CATHOLIC ARCHITECUTRE

There are many types of Christian architecture in churches, all which emphasize in harmony. It has evolved and changed over the two thousand years that it has existed. The most important and recognized types of christian churches are: Byzantium, Romanesque, Gothic cathedrals, and Renaissance cathedrals. 

I will talk about the architectural arrangement of the church as we know it, with characteristics from the Ancient Roman period, and its conformed by 5 main parts:
(I will mention 3 of them on this entry and 2 on my next entry)

• the atrium
• the basilica
• the bema
• the mausoleum
• the cruciform

ATRIUM:

The atrium is also called courtyard, which is a large space located in a building, in this case, in churches. It is made to provide light and ventilation to the interior of the area. They usually have high roofs and windows and it is dynamic, causing the people inside it to feel sheltered and aisled from the rest of the world; this has spiritual reasons, it is for people to concentrate in what is being said. 

BASILICA:

It is a large internal space where worship congregations could gather together. It is used to name a building which have central naves; which is basically the main body of the church, as shown in the next picture:

BEMA:

This was made in Ancient Rome to give space to more people, because the space was not enough, and it is a space which extended from the main hall and made it larger, forming a T shape, for people to fit better. An example of this can be seen in the Basilica of Saint Paul, Rome.