Early Christian Architecture: The Beginnings(A Review Article)

Abstract

Since the end of the Second World War, both in scholarship and in the practical affairs of churches, there has been a burgeoning interest in the material setting of early Christian worship. Scholarship on the subject is impressive, both in its scope and its quality. On the practical side, European Christians, both Protestants and Catholics, have been faced with the often daunting task of rebuilding their places of worship. At the same time, they have been at pains to recover the principles of early church planning and design. The themes that have emerged out of this search for the past have had a profound effect in shaping the attitudes of post-war European Christendom.