In middle and late Byzantine churches, which usually have a very small apse, the choir is often provided with side conchas. The side walls may also contain passages to the pastophoria (two rooms flanking the choir). In other Eastern churches the choir is very rare. Among early Christian churches of Syria and Asia Minor it is found only in the basilica of Qalbluzy and in some centrally planned buildings such as those in Apamea and Amida (Diyarbakr). In Egypt the oldest examples derive from the eighth century—the subsidiary church of the Church of Saint Menas in Cairo, dedicated to Mar Bahnam (Grossmann, 1982, pp. 13ff.), and a building from Hilwan (Grossmann, p. 83, ill. 28). An example from Nubia is the basilica in tamit (Grossmann, pp. 16ff.).
Architectural Elements of Churches, Ciborium
By Peter Grossmann
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- Peter Grossmann
- Original
- Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia
Bibliography
Butler, H. C. Early Churches in Syria, 2nd ed. pp. 187ff. Amsterdam, 1969. Grossmann, P. Mittelalterliche Langhauskuppelkirchen und verwandte Typen in Oberägypten. Glückstadt, 1982. PETER GROSSMANN Ciborium A ciborium is a freestanding, columned structure, surmounted by a cupola or, less commonly, a pyramid, that protects and architecturally emphasizes an altar, tomb, or throne. It may be put up in the open or inside a building. The terms "ciborium" and "baldachin" are often used synonymously in English, but a baldachin was originally a fabric canopy hung over an altar or door and only later became an architectural term. Similarly tabernacle originally meant a tent covering the Hebrew ark of the covenant but later came to mean a small cubical structure housing the host in Roman Catholic churches. Since the New Kingdom, the throne of Egyptian rulers stood under a ciborium, as can be seen from many pictorial representations (Erman and Ranke, 1923, 1981, p. 67). Similarly, the imperial throne of Rome was covered by a ciborium. Also many pagan Roman altars had ciboria over them (Klauser, 1957, Vol. 3, pp. 77f.). In the Christian era the use of ciboria was widespread. They appear over the thrones of Western rulers (Corippus, 1836, pp. 191ff.) and bishops (Klauser, 1953, p. 18), altars, tombs, wells, and baptismal basins. In Egypt, remains of such ciboria in stone and wood have been found in several early Christian churches such as those in Abu Mina and Makhurah. All the older Cairo churches are furnished with altar ciboria of this kind, which confirms their use down to the present time. In those examples the cupola is usually of wood, and it has the form of a sail vault (see below), the underside of which is often richly painted. BIBLIOGRAPHY Alfoldi, A. "Insignien und Tracht der römischen Kaiser." Mitteilungen des deutschen archäologischen Instituts— Römische Abteilung 50 (1935):127-32. Butler, A. J. The Ancient Coptic Church of Egypt, Vol. 1, 2nd ed., p. 114; Vol. 2, pp. 28-35. London, 1970. Erman, A., and H. Ranke. Ägypten und ägyptisches Leben im Altertum. Tübingen, 1923; repr. 1981. Klauser, T. Der Ursprung der bischöflichen Insignien und Ehrenrechte, 2nd ed. Bonner Akademische Reden 1. Krefeld, 1953. ______. "Ciborium." In Reallexikon fur Antike und Christentum, Vol. 3, cols. 68-86. Stuttgart, 1957. Lantschoot, A. van. "Allocution de Timothée d'Alexandrie." Le Muséon 47 (1934):13-56. Orlandos, A. K. Basilik». pp. 471-80. Athens, 1952. Caharch 7 (1953):4-8. Wessel, K. "Ciborium." In Reallexikon zur byzantinischen Kunst, Vol. 1, cols. 1055-65. Stuttgart, 1966. PETER GROSSMANN