Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-05-07
HOUSES OF WORSHIP
WASHINGTON A CITY OF MAGNIF-
IcENr STRUCTURES.


tinctively characterized. and that the
churches should center with the federal
government Is a natural tendency to be ap-
plauded. AS to architectural styles there
/ are wide range Of examples. 1t is also
| a happy circumstance that a decided pre-
emnence Is not confined to any one sect or
religious body. but tfslt this movement has
come steadily. emphasizing in a measure
both in numbers and enthusiasm. the pro-
gress of religious zeal among the Chris
tians of Washington.
The first Christian communities that
lived under the oppression of a hostile
heathendom were accustomed to assemble
for the purpose of celebrating their re-
either In the dwellings, of distinguished fell
low-beiievers or in the catacombs, a prac-
tice that has been continued to this day In
places where more commodious building
| Is not available. But soon Chris
tianity was recognized and established by
the Emperor Constantine in the year 313
| the erection of buildings for the public wor-
ship OF God was commenced At this early
period the traditions of heather Rome were
followed in the manner of life as well as in
the practice of art.
Christian architects adopted the general
arrangement Of the basilica as their model,
making, however, such alterations as were
necessary to adapt 1t to it's new purpose.
There was a necessity for distinct places
for the clergy and people, but still suffi-
GENTLY connected. The priests, accordingly
took the great "tribuna'' (named also from
its shape concha, or apse), which in con-
sequence became the presbyterian" In
the midst was erected the altar and over
this arose a baldachin, which could be
closed in with curtains. Behind the altar,
against the wall of the 'tribuna." were ar
ranged the seats of the clergy, with raised
throne for the bishop in the center.
In order that the view of the altar might
be uninterrupted the columns which In the
ancient basilica had separated the hall of
merchandise from the Judgment court were
removed. At the same time the great cen
trail space was covered over with a solid
roof, the beams of which were overlaid
with ceiling. Afterward the ceiling was
omitted and the rafters exposed to view
as in the Gunton-Temple Memorial Church,
where the modern steel construction is en-
ployed. On both sides were the aisles, on
each side one and In larger churches two,
separated by columns from the nave, to
which the tribuna gave imposing finish.
But as the greater development of divine
service seemed to render increased space
desirable for the presbyterian" transcept
between the apse and the nave was formed.
extending the whole breadth of the nave
and aisles, sometimes even beyond that,
and thus the church received the form of
a cross.
Lastly. at the end opposite the altar were
the entrances, and porch with a court or
"atrium.' Here the penitents had to wait,
and in the midst OF the atrium rose the
fountain, where the faithful entering
sprinkled themselves in token of inner puri-
ncation. In modern Roman Catholic
churches the vase of holy water at the en-
trance serves this purpose.
This was, in fact, the original design OF
the early Christian basilicas. Will. regard
to the interior arrangement the side aisles,
as rule without a gallery, but sometimes
with one, were about half the height of the
nave. They were also covered with hori-
zontal ceilings, above which rose the slant
ing roof, leaning against the upper wall of
the nave
The monks Of the Order Of ST. Francis at
Brookland have brought from the orient
the purity of Byzantine architecture and
ornamentatiOn, adapted to their use by
Senior Aristedes de Lenore, architect of the
Vatican. The church, as generally all Chris
tan churches do assumes the cruci-form
The arms of the cross are of equal length,
and each field bearing smaller cross
crowns Mt. ST Sepulcher with the sign of
the Franciscan order.
Kindred but distinct from this is the
Romanesque style, as exemplified by the
Gunton-Temple Memorial Church at 14th
and r streets northwest. A church which,
While exponent of all the strength typi-
cal to the Romanesque architecture, bears
the fingermarks of the esthetic artist
This church is beyond any doubt the best
ecclesiastical type of Romanesque archi-
lecture in this part of the country. The
treatment of the ornaments is exceptionally
pure. Intertwined with the acanthus of
the order is the name of the church-"Gun-
ton-Temple Memorial'-which appears over
the three arches of the main entrance. The
tower bears, as Is common with many
churches of an earlier period. series Of
groteSqueS The allegOry of these gro
tesques is lost in myth, but it is supposed
that the tendency was toward demonacal
figures on the outside as opposed to angelic
ones of the interior. BY a strange con-
4 rcfn n G a tT1ad tNyln hac,
for a long time been called Byzantine
There certainly was and still is a Byzantine
style which has about the same relation to
the RomaneSque that the Greek Church has
to the Roman Catholic The Byzantine GER
tainly took its elementary details, and in
deed its fundamental forms of building,
from Rome, as on the other hand there can
be discovered DIN the ROmaneSque style ele-
mentary details from the Byzantine, but
in reality both styles are far separated
from each other.
Toward the end of the RomanesQue epoch
many freer and even arbitrary forms min
gled with those of the severer Romanesque
style Of building, and to the architecture
which thence arose has been given the
name of the transition style. by which term
it is intended to imply that the works of
this kind form transition from the Ro-
manesque to the Gothic. But this is only
correct In the chronOloglcdl sense, as 1t is
stated that in Germany these transient
forms in many places preceded the Gothic
style. though they often continued to exist
at first by it's side, and were only grad
ually supplanted by it. While in the north
east of France the Gothic produced from
the various results of the schools of dome
building belong to the -RoHanesque style,
in Germany it appeared independently only
as a second growth of the Romanesque
style. which expanded brightly and richly
on the Rhine; and this Is what we are ac
oustomed to call the transient style.
The chief mark of this epoch, which en-
braces the first half of the thirteenth CEN
fury, and in many countries continues be-
yond the middle of the thirteenth century,
consists in a restless straining after new
forms, and In the desire, very energetically
worked out to alter and modify the old
ones This is especially the case with re-
gard to the chief constituent parts of the
Romanesque style, the round arch. The
lately completed United Brethren Church
at North Capitol and r streets northwest
is the newest local example Of the con-
structive elements of this style, which has
so aptly bridged the space between the
stolid Romanesque to the ethereal Gothic
The chief tendency of the Gothic style is
to render every part thinner and more ex-
tended 1t has tendency of growth up
ward, a growth from the massive tounda-
lions reinforced by buttresses to the slen-