Sacral architecture

Lore & Background

Sacred, religious and holy structures often evolved over centuries and were the largest buildings in the world prior to the modern skyscraper. While the various styles employed in sacred architecture sometimes reflected trends in other structures, these styles also remained unique from the contemporary architecture used in other structures. With the rise of Christianity and Islam, religious buildings increasingly became centres of worship, prayer and meditation. The Western scholarly discipline of the history of architecture itself closely follows the history of religious architecture from ancient times until the Baroque period, at least.

Reader's Guide

Sacral architecture spans numerous ancient styles including Neolithic, Egyptian, and Sumerian architecture. Ancient religious buildings, particularly temples, were often viewed as the dwelling place of the gods and used for sacrifice. Classical architecture is largely understood through surviving religious structures such as the Parthenon. Indian religious architecture blends native traditions with influences from West, Central Asia, and Europe. Buddhist architecture developed viharas and stupas, with the pagoda evolving from the Indian stupa. Hindu temple architecture follows strict religious models incorporating astronomy and sacred geometry. Christian architecture evolved from Roman and Byzantine forms, with Gothic architecture flourishing in medieval Europe. The goal of sacred architecture, as suggested by architect Norman L. Koonce, is to make 'transparent the boundary between matter and mind, flesh and the spirit.'

Did You Know?

• The Parthenon served as a treasury building as well as a place for veneration of deity.
• The earliest existing example of a stupa is in Sanchi (Madhya Pradesh).
• One of the great breakthroughs in Western architecture occurred when Justinian I's architects invented a system using squinches or pendentives to transition from a square plan to a circular dome.