Comparing religious buildings
Compare historic religious buildings in Buckinghamshire with the rest of the
United Kingdom and the world, using Unlocking Buckinghamshire’s Past;
PastScape (www.pastscape.org.uk); Images of England
(www.imagesofengland.org.uk); Archaeology Data Service
(http://ads.ahds.ac.uk); Coflein (www.coflein.gov.uk); the Northern Ireland online
HBMR (www.ehsni.gov.uk/built/mbr/monuments_database/mons.asp); World
Heritage Sites (http://whc.unesco.org/):
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Compare medieval churches in Buckinghamshire, such as at Princes
Risborough, and Britain with the mosque in Marrakesh, Morroco or the
rock-hewn churches of Lalibela, Ethiopia (both World Heritage Sites).
Figure 1: Princes Risborough church
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Compare medieval monasteries in Buckinghamshire, such as Notley
Abbey or Burnham Abbey, and Britain, Fountain’s Abbey or
Westminster Abbey, to the Rila Monastery in Bulgaria, a World
Heritage Site and monastery of the Russian Orthodox faith.
Figure 2: Notley Abbey
Comparing religious buildings
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Some churches were built or rebuilt in the nineteenth century.
Compare ones in Buckinghamshire, such as at Marlow, with others
around the world, Fort Klock church in the USA (www.fortklock.com),
or St Mary’s Anglican church in St Vincent, for instance
(www.svgtourism.com).
Design of churches
Medieval churches seem quintessentially English, but in fact their design is
based on Roman basilicas. A basilica was a public meeting hall in Roman times.
It was a large open rectangular building with a semi-circular projection called an
apse at one or both ends. The apse was for members of the community to sit and
hear court cases. The basilica was often very big and so was supported by two
rows of columns that created a central nave and aisles on either side. This
design was exported all over the Roman world.
Most churches have a nave, though many medieval churches were not as big as
Roman basilicas and did not have to have columns supporting the roof. If they
did the columns created side aisles, or side aisles could also be added later. At
the eastern end of the church, pointing towards Jerusalem, an apse could be
added that would be a place for the altar. Alternatively, the eastern end could be
extended by adding a rectangular projection called a chancel. An apse is
sometimes added to the end of that. Later the main basilica could be raised to
put in windows over side aisles to provide more light.
There are several basilicas of Roman and medieval date listed as World Heritage
Sites to compare to the medieval churches of Buckinghamshire. Also look on the
internet for the surviving Roman basilica at Trier in Germany.
www.buckscc.gov.uk/archaeology