Religious Architecture

Religious Architecture: Anthropological Perspectives develops an anthropological perspective on modern religious architecture, including mosques, churches and synagogues. Borrowing from a range of theoretical perspectives on space-making and material religion, this volume looks at how religious buildings take their place in opposition to the secular surroundings, how they, as evocations of the sublime, help believers to move beyond the boundaries of modern subjectivity, and how they, in their common sense definition, function as community centers in urban daily life. The volume includes contributions from a range of anthropologists working in the UK, Mali, Brazil, Spain and Italy

New Visions for Religious Architecture: Religious Architecture Adaptation to Reflect Modern Spiritualism and Wellness

Religious Architecture is a typology that is found in all communities around the world, large or small. Despite the differences in architectural design due to religious views, these buildings have something in common: architectural impact. These buildings engage their communities by introducing eye-catching, and unique architectural features that separate them from their surrounding context. These qualities make them valuable pieces of architecture that bring vibrant historic value to their communities. As designers, we must always be aware of current events and changing beliefs. For the past twenty years, people have been attending religious services less and less, and after the covid 19 pandemic, attending religious services in person dropped at a tremendous rate. Within Massachusetts alone, over 100 Christian churches have either been forced to merge with others, or have been closed. This has resulted in many architecturally unique religious buildings being left standing, abandoned in their communities

Ottoman religious architecture in Croatia

Objective: To provide a description and analysis of built, surviving, and lost Ottoman religious monuments in Croatia within the historical and sociopolitical context. Methods: Based on the analysis of relevant published sources, historical maps, online sources, as well as site analysis, we provide a description of Ottoman architectural, religious, and cultural heritage in the contemporary Croatian regions of the Dalmatian hinterland and Slavonia. This includes the art historical interpretation of the remains of the three surviving 16th-century domed mosques in three Croatian towns: Klis (today, the Catholic Church of St. Vitus in the Fortress), Drniš (now incorporated into the Catholic Church of St. Anthony held by the Franciscans), and Đakovo (today, the Catholic Church of All Saints). Results: The period of Ottoman rule saw the construction of a great number of Ottoman religious buildings in what is now the territory of the Republic of Croatia. There were two methods of mosque establishment: from the ground up, or by repurposing an older building, generally of Christian origin. With cessation of Ottoman rule these objects decayed and became less interesting for reutilization for Christian religious purposes. Many such converted objects perished in spite of their new utilization. The site analysis revealed the continuity of these sacred places in spite of religious conversion of the sacral site. Conclusion: The introduction of Ottoman architectural and urbanistic features was the defining feature of urban development in Croatia during the Ottoman era. In the settlements, the Ottomans built both sacral and utilitarian profane buildings, but Ottoman religious buildings were the most prominent. In the territory of present day Croatia, only three such Ottoman places of worship remain in existence as structures, albeit reconverted into Catholic churches. Today, due to the conversion and renovation works, they represent a fusion of several stylistic periods

Palladio\u27s religious architecture in Venice

This thesis focuses on the three churches designed by the Renaissance architect Andrea Palladio in Venice: San Francesco della Vigna, San Giorgio Maggiore, and Il Redentore. Separate chapters devoted to each of these buildings explore multiple issues, among them Palladio’s awareness of the city, its civic rituals, and architectural traditions; his sources of inspiration in the buildings of classical antiquity, especially ancient Roman baths and temple façades; his relationship to the architecture of the recent past, especially in Venice but also on the terraferma; and his ability to adapt his style to suit the requirements of private, public, and monastic patrons. The thesis also examines Palladio’s innovative approaches to some of the most pressing issues of Renaissance church design, most notably the question of centralized vs. longitudinal planning, and the problem of what sort of façade should be placed before a typical church, with its high central nave flanked by lower aisles or chapel

Antonio Cominges Tapias: religious Architecture in Vigo

[Resumen] Desde finales de los años veinte hasta los sesenta del pasado siglo, Antonio Cominges Tapias realizó la mayor parte de los edifi cios vinculados a instituciones religiosas en la ciudad de Vigo, además de ser uno de los arquitectos que más construyó durante ese período. Su arquitectura utiliza elementos ornamentales regionalistas y barrocos sobre esquemas compositivos academicistas, y va evolucionando a medida que se van imponiendo los aspectos funcionales en sus edifi cios. Entendido el paso a la Modernidad como un paulatino proceso de despojamiento de esquemas y lenguajes asumidos, Cominges recorre el mismo camino —arduo camino— que la mayoría de los arquitectos de su generación. Su arquitectura religiosa muestra claramente este proceso. [Abstract] From the late twenties until the sixties of last century, Antonio Cominges Tapias carried out most of the buildings associated with religious institutions in Vigo, as well as being one of the architects who built more in this period. His architecture uses simplifi ed regionalist and Baroque ornamental elements on academicist compositional schemes, and it evolves as the functional aspects in their buildings are imposing. Understood the passage to modernity as a gradual process of laborious stripping of schemes and assumed languages, Cominges travels the same path (hard path) that most architects of his generation. His religious architecture clearly shows this process

Space and rite in Elymais: Considerations on Elymaean religious Architecture and rock reliefs during the Arsacid Period.

