. A short history of art . in front of thealtar was enclosed by marble railings, and appropriated tothe use of the lower clergy, who comprised the choir; henceits name. At either side of the choir there were pulpits, fromone of which the Gospel was read, and from the other theEpistle. In the earliest basilicas, a court {atriwm), enclosed by acovered colonnade, occupied a space in front of the court was frequented by penitents who were not allowedto enter the main building. In the middle of it was a foun-tain for the symbolic washing of the hands and face, sig-nificant of the clea
. A short history of art . in front of thealtar was enclosed by marble railings, and appropriated tothe use of the lower clergy, who comprised the choir; henceits name. At either side of the choir there were pulpits, fromone of which the Gospel was read, and from the other theEpistle. In the earliest basilicas, a court {atriwm), enclosed by acovered colonnade, occupied a space in front of the court was frequented by penitents who were not allowedto enter the main building. In the middle of it was a foun-tain for the symbolic washing of the hands and face, sig-nificant of the cleansing of sins. The cantharus, or bowl for ROMAN CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE 139 holy water, placed near the entrance of the churches, tookthe place of this fountain when the courts fell into porch or portico, the same width as the basilica, formedthe entrance; and near this portico, in the interior of thebuilding, a narrow space, called the narthex, or scourge,was appropriated to the use of penitents who had the right. PLAN OF THE OLD BASILICA OF ST. PETER AT ROME of access to the sanctuary, but were not yet admitted to thefull enjoyment of religious privileges. The basilicas, as a rule, had wooden roofs. Sometimesthe beams were concealed by a flat panelling, richly gilded;sometimes the rafters showed, and were gaily or frescos decorated the walls of the middle nave,the arch of triumph, and the semi-dome of the apse. Exte-rior ornament was used sparingly. The prominent lines ofthe construction were emphasised by mouldings, and occa-sionally the fa9ade was decorated with mosaics or find little originality in the designs for capitals and cor-nices. They were usually fragments of pagan buildings,which were looked upon by the Christians as lawful spoil. The knowledge of architecture had greatly declined inRome, and the principles of construction were imperfectlyunderstood. It is partly on this account that so few ex-amples of early basilicas remain.
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Keywords: ., boo, bookcentury1900, bookdecade1910, booksubjectart, bookyear1913
