240 



AHCHITECTURE. 



not :it the conirrs, and used horizontal nuitiilrs, or 

 intrcxluced foreign ornaments in tlieir stead. The 

 theatre of Marc'ellus lias examples of tin- Roman 

 Doric. The Romans diminished the M/.e of the vo- 

 lutcs in the Ionic order. They also introduced a 

 kind of Ionic capital, in which then' were four pairs 

 of diagonal volutes, instead of two i>airs of parallel 



-. This they usually added to parts of some 



oilier capital ; but, at the present day, it is often used 

 alone, under the name of modern Ionic. The Com- 

 posite order was made by the Romans out of the 

 Corinthian, simply by combining its capital with that 

 of the diagonal, or modern Ionic. Its best example is 

 found in the arch of Titus (see Plate VI.) The favour- 

 ite order, however, in Rome and its colonies, was the 

 Corinthian, and it is this onler which prevails among 

 the ruins, not only of Rome, but of Nismes, Pola, Pal- 

 myra and Balbec. The temples of the Romans some- 

 times resembled those of the Greeks, but often differ- 

 ed from them. The Pantheon, which is the most 

 perfectly preserved temple of the Augustan age, is a 

 circular building, lighted only from an aperture in the 

 dome, and having a Corinthian portico in front. The 

 amphitheatre differed from the theatre, in being a 

 completely circular, or rather elliptical building, filled 

 on all sides with ascending seats for spectators, and 

 leaving only the central space, called the arena, for 

 the combatants and public shows. The Coliseum is 

 a stupendous structure of this kind. The aqueducts 

 were stone canals, supported on massive arcades, and 

 conveying large streams of water, for the supply of 

 cities. The triumphal arches were commonly solid, 

 oblong structures, ornamented with sculptures, and 

 open with lofty arches for passengers below. The 

 basilica of the Romans was a hall ot justice, used also 

 as an exchange, or place of meeting for merchants. 

 Jt was lined on the inside with colonnades of two 

 stories, or with two tiers of columns, one over the 

 other. The earliest Christian churches at Rome were 

 sometimes called basilica, from their possessing an 

 internal colonnade. The monumental pillars were 

 towers in the shape of a column on a pedestal, bear- 

 ing a statue on the summit, which was approached 

 by a spiral staircase within. Sometimes, however, 

 the column was solid. The thermce, or baths, were 

 vast structures in which multitudes of people could 

 bathe at once. They were supplied with warm and 

 cold water, and fitted up with numerous rooms for 

 purposes of .exercise and recreation. In several par- 

 ticulars, the Roman copies differed from the Greek 

 models on which they were founded. The stylobate 

 or substructure, among the Greeks, was usually a plain 

 succession of platforms, constituting an equal access 

 of steps to all sides of the building. Among the Ro- 

 mans, it became an elevated structure, like a con- 

 tinued pedestal, accessible by steps only at one end. 

 The spiral curve of the Greeks was exchanged for 

 the geometrical circular arc, as exemplified in the 

 substitution of the ovolo for the echinus in the Doric 

 capital. The changes in the orders have been already 

 mentioned. After the period of Adrian, Roman ar- 

 chitecture is considered to have been on the decline. 

 Among the marks of a deteriorated style, introduced 

 in the later periods, were columns with pedestals, 

 columns supporting arches, convex friezes, entabla- 

 tures squared so as to represent the continuation of the 

 columns, pedestals for statues projecting from the 

 sides of columns, niches covered with little pedi- 

 ments, &c. V. Greco- Gothic style. After the dis- 

 memberment of the Roman empire, the arts degener- 

 ated so far, that a custom became prevalent of' erect- 

 ing new buildings with the fragments of old ones, 

 which were dilapidated and torn down for the pur- 

 pose. This gave rise to an irregular style of building, 

 which continued to be imitated, especially in Italy, 



during the dark ages. It consisted of Grecian and 

 lioman details, c. unbilled under new forms, and piled 

 up into structures wholly unlike the antique originals. 

 Hence the names Greco-Gothic and RomofMMM ar- 

 chitecture have been given to it. It frequently con- 

 tained arches upon columns, forming successive ar- 

 cades, which were accumulated above each other to 

 a great height The effect was sometimes imposing. 

 The cathedral (see Plate VII.) and leaning tower, 

 at Pisa, and the church of St Mark, at Venice, are 

 cited as the best specimens of this slyle. The Saxon 

 architecture, used anciently in England, has some 

 things in common with this style. Two examples of 

 this will be found in the doorways given in Plate 

 VII. VI. Saracenic, or Moorish style. The edi- 

 fices erected by the Moors and Saracens in Spain, 

 Egypt, and Turkey are distinguished, among other 

 things, by a peculiar form of the arch. This is a 

 curve, constituting more than half of a circle or 

 ellipse. This construction of the arch is unphilo- 

 sophical, and comparatively insecure. A similar 

 peculiarity exists in the domes of the Oriental 

 mosques, which are sometimes large segments of 

 a sphere, appearing as if inflated, and, at other 

 times, concavo-convex in their outline, as in the 

 mosque of Achmet. The minaret is a tall, slender 

 tower, peculiar to Turkish architecture. A pecu- 

 liar flowery decoration, called arabesque, is common 

 in the Moorish buildings of Europe and Africa. 

 Some distinguish the Araoian style, formed after the 

 Greek, and the Moorish, formed after the remains of 

 the Roman buildings in Spain, which seems a _ 

 division. With regard to the latter, nobody caiT 

 hold the remains of the Moorish buildings at Grenac 

 Seville, and Cordova, without admiration. (See Plat 

 VII.) The Arabian style is particularly distinguish) 

 by light decorations and splendour. VII. Gothic stylt 

 By this style is generally understood what is strictly 

 called the modern Gothic, which flourished after tl 

 destruction of the Gothic kingdom by the Arabians ai 

 Moors. The old Gothic style, which probably orij 

 nated under Theodoric, king of the Ostrogoths, durin 

 whose reign in Italy the Romans, with little sense 

 beauty, imitated the ancient Roman style, is 

 and heavy. The style now called Gothic exhibits ; 

 wonderful grandeur and splendour, and, at the 

 time, the most accurate execution ; yet it is only ir 

 modern times that its great master-pieces, as 

 minster of Strasburg, the cathedral of Cologne, 

 minster at York, &c., have begun to be justly aj 

 predated. (See Plate VII.) Very great attentit 

 is, at present, paid to the study of this style. It 

 principle seems to have originated in the imit 

 of groves and bowers, under which the Druids per- 

 formed their sacred rites. Its striking characteris 

 are, its pointed arches, its pinnacles and spires, it 

 large buttresses, clustered pillars, vaulted roofs, pro 

 fusion of ornaments, the general predominance of tli 

 perpendicular over the horizontal, and, in the wholt 

 its lofty, bold spirit. As the common place for the 

 display of Gothic architecture has been in ecclesiasti- 

 cal edifices, it is necessary to understand the usual 

 plan and construction of these buildings. A church 

 or cathedral, is commonly built in the form of a 

 cross, having a tower, lantern, or spire, erected 

 at the place of intersection. The part, of the cross 

 situated toward the west, is called the nave. The 

 opposite, or eastern part, is called the choir, and within 

 this is the chancel. The transverse portion, form- 

 ing the arms of the cross, is called the transept. Any 

 high building erected above the roof is called a 

 steeple ; if square-topped, it is a tower ; if long an>! 

 acute, a spire; and, if short and light, a lantern. 

 Towers of great height in proportion to their diameter 

 are called turrets. The walls of Gothic churches are 



