A church is a building used for prayer, worship, or other public religious services, usually referring specifically to those for Christian worship. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland In Architecture, Construction, Engineering and real estate development the word building may refer to one of the following Any man-made Prayer is the act of attempting to communicate with a Deity or spirit This article refers to the religious act For the album by Michael W A religion is a set of Tenets and practices often centered upon specific Supernatural and moral claims about Reality, the Cosmos Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings
Contents |
History
Early development
The first Christians were, like Jesus, Jews resident in Israel who worshiped on occasion in the Temple in Jerusalem and weekly in local synagogues. Early Christianity is commonly defined as the Christianity of the three centuries between the Crucifixion of Jesus ( c Jesus of Nazareth (7–2 BC / BCE —26–36 AD / CE) Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut The history of Ancient Israel and Judah is known to us from classical sources including Judaism 's Tanakh or Hebrew Bible (known The Second Temple (בית המקדש romanized 'Beit HaMikdash' meaning 'Holy House' was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem which stood between 516 BCE and 70 CE A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of Temple worship was a ritual involving sacrifice, occasionally including the sacrifice of animals in atonement for sin, offered to Yahweh until Jesus became the final sacrificial offering on Calvary. Sacrifice (from a Middle English verb meaning "to make sacred" from Old French, from Latin sacrificium: sacr, "sacred" Korban ( Hebrew: "sacrifice" קרבן (plural Korbanot קרבנות in Judaism, is the term for a variety of sacrificial offerings Sin is a term used mainly in a religious context to describe an act that violates a moral Rule, or the state of having committed such a violation For information about Yahweh see God in Abrahamic religions, which provides useful links "Golgotha" redirects here For other uses see Golgotha (disambiguation. The New Testament includes many references to Jesus visiting the Temple, the first time as an infant with his parents.
The early history of the synagogue is obscure, but it seems to be an institution developed for public Jewish worship during the Babylonian captivity when the Jews did not have access to the Jerusalem Temple for ritual sacrifice. The Babylonian captivity, Babylonian exile, is the name typically given to the deportation and exile of the Jews of the ancient Kingdom of Judah to Etymology The Hebrew name given in Scripture for the building is Beit HaMikdash or "The Holy House" and only the Temple in Jerusalem is referred to by this name Instead, they developed a daily and weekly service of readings from the Torah or the prophets followed by commentary. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to This could be carried out in a house if the attendance was small enough, and in many towns of the Diaspora that was the case. The Jewish diaspora ( Hebrew: Tefutzah, "scattered" or Galut גלות "exile" Yiddish: tfutses) the presence In others, more elaborate architectural settings developed, sometimes by converting a house and sometimes by converting a previously public building. The minimum requirements seem to have been a meeting room with adequate seating, a case for the Torah scrolls, and a raised platform for the reader and preacher.
Jesus himself participated in this sort of service as a reader and commentator (see Gospel of Luke 4: 16-24) and his followers probably remained worshipers in synagogues in some cities. The Gospel of Luke (Gk Κατά Λουκάν Ευαγγέλιον) is a synoptic Gospel, and is the third and longest of the four canonical Gospels of the However, following the destruction of the Temple in Jerusalem in 70, the new Christian movement and Judaism increasingly parted ways. Year 70 was a Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Julian calendar. The Church became overwhelmingly Gentile sometime in the 2nd century.
The Syrian city of Dura-Europos on the West bank of the Euphrates was an outpost town between the Roman and Parthian empires. Syria ( سوريّة or) officially the Syrian Arab Republic (Arabic ar الجمهورية العربية السورية Dura-Europos ("Fort Europos" was a Hellenistic, Parthian and Roman border City built on an Escarpment ninety meters above The Euphrates ( ( Arabic: ar نهر الفرات; Turkish: tr Fırat Syriac: syr ܦܪܬ; Hebrew: he פרת The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Parthia ( Middle Persian: اشکانیان Ashkâniân) was an Iranian civilization situated in the northeastern part of modern Iran During a siege by Parthian troops in A. D. 257 the buildings in the outermost blocks of the city grid were partially destroyed and filled with rubble to reinforce the city wall. Events By Place Roman Empire Valerian I recovers Antioch from Shapur. See also List of cities with defensive walls A defensive wall is a Fortification used to defend a city or settlement from potential aggressors Thus were preserved and securely dated the earliest decorated church and a synagogue decorated with extensive wall paintings. Both had been converted from earlier private buildings.
