Identifier: storyofarchitect00math (find matches)
Title: The story of architecture: an outline of the styles in all countries
Year: 1896 (1890s)
Authors: Mathews, Charles Thompson, 1863-
Subjects: Architecture -- History
Publisher: New York, D. Appleton and company
Contributing Library: New York Public Library
Digitizing Sponsor: MSN

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FlG. 94.—Basilica of San Apollinare in Clause, Ravenna. ameter. During the early part of the sixth centuryJustinian gained the imperial purple and built at Ra-venna the Church of San Vitale and the beautifulBasilica of San Apollinare in Classe (Fig. 94), which, BAPTISTERIES AND TOMBS. 249 in addition to its great magnificence, holds the dis-tinction of being the first to introduce windows intothe apse, a fashion followed throughout all subse-quent Gothic art. Before examining the Christian architecture ofthe seventh century, which is mainly Lombard, itwould be well to glance at the baptisteries and tombs,which are principally Roman. The tombs, as a rule, were round, while the bap-tisteries were either octagonal or round. Yet thewords tomb and baptistery are often interchange-
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FlG. 95.—Sti. Angeli, Perugia. able, for a baptistery frequently covered a sepulchreand a tomb often contained a font. Hence the term circular churches has generallybeen applied to this class of architecture. These buildings were severely simple in their ex-ternal treatment, and in this regard had much incommon with the Roman tombs on the Appian Way,especially that of Cecilia Metella (Fig. 78). But with-in the design was much more elaborate, and fresco 250 EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE. and mosaic warmed and jewelled the ceilings, floors,and walls. A row of columns usually carried a circular vault,beneath which stood the font, and the same columnssupported a wall pierced by clearstory windows, thereby forming alantern for lightingthe upper portion ofthe interior. The earliest ex-amples are the tombbuilt by Constantinefor his mother, Hel-ena, in 328, the tombof Honorius andhis wives, and theChurch of St. An-drew. Of these, thetwo latter were ad-juncts to St. Petersbasilica, and stood

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