Central to this thesis is the identification of religious architecture in a region which has a special position in Ancient Iran, the mountainous area of Khuzestan known to classical sources under the name Elymais. This area can be considered Iranian only due to its geographical position, since its population was not of Iranian origin. A more direct approach to the study of Elymaean archaeology concerns not just the Susiana plain – which shows a strong Greek and Semitic influence – but also the sites with major rock reliefs (Tang-e Sarvak, Shimbar, Izeh-Malamir), as well as the religious architecture of Bard-e Neshandeh and Masjed-e Soleyman. This study will try to prove, working from religious architecture in Elymais of the Arsacid era, that there were hereditary ties (historical, archaeological, philological) between the Elymaeans and the Elamites, the ancient inhabitants of these territories (Ancient Elam). Given the strong relationship between Elam and neighbouring Mesopotamia, the possible presence of Mesopotamian or other foreign influences in the religious architecture and consequently the use of these types in an Elymaean context can be examined in detail. A review will be made of previously accepted hypotheses of Elymais and its population. The cultural-historical and religious interactions that occurred in this area will be examined in an attempt to establish a nexus of identity for the people of Elymais. This work aims to bring together, perhaps for the first time, diverse studies concerning Elymais: archaeological, historical, philological, numismatic and religious. This key goal will be pursued to provide a platform for their analysis as a corpus. To achieve this, details of archaeological and historical contexts including locations, excavation reports, grave goods, descriptions of monuments and observations regarding rock reliefs have been collected from a number of available sources, many of them in the form of short articles

Space and rite in Elymais: Considerations on Elymaean religious Architecture and rock reliefs during the Arsacid Period.

Central to this thesis is the identification of religious architecture in a region which has a special position in Ancient Iran, the mountainous area of Khuzestan known to classical sources under the name Elymais. This area can be considered Iranian only due to its geographical position, since its population was not of Iranian origin. A more direct approach to the study of Elymaean archaeology concerns not just the Susiana plain – which shows a strong Greek and Semitic influence – but also the sites with major rock reliefs (Tang-e Sarvak, Shimbar, Izeh-Malamir), as well as the religious architecture of Bard-e Neshandeh and Masjed-e Soleyman. This study will try to prove, working from religious architecture in Elymais of the Arsacid era, that there were hereditary ties (historical, archaeological, philological) between the Elymaeans and the Elamites, the ancient inhabitants of these territories (Ancient Elam). Given the strong relationship between Elam and neighbouring Mesopotamia, the possible presence of Mesopotamian or other foreign influences in the religious architecture and consequently the use of these types in an Elymaean context can be examined in detail. A review will be made of previously accepted hypotheses of Elymais and its population. The cultural-historical and religious interactions that occurred in this area will be examined in an attempt to establish a nexus of identity for the people of Elymais. This work aims to bring together, perhaps for the first time, diverse studies concerning Elymais: archaeological, historical, philological, numismatic and religious. This key goal will be pursued to provide a platform for their analysis as a corpus. To achieve this, details of archaeological and historical contexts including locations, excavation reports, grave goods, descriptions of monuments and observations regarding rock reliefs have been collected from a number of available sources, many of them in the form of short articles

El misterio entre pliegues y hendiduras. Entrevista con el escultor José Luis Sánchez

[Resumen] José Luis Sánchez es uno de los escultores españoles que más se ha prodigado en el campo del arte sacro durante la segunda mitad del siglo XX, siendo numerosas y muy celebradas sus colaboraciones en arquitectura religiosa desde finales de los años cincuenta. El mayor interés de esta entrevista radica en los datos inéditos aportados por el escultor de origen manchego sobre la introducción de las vanguardias artísticas en las iglesias españolas durante un período especialmente interesante para la renovación de la arquitectura sacra en nuestro país.[Abstract] José Luis Sánchez is one of the most important Spanish sculptors in the field of sacred art since the middle of the 20Th century: his work in religious architecture from the late fifties has been numerous and celebrated. The interest of this interview lies in the first hand information and untold data provided by the sculptor from La Mancha about the introduction of avant-garde art in the Spanish churches during a particularly interesting period, linked up to a radical change of religious architecture in our country

Exploring Artistic Learning Through the Creation of Tunnel Books

This paper discusses the results of an autoethnographic, arts-based study that explored artistic learning through the creation of tunnel books. The researcher, an art teacher at a private Catholic school, chose the Painted Churches of Schulenburg, TX as the subject of the tunnel books. During the study, the researcher toured four historic churches to obtain information that guided design decisions for the tunnel books. Documentation of the tour was done through photography, video recording, and note taking. Interviews with Katherine Ruffin, book arts professor, and Rand Huebsch, printmaker, book artist, and teacher were conducted to obtain information about construction techniques, materials, and adhesives. Four tunnel books were created. During the process, materials for the tunnel books, media, adhesives, and different assembly approaches were explored. Upon completion, the books were viewed by several individuals who attended the tour of the churches, and Dr. Ann Waltz, Director of the Art School for Children and Young Adults at the University of Houston in Clear Lake, TX. The study was designed to expand artistic learning and gain information that could later be shared with middle school students at St. Clare of Assisi Catholic School. The outcomes revealed new approaches to constructing tunnel books, and applications for new and familiar media. The paper concludes with future plans for the knowledge gained, along with advice for art educators, and the field of art education