Church Architecture

Palma Cathedral in Mallorca, Spain
1229-1601 Architecture

The Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, more commonly referred to as La Seu, is a Gothic Roman Catholic cathedral located in Palma, Mallorca, Spain, built on the site of a pre-existing Arab mosque.

Designed in the Catalan Gothic style but with Northern European influences, it was begun by King James I of Aragon in 1229 and finished in 1601.

Pantheon
Architect: Apollodorus of Damascus (Trajan's architect)
114 Architecture

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The Pantheon in the city of Rome is an Ancient Roman temple that was repurposed as a Catholic Church in the 7th century. The church was dedicated to “St. Mary and the Martyrs” and is commonly known as the “Santa Maria Rotonda.” The original temple was constructed as early as the reign of Roman Emperor Augustus but was rebuilt several times, first by Trajan and finally completed by Hadrian in the year 126 A.D. The main building is famous because it has an opening at the top of its massive dome.

Papal Basilica of Saint Peter in the Vatican
Architect: Donato Bramante, Carlo Maderno
1506 - 1626 Architecture

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St. Peter's Basilica is a church of the Italian High Renaissance located in Vatican City, an independent microstate enclaved within the city of Rome, Italy. It was initially planned in the 15th century by Pope Nicholas V and then Pope Julius II to replace the ageing Old St. Peter's Basilica, which was built in the fourth century by Roman emperor Constantine the Great.

St. Peter's is famous as a place of pilgrimage and for its liturgical functions. The pope presides at a number of liturgies throughout the year both within the basilica or the adjoining St. Peter's Square; these liturgies draw audiences numbering from 15,000 to over 80,000 people. St. Peter's has many historical associations, with the early Christian Church, the Papacy, the Protestant Reformation and Catholic Counter-Reformation and numerous artists, especially Michelangelo. As a work of architecture, it is regarded as the greatest building of its age. St. Peter's is one of the four churches in the world that hold the rank of Major papal basilica, all four of which are in Rome, and is also one of the Seven Pilgrim Churches of Rome.

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When we think of Christian architecture, we may picture towering cathedrals with intricate stained-glass windows, but the roots of this style are much more humble. The earliest Christian structures were not grand, but rather simple house churches. As Christianity grew, its places of worship grew in size and intricacy.

The transition from early Christian to medieval architecture paralelled societal and religious changes. The Romanesque style, characterized by its rounded arches and massive walls, was followed by the Gothic style with its pointed archs, ribbed vaults, and flying buttresses.

Christian architecture has created some of the world’s most iconic structures. These buildings all share a common thread: they are physical manifestations of the Christian faith.

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