacred Places: The Significance of the Church Building |url=http://www.sacredarchitecture.org/articles/sacred_places_the_significance_of_the_church_building/ |access-date=2017-08-16 |website=www.sacredarchitecture.org |archive-date=16 August 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170816233033/http://www.sacredarchitecture.org/articles/sacred_places_the_significance_of_the_church_building/ |url-status=live }}</ref> 
Often, the altar will not be oriented due east but toward the sunrise.{{clarify|date=July 2023}} 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>[https://books.google.com/books?id=sX8w667tblMC&dq=%22XI+Jahrh+fortgedauert%22&pg=PA12 Heinrich Otte, ''Handbuch der kirchlichen Kunst-Archäologie des deutschen Mittelalters'' (Leipzig 1868), p. 12]</ref>