GREEK ARCHITECTURE. 



GREEK CHURCH. 



barbarian to which that practice and the employment of wide inter- 

 column* gave rue, namely, that of making a break in the entablature 

 above every column, and thereby destroying the continuous horizontal 

 line of that part of the order, and carrying the vertical one* up into it. 

 Another practice, not observed in any extant Greek building,* is that 

 of upercolumniation.orthe placing one order upon another, sometime* 

 even to the extent of three or more ; the diameter of the columns 

 decreasing, and of coune the width of the intercolumns increasing a* 

 they ascend. Inigo Jones's building called the Banqueting Huuxe, 

 at Whitehall, affords an example of supercoluinniation, together with 

 one of engaged column* and broken entablatures. 



Although the name itself would seem to show the contrary, Grecian 

 Architecture afford* no precedent for what is termed an Attic order, 

 that is, a series of dwarf pilantera crowned by a cornice ; and balus- 

 trades, also, are of modern invention. [ ATTIC. J The only thing of 

 the kind in ancient example*, and that of exceedingly rare occurrence, 

 U a low and plain unbroken podium, or parapet; that is, without 

 pilasters or other projections, above the cornice of a building. Far 

 from attempting to conceal the roofs of their temples, the Greeks not 

 only made them very conspicuous in the outline of the pediments, but 

 bestowed much decoration on them, ornamenting the ridges and tiles, 

 and placing a series of antrfjctr, or enriched front tiles, above tli << >j - 

 nice along the sides of the building. This species of embellishment 

 has been adopted in the church of St Pancnw, which structure also 

 affords correct specimens of Grecian doors and windows. The latter, 

 which are copied from those of the Temple of Minerva Putins, forming 

 the western portion of the Erechtheium, are almost the sole extant 

 type in Grecian architecture for such apertures. They are surrounded 

 by a moulded architrave, and the jambs incline towards each other, so 

 that the aperture of the window is somewhat narrower at the top than 

 at bottom. This peculiarity may have arisen from the difficulty of 

 procuring single stones for the lintel or upper architrave wide enough 

 to extend over an aperture equal to the sill of the window ; yet it may 

 also have been adopted entirely as a matter of taste, with the vi<-w of 

 both producing a contrast between the sloping outline of the windows, 

 and the vertical lines of the walls and antx ; and an accordance with 

 the tapering form of the columns. What serves to countenance this 

 last idea is, that we find the same principle observed here as in the 

 column itself, namely, that of restoring at the summit what had been 

 lost by diminution upwards ; for as the capital spreads out as wide as 

 the base of the column, so is the upper horizontal lintel made as wide 

 as the sill of the window, by means of a break towards the top of the 

 side architraves (technically called a knee), so that the architrave 

 expands there to the width of the sill. 



The doorways of Grecian temples were made lofty and spacious, not 

 only for the sake of rendering them important architectural features, 

 but also because the light was admitted into the cella, or interior fane, 

 usually of small dimensions compared with the general structure, 

 through the entrance. The doorway is often inclined inwards, or con- 

 tracted at the top ; it has also a peculiar lintel or top-stone, with 

 moulding running round it and meeting the ends of the architraves, 

 and forming two elbows, thus : 



' Greek lintel head, showing the manner In which the architrave moulding is 

 formed round it. 



The mouldings of the architraves are delicately formed, and deco- 

 rated with ornament*, and a frieze and cornice supported on consoles 

 are sometimes added. The decorations of the Erechtheium doorway 

 an very rich, but the size of our cut precludes the possibility of giving 

 them. This doorway is copied in the central doorway of St. Panel-as 

 Church. There was never more than one doorway within the portico 

 or pronaos of a Greek temple. We have no example of the form and 

 construction of a Greek door. 



GREEK ARCHITECTURE. 



GREEK CHURCH. The Greek or Eastern Church is that part of 

 Christendom which, founded, as is said, by St. Mark in Alexandria, 

 about A.D. 60, separated from the Roman or Western Church in the 

 I'tb century. Even previously to that epoch there were several dis- 

 sensions between the patriarchs of Constantinople and the po|x of 

 Rome, who claimed a supremacy overall the churches of Christendom; 

 but the decided breach between the two churches dates from the year 

 862, under the patriarch Photius. The extension of the Greek Church 

 by the conversion of the Bulgarians and some other Sclavonian nations 

 excited the jealousy of the popes, who, moreover, having found a new 

 support in the establiahment of the Franko-Roman empire, began to 

 act with more boldness against the emperors of Constantinople. 



Tb tempi* of Athnu Aln, at Teg*., built about 8, .< by Soopu, 

 had, in the Interior, > Corinthian (,t*^ K <;*<) imposed upon * Doric order. 

 The exterior columns were Ionic. (ru>an., ' Arcad.,' e. 41.) In this passage 

 the word xiriat (konnos) correspond* to the modem word Order. 



