the church built into the front of the Temple of Isis at Philae under Bishop Theodorus in the eighth century. Another is the later baptistery in the newly discovered central church of Makhurah al-Qibli on the Mediterranean coast (Grossmann, 1980, pp. 225ff., pl. 50b). Both instances, moreover, involve false ceilings closing off an area above. Finally, over the central area of the khurus in the old church of Dayr Anba Antuniyus, there is an interesting coffered ceiling curved as a barrel vault in an imitation of gypsum, where wide boards with a series of octagonal openings sawn in them have been inserted into the spaces between the beams (Grossmann, 1982, p. 50, pl. 59a).
Architectural Elements of Churches, Colonnade
By Peter Grossmann
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- Peter Grossmann
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- Claremont Coptic Encyclopedia
Bibliography
Adriani, A. "Nécropolis de l'île de Pharos." In Annuaire du Musée gréco-romain, Vol. 3, pp. 47-128. Alexandria, 1940-1950. Deichmann, F. W. "Untersuchungen zu Dach und Decke der Basilika." In Charites: Studien zur Altertumwissenschaft, ed. K. Schauenberg. Bonn, 1957. ______. "Kassettendecken." Jahrbuch der österreichischen Byzantinistik 21 (1972):83-107. Durm, J. Baukunst der Etrusker und Römer, pp. 244ff. Stuttgart, 1905. Gross, W. H. "Lacunar." Der kleine Paulys 3 (1975):441f. Grossmann, P. "Arbeiten in Mahura al-Qibli." Mitteilungen des Deutschen Archäologischen Instituts—Abteilung Kairo 36 (1980):225ff, pl. 50b. ______. Mittelalterliche Langhauskuppelkirchen und verwandte Typen in Oberägypten. Glückstadt, 1982. Wace, A. J. B. "Later Roman Pottery and Plate." Bulletin de la Société d'archéologie d'Alexandrie 37 (1948):50f., pl. 3. PETER GROSSMANN Colonnade A colonnade is a row of columns relatively closely spaced, usually in a straight line connected by an architrave or arches. It is a characteristic element of basilica construction. A colonnade is the same as a portico. Sequences of round columns alternating with square-sided pillars in a distinct rhythm do not count as colonnades. If a colonnade forms a connection between two parallel walls, the columns closest to the walls are generally treated as engaged columns or pillars, that is, attached to the respective walls. In the architecture of Egypt, however, classical arrangement was generally abandoned in the pharaonic period, and instead imposts were positioned high on the wall to carry the architrave or arches. In classical architecture down to the fourth century A.D., only uniform columns were normally used within a colonnade. A rare exception is formed by the courtyard porticoes of the Temple of Isis at Philae, belonging to the second century A.D., which in part contain different types of columns. From the fifth century A.D., probably as a result of the frequent use of elements stolen from earlier buildings, people began to accept columns of very different types into one colonnade. Down to the sixth century, however, care was taken in church building to place columns of different kinds together in matching pairs, a practice later abandoned (Deichmann, 1940, pp. 114-30). The introduction of the vault and especially of the dome (see below), divided the space beneath into individual bays, supported by widely separated columns. Thus as the character of a closed sequence was lost, the colonnade fell out of use. BIBLIOGRAPHY Deichmann, F. W. "Säule und Ordnung in der frühchristlichen Architektur." Mitteilungen des deutschen archäologischen Instituts—Römische Abteilung 55 (1940):114-30. Orlandos, A. K. Basilik». pp. 351-56. Athens, 1952. PETER GROSSMANN Column A column is a vertical architectural support that is circular in plan and slender in contrast to a pillar (see below), which is often rectangular and usually heavier. A column consists of two