What are the origins of cathedrals and chapels?

Cathedrals and chapels have played vital roles in the development of Christian culture. As a scholar of the Bible, Judaism and Christianity, I have come to learn the historic importance of

these structures and the pivotal role they play in the practice of many Christians’ faith. EARLY CHRISTIAN ARCHITECTURE Cathedrals and chapels not only provide a space for worship, but they

are also vessels for the display of religious iconography and art. Until the early fourth century A.D., much of early Christian art and space for worship occurred in catacombs – subterranean

locations where Christians would bury members of their community. It has traditionally been thought that Christians used such catacombs due to persecutions by the Roman government. However,

such persecutions were periodic and not sustained. Other explanations have been offered regarding the regular use of the catacombs as a result. In any case, such tombs became the

repositories of art expressions in the early decades of the religion. Prominent scenes include depictions of the Bible that highlighted deliverance from death. Depictions of Jesus of

Nazareth appear in these catacombs, but often borrowing from the likeness of the Greek god Hermes, who functioned as a messenger deity as well as a carrier of souls in the afterlife. The

cross as a widely displayed symbol of Christian faith would become more frequent only after the Roman emperor Constantine converted to Christianity in the fourth century A.D. DEVELOPMENT OF

CATHEDRALS With imperial backing, Christians began to build their places of worship, known as “churches” from the Greek kuriake “belonging to the lord,” above ground. Such building practices

borrowed from two main areas of precursors: ancient temples and places of Roman administration. Ancient temples across cultures, including the one in Jerusalem, generally were thought of as

spaces where the god or goddess lived. Many ancient and modern Christians believe that Jesus is physically present in communion – the ritual that in some Christian thought involves the

actual transformation of bread and wine into the body and blood of Jesus. As such, cathedrals such as the Basilica of San Vitale in Italy, constructed in the sixth century A.D., contain

mosaics to depict Jesus as actually present in communion. These buildings tap into a widely held religious history that the deity dwells in the holy place. Many of these ancient,

pre-Christian temples, including the Temple in Jerusalem, were oriented from the east to the west. Christian cathedrals for the most part in both the ancient and modern world used this east

to west axis as well. Some traditions placed communion toward the east – called “oriented” – and others toward the west – called “occidented.” Notable exceptions occurred, such as in the

Rockefeller Chapel at the University of Chicago, originally a Baptist school, whose chapel is oriented north to south. The second major source for early Christian churches was Roman

administrative buildings. The very name cathedral means “seat” and in Roman society was referred to the location where governors would adjudicate and oversee their districts. When the pope

speaks from his seat of power, he speaks “ex cathedra.” Roman temples had a different structure, but the Roman basilica, with its resonances of governance and imperial backing, was instead

chosen, along with the east to west orientation of ancient temples, as the basic design for such cathedrals. HOW CHAPELS CAME TO BE In contrast to the often large and impressive designs of

cathedrals, chapels in Christianity represent a smaller scale conception of religious worship. The term chapel derives from Martin of Tours, a bishop in the early church from France who was

wearing a cloak while walking past a poor man. Martin was reminded of Jesus’ words in the Gospel of Matthew that helping the poor was, in effect, to help and worship God. Martin gave the

poor man his cloak and the destitute person revealed himself to be Jesus himself. Sign up for The Conversation’s newsletter.] Pieces of this cloak, having touched Jesus, were thought to hold

special significance. As a result, small structures were built to house them. These small structures were known as chapels, derived from Latin capella for “little cloak.” These spaces of

worship did not have musical instruments to accompany the service. As a result, the word a capella, meaning “according to the chapel” or “in the chapel style,” reflects the manner of worship

in the small church.