church

Table of Contents

Introduction References & Edit History Related Topics

Images & Videos

Medieval cathedral arranged on a cruciform plan

Figure 12: Ceiling design. (right) Simple, white paster ceiling, Christ Lutheran Church, Minneapolis, Minnesota, designed by Eliel and Eero Saarinen, 1950.

Church of San Giorgio Maggiore, Venice, by Andrea Palladio, 1566–1610.

The process of restoring and recasting cathedral bells

For Students

church summary

Read Next

Nativity facade of Sagrada Familia cathedral in Barcelona, Spain. Cathedral of La Sagrada Familia, designed by Antonio Guadi.

10 Iconic Churches in Spain

Milan Cathedral Against Sky During Sunset, Italy

19 Essential Italian Churches

Florence Baptistery of Saint John, Italy

9 Historic Buildings in Florence

Raphael (Raffaello Sanzio), 1483-1520. The vision of the prophet Ezekiel, 1518. Wood, 40 x 30 cm. Inv 174. Galleria Palatina, Palazzo Pitti, Florence, Italy

13 Artists Who Died Untimely Deaths

Church of Notre-Dame-du-Haut, Ronchamp, France, by Le Corbusier, 1950-55.

Celebrating Le Corbusier

Discover

Northern lights or Southern lights, also called Aurora Borealis. Luminous phenomenon of Earth's atmosphere. (magnetism; luminous atmospheric display)

What Causes the Northern and Southern Lights?

The Battle of New Orleans, by E. Percy Moran, c. 1910. Andrew Jackson, War of 1812.

26 Decade-Defining Events in U.S. History

Young boys working in a thread spinning mill in Macon, Georgia, 1909. Boys are so small they have to climb onto the spinning frame to reach and fix broken threads and put back empty bobbins. Child labor. Industrial revolution

The Rise of the Machines: Pros and Cons of the Industrial Revolution

Vincent Van Gogh, Self Portrait. Oil on canvas, 1887.

Rediscovered Artists: 6 Big Names That Time Almost Forgot

An ancient egyptian hieroglyphic painted carving showing the falcon headed god Horus seated on a throne and holding a golden fly whisk. Before him are the Pharoah Seti and the goddess Isis. Interior wall of the temple to Osiris at Abydos, Egypt.

11 Egyptian Gods and Goddesses

halloween, jack o lantern, pumpkin, gourd

Why Do We Carve Pumpkins at Halloween?

A Factory Interior, watercolor, pen and gray ink, graphite, and white goache on wove paper by unknown artist, c. 1871-91; in the Yale Center for British Art. Industrial Revolution England

Inventors and Inventions of the Industrial Revolution

church

architecture

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Oct 1, 2024 • Article History

Key People:: Andrea Palladio; Donato Bramante; Le Corbusier; Raphael; Gian Lorenzo Bernini

Related Topics:: crypt; chapel; nave; altarpiece; apse

See all related content →

News •

Boarding school ditches Catholicism to attract more pupils • Sep. 26, 2024, 11:05 PM ET (The Telegraph)

BJP backs Church in its land dispute with Waqf Board at Munambam • Sep. 25, 2024, 11:05 PM ET (The Hindu)

church, in architecture, a building designed for Christian worship. The earliest churches were based on the plan of the pagan Roman basilica (q.v.), or hall of justice. The plan generally included a nave (q.v.), or hall, with a flat timber roof, in which the crowd gathered; one or two side aisles flanking the nave and separated from it by a row of regularly spaced columns; a narthex (q.v.), or entrance vestibule at the west end, which was reserved for penitents and unbaptized believers; and an apse (q.v.) of either semicircular or rectangular design, located at the east end and reserved ...(100 of 646 words)

Access the full article

Help support true facts by becoming a member.