Relationship between Religious Architecture and Religious Tradition - Essay Example

Relationship between Religious Architecture and Religious Tradition Since time immemorial, as well as today, religious architecture is established with aesthetical minds as much as functionality. Religious architectural pieces are usually lined with showcasing of fine art painting both in their interior and exterior to represent beliefs. Just as religious beliefs have continued to be adopted and practiced throughout the ages, so have architectural designs for the various religious groupings. Hence, religious beliefs and religious architecture are at par, where the said architecture is designed to accommodate beliefs and practices of religious groups. This paper will provide more insight into this analogy through discussing four historical religious architectures: the Altar of Zeus, Egyptian pyramids, Suleymaniye Mosque and St. Peter’s Basilica. The Altar of Zeus was created by ancient Greeks, Egyptian pyramids were erected by ancient Egyptians, Suleymaniye Mosque was developed by Muslims and St. Peter’s Basilica was designed by Romans. The Altar of Zeus provides a good Hellenistic Greek sculpture example, which was built between 166 and 156 BCE. The altar is crafted with art and sculpture, which depicts narrations. The Gigantochamy frieze, which adorns the base of the altar, has at least 100 distinct panels that show combats between gods and giants. Here, one connects with the Greek legend where Zaas decided to abandon Gaia’s after the new gods (led by Zeus and in support by Zaas) defeated the old gods (led by Cronus). The East Frieze sculpture, on the other hand, constitutes significant Olympic gods such as Hecate, Artemis, Zeus, Athena and Ares. In the same way, the north, south and west frieze sculptures continue with sculptural and relief narrations of various Greek gods.1 The altar, also known as the Altar of Pergamon, stands at 115 feet in width and 110 feet in depth. The altar was accessible through a stairway, from the west, which led up to a roofed hall extending to the front and sides of the altar. This altar is very important to the people, who regard it highly and it’s highly respected. It has been in existence for quite a long time and many people have high regard for the altar. Due to this fact, the altar of Pergamon is well preserved and taken care of. Ancient Egyptian pyramids held similar themes in architectural designs. The pyramids were erected on the west bank of the River Nile. This was in accordance with Egypt’s religious doctrine which stated that the dead should rest where the sun sets.2 In addition, most pyramids were covered with limestone, which was meant to give them a shiny appearance from a distance. Despite the fact that the pyramids were designed as tombstones for prominent persons such as kings and queens, they were embalmed with religious material. Outstandingly, the pyramids were meant to purify bodies in wait for the afterlife. Within the pyramids were sculptures, paintings and carvings, which portrayed spirituality. In addition, there were illustrations upon the tomb walls, also known as the Book of the Dead, which were meant to guide the deceased in their atonement of sins in preparation for the afterlife. The pyramids also consisted of airways and tunnels, which served to prevent decomposition. The Suleymaniye Mosque was named after Sultan Suleyman who requested it to be built after the Sehzade Mosque was not deemed as satisfactory. Sinan had built the Sehzade Mosque to commemorate the death of Prince Mehmed who had died of smallpox. The Suleymaniye Mosque was completed in 1557 and was of remarkable interior space, height and intricate detail.3 The mosque consisted of four lengthy and thin minarets and a dome, which had a height of over 50 meters. Surrounding the mosque was a kulliye comprising of public baths, schools for teaching Quran, Hadith and primary school children, library, soup kitchen and a hospital. The public baths were situated near the entrance of the mosque since Muslims would take off their shoes before entering the mosque and would sometimes require cleaning their feet. The interior of the mosque consisted of spaced grounds, where worshippers would pray and the center was marked by a chandelier. In the mosque’s courtyard were Iznik tiles, which went around the mosque and displayed Quran verses such as Ayat al-Kursi. The spaced ground in the inner part of the mosque was designed that way so that it can accommodate as many worshipers as possible, and this ensured that new converts had enough space to make their prayers while in the mosque. The Quran verses displayed around the mosque reinforced the teachings being made by the Sheiks or Imams, and this helped a lot in strengthening the Islam religion among the believers, who easily read those verses displayed in the mosque walls. Christianity regards Saint Peter’s Basilica as one of the holiest sites in the world. The church was established between 1506 and 1626 above St. Peter’s burial site. St. Peter was among the twelve disciples of Jesus and was a bishop in Rome. Saint Peter’s Basilica is built from travertine stone, standing at 452 feet in height, 730 feet in width and 500 feet in depth.4 The interior is a little over 693 feet. During the building age of the basilica, sculptors and painters would be given detailed information on features that would inspire the Christian congregation with inspirational messages. Within the basilica is a cruciform, which resembles a Latin cross. The cross is characterized by an elongated nave framed by wide aisles, thus, giving room to a range of chapels. Some of these chapels include the Clementine Chapel, the Chapel of Presentation of the Virgin, the Chapel of Madonna of Colonna, the Gregorian Chapel and the Clementine Chapel. In addition, there is a high altar, and right beneath is the Chapel of Confession. Up to a hundred tombs are now found in Saint Peter’s, where a number of popes are buried. This place is very important to Christians because of the popes who are buried there, and many Christians view the place, Saint Peter’s, with high regards due to its importance. Work Cited Wightman, G. J. Sacred Spaces: Religious Architecture in the Ancient World. Leuven: Peeters, 2007. Print. Read More