CHAMBERS'S INFORMATION FOR THE PEOPLE. 



In it are mixed and amalgamated all ancient 

 styles, and from it all modern styles spring. It 

 thus forms the connecting link between ancient 

 and modern art. 



The engineering works of the Romans, such as 

 their aqueducts and bridges, are still objects of 

 admiration ; and their triumphal arches, pillars 

 of victory, and tombs, all deserve careful study. 



Of the domestic architecture of the Romans, 

 we have many wonderfully preserved specimens 

 in Herculaneum and Pompeii, shewing both the 

 arrangements and decorations of the dwellings of 

 all classes. Of the great palaces and villas, how- 

 ever, none remain, except the palace of Diocletian 

 at Spalatro in Dalmatia. 



At Pompeii the houses are all one story high, 

 and have gardens attached to them. The portions 

 adjoining the streets are let off as shops, and the 

 house proper is lit from the interior by courts. 



We shall now proceed to trace the various 

 styles of art which were developed from the new 

 features (the arch and vaulting) introduced by the 

 Romans. Their vaulting was of two kinds 

 namely, the plain semicircular, or barrel or tunnel 

 vault, and the dome. 



The former was the form of vaulting adopted 

 in the west of Europe, and gave rise to all the 

 varieties of the Gothic architecture ; the latter was 

 exclusively adopted in Byzantium and the East, 

 and gave rise to the variety of style called 

 Byzantine. 



When Constantine gave the Christians liberty 

 to assemble and worship, they had no style of 

 buildings set apart for this purpose, but found the 

 basilicas well adapted to their requirements, and 

 used them as their churches. 



The basilica was the hall of justice, and was also 

 a place of assembly. It had two or more rows of 



Fig. 23. Section of Trajan's Basilica, Rome. 



columns running along the interior, to carry the 

 roof, and at the end opposite the door was the 

 .apse, or circular recess in which was placed the 

 judge's seat. In these large halls the congrega- 

 tions could assemble, and the judge's seat naturally 

 became that of the bishop. 



The altar in front, used in earlier times for 

 libations, now served for the Christian rites. This 

 part came in course of time to be railed in for the 

 use of the clergy, and called the bema ; and an 

 inclosed space, called the choir, was set apart in 

 the centre of the nave, with ambones, or pulpits, 

 erected on each side, for the reading of the 

 gospel, &c. 



The bodies of saints were frequently buried in 

 a confessional under the choir. The church of 



472 



San Clemente, at Rome, retains all these arrange- 

 ments almost unaltered till the present day. Many 

 large basilicas still exist in Rome, and there are 

 some fine examples also at Ravenna. 



In erecting their early churches, the Chris- 

 tians not only adopted the plans and mode 

 of construction of the Romans, but used the 

 actual materials of their buildings which had 

 been destroyed by the barbarians. Where such 

 materials were abundant, as in Rome and Central 

 Italy, the early Christian architecture closely 

 resembled the Roman. In more remote districts, 

 materials had to be found, and the designs worked 

 out anew. Roman ornament thus gradually 

 dropped out of use, and in each country new 

 forms came to be invented. Between these ex- 

 tremes there are also instances, as in Lombardy 

 and the south of France, where the Roman influ- 

 ence was strong, and continued to affect the 

 architecture of these provinces for longer periods 

 than in the more distant countries of the north. 

 This produced what is called ' Romanesque 

 Architecture,' and forms a transition from the 

 Roman to the new style which arose out of it 

 about the tenth century, called 



GOTHIC ARCHITECTURE. 



In the new style, it will be found that the 

 vaulting regulates everything. The early Lom- 

 bard and Rhenish architects seemed to be re- 

 solved to have their churches made fire-proof, and 

 they therefore tried all they could to vault them 

 with stone. The section on next page (fig. 24) shews 

 the form of the wooden-roofed basilica. The cen- 

 tral nave, resting on pillars and arches, is carried 

 higher than the side-aisles and galleries, so as 

 to admit of windows in the upper part of the 

 nave walls. This row of windows is 

 called the clerestory. The early Chris- 

 tian architects, following the Roman 

 examples, had no difficulty in vault- 

 ing the side-aisles with semicircular 

 arches intersecting at right angles ; 

 but the first vaults attempted over the 

 central nave were plain tunnel vaults. 

 It was found that these, besides being 

 gloomy, required very massive walls to 

 resist their thrust. An attempt was 

 then made to relieve this thrust by 

 transverse arches thrown across at in- 

 tervals under the tunnel vault, to act 

 as strengthening arches ; and but- 

 tresses, with a slight projection, were 

 applied externally to support these. 

 This was the first attempt to throw the weight 

 of the vault on single points ; and subse- 

 quently an effort was made to throw the whole 

 weight on these points (as in the intersecting 

 vaults of the side-aisles). This was first managed 

 by making each bay of the nave include two bays 

 of the side-aisles, so as to make the arches AB and 

 AC equal (fig. 25). 



But this was not satisfactory; and after many 

 expedients, it was found possible, by making the 

 arches AC and BD pointed, to vault the space with 

 intersecting arches of equal height, however much 

 the width CD should exceed the length aC and 

 dD. The use of the pointed arch was thus forced 

 upon the Gothic architects as a structural neces- 

 sity,, and it was found so convenient and flexible, 



