Monuments of the early church . ^ some of the Syrian churches above mentioned;but the churches of Central Syria stand so thoroughly apartand by themselves that they deserve a separate treatment anda fuller one than can be given here. For adequate informa-tion about this interesting architecture, one must refer to thework of de Vogiie.^ In the basilicas, therefore, East and West,— and in Syria wherever wood was to be had, — a low gable roofsurmounted the nave and transept, and a shed roof of the sameangle covered the aisles. The commonest covering for the roofwas, of course, terra-cotta tiles.
Monuments of the early church . ^ some of the Syrian churches above mentioned;but the churches of Central Syria stand so thoroughly apartand by themselves that they deserve a separate treatment anda fuller one than can be given here. For adequate informa-tion about this interesting architecture, one must refer to thework of de Vogiie.^ In the basilicas, therefore, East and West,— and in Syria wherever wood was to be had, — a low gable roofsurmounted the nave and transept, and a shed roof of the sameangle covered the aisles. The commonest covering for the roofwas, of course, terra-cotta tiles. At Ravenna colored glazedtiles were sometimes employed, and patterns were formed bythem. The roof of great churches was often covered with lead,but the noblest material for this purpose was bronze. Hono-. FiG. 84. — Longitudinal section of basilica in liuweha, 83-ria. rius I. had the roof of S. Peters covered with bronze tiles.^The bronze tiles of the Constantinian church of the Apostles atConstantinople were gilt, so that in the sunlight they nearlyblinded the beholder.^ It is probable that in the basilicas of Central Syria the roofand its supports were visible from below. That these basilicaswere not ceiled, but were open clear to the roof, is proved es-pecially by the windows which appear in the gable, sometimesa round window divided into four compartments by a cross, aprecursor of the rose window. It has been commonly sup-posed that the basilicas of the West were often, if not regu-larly, covered in the same way. This notion is due solely tothe fact that in the restorations which were undertaken in the 1 See Bibliography. 2 Lib. Pont., Vita Honor. 3 Eusebius, Vita Const. IV. 58. THE BASILICA—Ceiling 117 IMiddle Ages the flat ceiling was not retained, because it wasno longer in
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