Architectural Elements of Churches, Atrium

By Peter Grossmann

Topics: Church Architecture
Author: Peter Grossmann
Original: Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia

moved forward nearer the nave, the altar was sometimes moved to the back of the apse.

Generally the apse is only slightly narrower than the nave. Churches in Egypt, more than in other Roman provinces, made great efforts to decorate the apse richly. The arch at the entrance received particular attention (see "triumphal arch" below). In several churches of the fifth and sixth centuries, columns were introduced as abutments to the arch and adorned with the finest capitals. From the ninth century, the arch was often decorated with an archivolt (ornamental molding). In a large number of churches the curved wall of the apse was provided with a ring of engaged columns, sometimes in two tiers, as in the churches of dayr anba shinudah and dayr anba bishoi at Suhaj. Often the apses also contained a ring of niches. At Dayr Anba Shinudah rectangular and semicircular niches alternate in the horizontal and vertical planes. In the church of dayr abu fanah at Mallawi, shallow niches alternate with deep ones. In the church in front of the pylon of the Luxor temple, at least one niche, flanked by columns, reaches from the apex of the apse to the floor.

As a rule, the greatest care was applied to the formation of the semidomed area above the apse. In several churches at Abu Mina, numerous discoveries of small mosaic tiles point to the existence at one time of an apse mosaic. In the Upper Egyptian churches the half-dome was usually adorned with paintings.

Bibliography

Monneret de Villard, U. "La basilica cristiana in Egitto." Atti del IV congresso internazionale di archeologia cristiana, Vol. 1, pp. 308-315. Rome, 1940. Orlandos, A. K. Basilik», pp. 206-224. Athens, 1952. PETER GROSSMANN Atrium An atrium is an approximately square courtyard surrounded on four or at least three sides by porticoes. It was the chief interior court of a Roman house, as a peristyle was in a Greek house. An atrium served as an entrance court in many early Christian churches and continued in use in the West until about 1000, although it was seldom used in Egypt. The atrium lies in front of the western end of the church and usually matches it in width. A well (kantharos) was often built in the center to be used for the ritual washings, particularly of the hands, that were customary there, at least in the early period. In addition, the porticoes offered protection from the rain and sun. Members of the congregation repenting of grievous sins were restricted to the atrium. No rules governed the formation of the porticoes. Normally they were the same on all four sides, although Basilica A of Nea Anchialus has one curved portico (Soteriou, 1931, pp. 36-39). Sometimes the east portico, fronting on the church, has a more elaborate elevation or a different arrangement of columns because it forms part of the church facade. In such instances the church often has no proper narthex (see below) because its function as an entrance is served by the east portico. Conversely, sometimes if the church has a narthex, there is no east portico. Hagia Sophia in Constantinople has both a narthex and a distinctive east portico (Stube, 1973, pp. 33-39). It is surprising that few Egyptian churches had atria, since similar courts were common in pharaonic temples, such as those in Luxor, MADINAT HABU, and IDFU, and there was no hesitation about adapting temple structure to church architecture. The only church atria so far known in Egypt are in the East Church and the North Basilica in ABU MINA, buildings that are to be ranked with imperial architecture rather than local building. These atria have porticoes on three or four sides. Synesius (1612, epistle 121, p. 258B) mentions some further examples. Otherwise only the great church of al-ASHMUNAYN (Hermopolis Magna) presents an atrium, but it has a form very much of its own. Instead of conforming with the axis of the church, it is divided into four sections, like a garden, by two-sided open porticoes. Evidently Egyptians preferred courts of optional form and plan that were only generally coordinated with the church. Examples are several churches in ANSINA and ANTINOOPOLIS (Mitchell, 1982, pp. 171-79). Presumably the great central court in the pilgrim center of ABU MINA had a similar significance. BIBLIOGRAPHY Binding, G. "Atrium." In Lexikon des Mittelalters, Vol. 1, pp. 1175-76. Munich and Zurich, 1980. Brightman, F. E., ed. Liturgies, Eastern and Western. Oxford, 1896. Delvoye, C. "Atrium." In Reallexikon für Antike und Christentum, Vol. 1, pp. 421-40. Stuttgart, 1966. Mitchell, E. "Osservazioni: topografiche preliminari sull' impiarto urbanistico di Antinoe." Vicino Oriente 5 (1982):171-79. Orlandos, A. K. Basilik», pp. 94-110. Athens, 1952. Paulinus of Nola. La Correspondance de Saint Paulin de Nole et de Sulpice Sévèere. Paris, 1906. Strube, C. Die westliche Eingangsseite der Kirchen von Konstantinopel in justinianischer Zeit. Wiesbaden, 1973. PETER GROSSMANN Baptistery A baptistery is a part of a church or a separate church building used for the sacrament of BAPTISM. It contains a basin, pool, or font for water. The basic problem in analyzing Egyptian baptisteries is to establish their date. The fact that many are in churches of an earlier date or underwent several stages of alteration does not mean that baptistery and church evolved simultaneously. This article will consider baptisteries unveiled during archaeological investigations; although medieval ones, reflecting changes in the baptismal ceremony, should also be studied. Some rooms thought to be baptisteries by some scholars—in churches at DANDARAH, KHIRBAT AL-FILUSIYYAH, and OXYRHYNCHUS—are not discussed here because their function has not been confirmed by archaeology or furnishings. Baptisteries dated from the fifth to the ninth century occur throughout Egypt. The largest group is in the Western Delta and the