The church at Dura Europos has a special room dedicated for baptisms with a large baptismal font. A baptismal font is an article of church Furniture or a Fixture used for the Baptism of children and adults
Churches in medieval Europe
During the 11th through 14th centuries, a wave of building of cathedrals and smaller parish churches occurred across Western Europe. A Cathedral is a church, usually Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Eastern Orthodox, housing the seat of a Bishop. In addition to being a place of worship, the cathedral or parish church was used by the community in other ways. It could serve as a meeting place for guilds or a hall for banquets. A guild is an association of craftsmen in a particular trade The earliest guilds were formed as confraternities of workers A banquet is a large public meal or feast complete with main courses and desserts Mystery plays were sometimes performed in cathedrals, and cathedrals might also be used for fairs. Mystery plays and Miracle plays are among the earliest formally developed plays in Medieval Europe. A fair is a gathering of people to display or trade produce or other goods to parade or display animals and often to enjoy associated Carnival or Funfair entertainment The church could be used as a place to thresh and store grain. [1]
Architecture
A common architecture for churches is the shape of a cross (a long central rectangle, with side rectangles, and a rectangle in front for the altar space or sanctuary). Church architecture or ecclesiastical architecture refers to the Architecture of buildings of Christian churches The Christian cross is the best-known Religious symbol of Christianity. An altar is any structure upon which Sacrifices or other offerings are made for religious purposes or some other sacred place where ceremonies take place These churches also often have a dome or other large vaulted space in the interior to represent or draw attention to the heavens. A dome is a common structural element of Architecture that resembles the hollow upper half of a Sphere. A Vault (French voute Italian volta German Gewölbe Polish sklepienie, Spanish 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. Regular octagons A regular octagon is an octagon whose sides are all the same length and whose internal angles are all the same size Another common feature is the spire, a tall tower on the "west" end of the church or over the crossing. A spire is a tapering conical or pyramidal structure on the top of a building particularly a church Tower. A crossing, in ecclesiastical architecture, is the junction of the four arms of a Cruciform (cross-shaped church
Types of churches
Basilica
The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa), was originally used to describe a Roman public building (as in Greece, mainly a tribunal), usually located in the forum of a Roman town. The Latin word basilica (derived from Greek, Basiliké Stoà, Royal Stoa) was originally used to describe a Roman Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Basileios Stoa (also Basiliké Stoà or Royal Stoa) was a Stoa constructed in the 5th century BC. Stoa (plural stoae or stoæ) in Ancient Greek architecture; covered walkways or Porticos commonly for public usage Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC Greece (Ελλάδα transliterated: Elláda, historically, Ellás,) officially the Hellenic Republic (Ελληνική Δημοκρατία Tribunal is a generic term for any body acting judicially whether or not it is called a tribunal in its title The Forum was the public space in the middle of a Roman city It had a great social importance and was often the scene of diverse activities including political discussions
After the Roman Empire became officially Christian, the term came by extension to refer to a large and important church that has been given special ceremonial rites by the Pope. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Thus the word retains two senses today, one architectural and the other ecclesiastical.
Cathedral
A cathedral is a church, usually Roman Catholic, Anglican, or Eastern Orthodox, housing the seat of a bishop. Anglicanism is a tradition of Christian faith Churches in this tradition either have historical connections to the Church of England or have similar beliefs The Eastern Orthodox Church is the second largest single Christian Communion in the world A bishop is an ordained or consecrated member of the Christian clergy who is generally entrusted with a position of authority and oversight The word cathedral takes its name from the word cathedra, or Bishop's Throne (In Latin: ecclesia cathedralis). A cathedra ( Latin, "chair" from Greek, kathedra, "seat" is the Chair or Throne of a Bishop Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. The term is sometimes (improperly) used to refer to any church of great size.
