. A history of architecture in Italy from the time of Constantine to the dawn of the renaissance. ])art of the ancient basilica destroyedin 1084, of which the walls and colon-nades had been used as the foundationsin rebuildino. The floor of the oldchurch was about 12 feet below that ofthe new. Its nave had the breadth ofthe nave and right aisle of the upperchurch, nearly 50 feet. Its columns,which were strongly Byzantine in char-acter, supported horizontal entablatures,and were divided by two piers on eachside into three groups of openings wall of the aisles had been coveredwith fresc
. A history of architecture in Italy from the time of Constantine to the dawn of the renaissance. ])art of the ancient basilica destroyedin 1084, of which the walls and colon-nades had been used as the foundationsin rebuildino. The floor of the oldchurch was about 12 feet below that ofthe new. Its nave had the breadth ofthe nave and right aisle of the upperchurch, nearly 50 feet. Its columns,which were strongly Byzantine in char-acter, supported horizontal entablatures,and were divided by two piers on eachside into three groups of openings wall of the aisles had been coveredwith fresco paintings on stucco, andsome of these are still in a tolerablestate of preservation. The columns ofthe left hand row had been enclosed by square piers, the sides of whichwere also covered with frescoes in much better condition than thoseon the walls. At the west end of the church was the flat apse,somewhat larger than the new one, and at the other end a narthexextending across the whole breadth of nave and aisles, backed by asolid wall of brick, and opening to the church by an open range of. Fiff. 29. S. Cleraente. 42 ARCHITECTURE IN ITALY eiglit iiKirble columns also joined by a later wall, covered, like theaisle walls, with paintings. In its present state the upper church (Figs. 29, 30) is remarkableas showing us, more faithfully, perhaps, than any other existing exam-})le, what was the exterior and interior aspect of an early Christianbasilica. In the first place, its atrium is complete, — the only per-fect one in Kome.^ It is about 48 feet wide and GO feet long, and issurrounded by ranges of Ionic columns on three sides and on thefourth by square piers. These latter are on the entrance side of thecourt, and, as well as the columns of the oj)posite narthex, carryround arches, the ceilings being groined, w^hile those of the longersides carry a horizontal entablature with flat wood ceiling atrium is entered through a square open porch with fourantique columns car
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