Church

A building used for collective Christian worship, the performance of ceremonies, pilgrimages, and the veneration of relics. The earliest churches were hidden in caves and catacombs. With the official acceptance of Christianity in the 4th century, larger buildings were built specifically for communal worship. In the early Christian period, baptisteries, martyria, and covered cemeteries often remained separate on the side of the building. Although the usual form of churches has been the hall or axial plan, other forms have also been used: circular, polygonal, or cross-shaped. The plan and appearance of a church is determined by its liturgical and ceremonial functions and by other symbolic and spiritual considerations.

A building used for collective Christian worship, the performance of ceremonies, pilgrimages and the veneration of relics. The earliest churches were hidden in caves and catacombs but with the official acceptance of Christianity in the 4th century larger buildings, typically the basilican halls, were built specifically for communal worship. In the early Christian period, baptistries, martyria, and covered cemeteries often remained separate to one side of the building for worship. Although the usual form of churches has been the hall or axial plan, other forms have also been used: circular, polygonal or crossshaped. However, the plan and appearance of a church is not determined only by its liturgical and ceremonial functions, but by other symbolic and spiritual considerations. All the details and proportions in a medieval church are to some extent a material reflection of deeper spiritual and symbolic meanings.