The church that has the function of cathedral is not of necessity a large building. This article is about the history and organisation of the cathedral It might be as small as Christ Church Cathedral, Oxford or Chur Cathedral, Switzerland. Christ Church Cathedral is the Cathedral of the Diocese of Oxford, which includes the City of Oxford England, and the surrounding countryside as far Oxford is currently bidding for the 2010 Wikimania Conference Oxford () is a city, and the County town of Oxfordshire, CHUR may refer to CHUR-FM, a radio station in North Bay Ontario Canada Chur, is a city in Switzerland Switzerland (English pronunciation; Schweiz Swiss German: Schwyz or Schwiiz Suisse Svizzera Svizra officially the Swiss Confederation But frequently, the cathedral, along with some of the abbey churches, was the largest building in any region. This list of largest buildings in the world ranks Buildings from around the world by usable space ( Volume) and floor space ( Area)
Alternative buildings
Old and disused Church buildings can be seen as an interesting proposition for developers as the architecture and location often provide for attractive homes [2][3] or city centre entertainment venues[4] On the other hand, many newer Churches have decided to host meetings in public buildings such as schools[5], universities [6], cinemas [7] or theatres[8]. A school (from Greek σχολεῖον - scholeion) is an Institution designed to allow and encourage Students (or "pupils" A university is an institution of Higher education and Research, which grants Academic degrees in a variety of subjects Cinemaaustraliajpg|thumb|A movie theater in Australia ]]A movie theater, movie theatre, picture theatre or cinema is a venue Theatre (or theater, see spelling differences) is the branch of the Performing arts defined by Bernard Beckerman as what "occurs when one
There is another trend to convert old buildings for worship use rather than face the construction costs and planning difficulties of a new build. This article refers to the religious act For the album by Michael W Unusual venues in the UK include an old Tram power station [9], a former bus garage [10], an old cinema and bingo hall [11], a former Territorial Army Drill Hall, [12] a former synagogue [13] and a windmill. A tram, tramcar, trolley, trolley car, or streetcar is a railborne vehicle, of lighter weight and construction than a Train A bus garage or bus depot is a type of garage where Buses are stored The Territorial Army ( TA) is the principal and Volunteer reserve force of the British Army, the land armed forces branch of the United Kingdom A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of Reigate Heath Windmill (TQ 235 500) is a grade II* listed Post mill at Reigate Heath, Surrey, England which has been restored and
See also
References
Notes
- ^ Levy. From the Middle Ages until the advent of the Skyscraper, Christian churches have been among the tallest buildings. A "mosque" in English refers to all types of buildings dedicated for Islamic worship although there is a distinction in Arabic between the smaller privately owned mosque and the larger A place of worship or house of worship is a building or other location where a group of people (a congregation) comes to perform acts of religious praise honour Post-congregational narrative is a term used by followers of Christ ( Christians) to describe the experience of intentionally pursuing their faith outside the traditional congregational A temple (from the Latin word Templum) is a structure reserved for religious or spiritual activities such as prayer and sacrifice or analogous rites A synagogue (from Greek: grc συναγωγή transliterated synagogē, "assembly" he בית כנסת beit knesset, "house of A chapel is a holy place or area of Worship for Christians, which may be attached to an institution such as a large church, a College, a A parish is a Local church; it is an administrative unit typically found in episcopal or presbyterian churches House church (or " home church " is an informal term for an independent assembly of Christians intentionally gathering in a home or on other grounds This article concerns the buildings occupied by monastics. For the life inside monasteries and its historical roots see Monasticism. A stave church is a Medieval wooden church with a Post and beam construction related to Timber framing. A Pub Church is a Christian Church which meets in a Public house or similar establishment Cowboy Churches are local Christian Churches within the Cowboy culture that are distinctively western heritage in character Double Churches are buildings with two separated churches The main reason for this construction was a different rite in church service Cathedrals and the Church, p. 12.
- ^ Church conversions - Times Online
- ^ Buying a church conversion - OurProperty.co.uk
- ^ Pitcher and Piano - quality food and drink
- ^ The Family Church Christchurch:Welcome to the Family Church Christchurch Dorset
- ^ Welcome to The Hope Church, Manchester... A Newfrontiers Church based in Salford, Manchester UK, Manchester Churches, Churches Manchester, Newfrontiers Church Manchester, Manchester Newfrontiers Churches, Churches in Manchester, Salford Churches, Churches Salford, Newfrontiers Church Salford
- ^ Jubilee Church Enfield, London
- ^ Hillsong Church London
- ^ CITY CHURCH NEWCASTLE & GATESHEAD - enjoying God...making friends...changing lives - Welcome
- ^ Aylsham Community Church
- ^ Winchester Family Church
- ^ Shrewsbury Venue Shrewsbury - Barnabas Community Church Shrewsbury
- ^ http://www.citychurchsheffield.org.uk/jubileecentre.htm
Sources
- Levy, Patricia (2004). Cathedrals and the Church, Medieval World. North Mankato, MN: Smart Apple Media. ISBN 1-58340-572-0.
External links
- Church from the Catholic Encyclopedia
- [1] Archeologist discover first Church
"Ecclesiastical Buildings". The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia Catholic Encyclopedia. The Catholic Encyclopedia, also referred to today as the Old Catholic Encyclopedia, is an English-language Encyclopedia published by The Encyclopedia (1913). New York: Robert Appleton Company.
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