I'hotiu* reproached the Western Church with the wanton addition of 

 the word " Filioque " ("and the son ") to the words " I believe in the 

 Holy Ghost, the Lord and giver of life, who proceedeth from the 

 Father," contained in the Nicene creed, and which he declared to be 

 an antiacriptural doctrine. He reproached them, alto, with having 

 introduced several innovations unknown to the primitive Christian 

 Church ; as, for instance, the celibacy of priests, the repetition of the 

 anointment, with the chrisma (confirmation), and the fastinga'on Satur- 

 days ; but he particularly inveighed against the assumption of the 

 Roman bishops in considering themselves as the head of all Christen- 

 dom, and treating the Greek patriarchs as subordinate to them. Tin- 

 final separation, however, of the Eastern from the Western Church did 

 not take place till 1054, under the patriarch Michael Cerularius, who, 

 in addition to the matters aUeged by Photius, attacked the Latii 

 using unleavened bread at the communion, and for the profligacy of 

 then: clergy, &c., for which he was excommunicated by Pope Le. . IX. 

 The attempts at uniting the two churches, which were made either by 

 the popes, in order to extend their dominion over the East, or by the 

 emperors of Constantinople, who, being pressed by the Mohammedans, 

 sought assistance from the Western powers, generally failed through 

 the pride and interested motives of the leaders of both the parties. 

 While Roman Catholicism was gradually developing itself under 

 Gregorius VII. and his followers, as well as by the aid of the scholastic 

 philosophy, the Greek Church remained. stationary in it* organisation as 

 well as in its rules of doctrine, as hud down, 730, by John I hunascenus. 



The capture of Constantinople by the Latins in 1204, and the 

 oppression of the Greeks during their sway, were calculated to \\ -iilcu 

 the breach between the two churches. Michael II. Palmologos, who 

 expelled the Latins from Constantinople in 1261, was inclined to effect 

 a union with Rome ; and his ambassador, with some Greek clergymen 

 devoted to him, acknowledged the supremacy of the pope at the council 

 of Lyon (1274), and to confirm this acknowledgment, a synod was con- 

 voked at Constantinople in 1277. But the bulk of the Greek Church 

 being opposed to the measure, and the Pope Martin VI. having excom- 

 municated the Emperor Michael, from political motives (1281), the 

 separation from the Church of Rome was solemnly confirmed by the 

 synods of Constantinople held in 1283 and 1285. The last attempt at 

 uniting the two churches was made by the Emperor John VII. 

 Palscologos, who, being driven to extremity by the Turks, came to 

 Italy, and, at the council of Florence, in 1 438, acknowledged the supre- 

 macy of the pope. The union was however not accepted either by the 

 Greek clergy or by the people; but the constant efforts of Rome to 

 attain this great object resulted in bringing to her many Greek 

 churches in various parts of the world, and particularly in Hungary 

 and Poland. 



The Greek Church, like the Roman Catholic, acknowledges a double 

 foundation of faith the Bible, and tradition. Under this latter appel- 

 lation it comprehends such doctrines as are supposed to have been 

 verbally taught by the apostles, and which were confirmed by the 

 Greek fathers of the Church, and by John Damaacenus, as well as by 

 the first seven (Ecumenic councils of the Church (the 1st and 2nd of 

 Nictca, the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of Constantinople, and those of Ephesus 

 and Chalcedon). It forbids the patriarch and the synods to inti 

 any new dogma, but considers a full belief in those already established 

 as indispensable to salvation. It maintains that the Holy Ghost pro- 

 coeds only from the Father, differing in that point from the Roman 

 Catholic church, as weU as from all Protestant churches, which admit 

 the proceeding of the Holy Ghost from the Father and the Son 

 (" Filioque "). Like the Roman Catholic church, it admits seven 

 sacraments : baptism ; the chrisma ; the communion, preceded by 

 auricular confession ; penitence ; priesthood ; matrimony ; and extreme 

 unction. But it differs from the Western church in the following 

 pouits : 1. That baptism, in order entirely to remove original sin, 

 should be performed by immersion of the body three times in water ; 



kinds, which is administered with leavened bread ; and the wine, which 

 is mixed with water, is not given from the cup as among the Pro- 

 testants, but put by the priest with a small spoon into the mouth of 

 the communicant. 3. It requires from the secular clergy, as a neces- 

 sary condition fgr receiving ordination, marriage with a virgin : 

 priest who IOROH his wife cannot marry again, nor can a person be 

 ordained priest who has been married more .than once, or who has 

 married a widow. It allows laymen to contract marriage only three 

 times, and is very strict in regard to degrees of consanguinity ; and it 

 also establishes, in addition to the connection by blood, a spiritual 

 affinity between sponsor and god-child. 4. It admits no purgatory. 

 Besides the above-mentioned important points, the Greek differs from 

 tlic Itonian Church in several other matters of small moment. Thus, 

 for instance, it allows the anointing of the body with the chrisma, not 

 only to persons threatened with death, but to all sick persons as a 

 mean* for restoring their health and obtaining the pardon of their sins. 

 Although it admits no purgatory, it is customary with many of its 

 followers to give the deceased a written testimony from the priest of 

 hi* religious conduct, in order thereby to facilitate his entrance into 

 paradise. This, however, is evidently a custom transmitted from the 

 ancient Greeks, and it must be considered as a practice rather connived 



