FACADE
746
FA9ADE
churches of the early period were generally built on
the model of the old Roman basilicas, and were con-
structed according to Roman methods, and largely
formed of columns and other features taken from
Pagan buildings. Their interest is principally from
an arcluEological point of view. The fagades of the
early Roman basilicas were exceedingly simple in their
upper surfaces. There were but two types; the cen-
tral gable, following usually the outline of the struc-
ture behind it, and the screen facade, usually made to
overhang for purposes of protection, and formed by a
gradual projection of the courses of brick both for-
ward and sideways. In the more important churches
the entire surface was concealed by a mosaic composi-
tion extending from summit to portico. Such were
St. John Lateran's, St. Peter's, St. Paul's, St. Mary
Major's, etc. This converted the facade above the
porch into a blaze of colour. Toward the close of the
Middle Ages more windows were sometimes opened in
the fa(,'ade. At St. Peter's, in the thirteenth century,
beside the wheel window in the gable, there were two
rows of three tall muUioned windows, the lower row
being flanked by two more. The lower part of the
fagaae was always covered by a projecting portico,
consisting either of one side of the quadrangular
atrium, or of an independent arcatle or colonnade. The
wall space underneath was usually broken by as many
doors as there were aisles to the church, normally
three, sometimes five. In the minor basilicas there
was but a single door, and in exceptional cases, as at
St. Peter's, there was a supplementary door for special
occasions.
Byzantine fagades as a rule were left comparatively plain, partly, no doubt, on account of their location and surroundings. A Byzantine church usually stood apart in a close, and when possible trees were planted about to give shade. In towns, the church, its grounds, etc., were generally surrounded with walls. It was entered through a cloistered forecourt or atrium, in the centre of which stood the phiale, or fountain, where the required ablutions were made. Across the lower portion of the front of the church stretched the narthex or vestibule, which sometimes had a porch or portico in front of it. Many churches had a double vestibule, the outer one being called the eso-narthex, generally appointed for women. The narthex communicated with the church by means of three doors; that in the centre being large and often richly ornamented. The two others, situated one on each side, were small and not remarkable. The cen- tral door was called the Beautiful Gate, sometimes the royal or basilican gate.
In the larger churches, above the narthex there was often an enclosed upper gallery for the accommoda- tion of women, called the gyna?conitis. This gallery was enclosed partly by the outside wall or walls and partly by grilles, and was reached by a staircase for the use of women only. From the outside it was lighted by a series of narrow windows, generally covered by round arches, or one or more double windows were formed by the interposition of a pillar. As a rule the windows are small and grouped together, or else they are of considerable width, and divided into three lights by columns or by thin strips of unmoulded mar- ble. The lower portion of the windows was often filled with thin slabs of translucent marble, sculptured on the outside, which allowed the light to shine through to a certain extent. Especially in the Neo-Byzantine style, there are occasionally porches, balconies and machicolations, which give relief to the general flatness. These features are well marked with the grace peculiar to the East. Examples at Constantinople, Sts. Ser- gius and Bacchus (527-.5.32), and Sanota Sophia (.532- 537). The church of the Virgin at Misitra and the Catholicon, at Athens (both uncertain, 11th to 13th century), and St. Mark's, Venice (1100-13.50). Ex- amples of Italian Byzantine are the cathedrals at Pa-
lermo and Cefalu. The present fagade of St. Mark's,
Venice, is a later casing upon the original Byzantine
fagade, and stands alone as regards its style, although
generally classed as Byzantine. The first appearance
of the Byzantine in Italy was the church of San Vi-
tale, at Ravenna. In Russia, the cathedrals of Mos-
cow, Kiev, and Novgorod, are among the best known
examples.
Lombardic (sometimes called Lombard Roman- esque) fagades were the most unfortunate part of Lom- bard churches. The designing of fagades to the basili- can plan and section gave much trouble to many different schools of architecture, but by none was it treated with such signal failure as by the Lombards. In declining to attach the campaniles to the church, the Italians rejected what apparently was the only possible solution. The continuous shape of the gable was used by the Pavians, even in churches where the aisle roofs were much lower than those of the nave. " False " fagades, like that of San Michele Maggiore, resulted in designs that obviously belied the basilican section. Even before this, it had been the custom, where the three aisles had been expressed, to raise the walls of the fagade much above the actual roof of the church, perhaps with a view to make the church ap- pear externally larger than it really was. This fraud continued to be practised in the churches of Verona, and indeed throughout all Italy, so that it finally be- came characteristic of Italian church architecture. On the false fagade thus obtained, ornament, utterly irrelevant for the most part, was spread with a more or less lavish hand. The fagade of S. Ambrogio, Milan, with its great open arches is, perhaps, the most suc- cessful one the Lombards ever erected.
Romanesque fagades. Their characteristics, as a whole, may be summed up as follows: Buttresses formed as pilaster strips of slight projection, con- nected at the top by horizontal mouldings, or by a row of semicircular arches resting on a corbel-table projecting from the wall. Semicircular arches, resting on rudely formed capitals, also occur. Door and win- dow openings are very characteristic. The principal, upon which the jambs were formed, was in receding planes, or rectangular recesses, known as "orders", in which were placed circular columns or shafts. "The arches followed the same method, being built in con- centric rings. A continuous abacus often occurs over these columns, and the profile of the jamb is carried round the semicircular portion of the arch. The char- acteristic rose (or wheel) window occurs over the prin- cipal doorway of the fagade. Mouldings were often elaborately carved. The carving antl ornaments are derived from many types of the vegetable and animal kingdom, and treated in a conventional way. Local influences were instrumental in producing different local characteristics.
In Central Italian Romanesque, beauty in detail was more sought after than completeness of style. Byzantine influence was strong, especially in Venice, Ravenna, and Pisa, the latter possessing a distinct style of its own, sometimes called Tuscan. San Mini- ato's, in Florence, is interesting as marking the period of transition, in the eleventh century, from the Basili- can to the Romanesque type. In Northern Italian Romanesque, arcades are restricted to the tops of gq,- bles. The general character is less refined, owing to the use oi stone and brick instead of marljle. Details show a breaking away from Classic precedent. In sculpture, hunting and other scenes reflecting the life of the northern invaders are frequent, and in these a grotesque element is prevalent. S. Antonio's, in Pia- cenza, is an example.
Southern Italian Romanesque shows Byzantine and Mohammedan influence, as instanced in Monreale Cathedral, and the Martorana Church, in P.alermo. The detail of these buildings is always refined and graceful, which may be due to some extent to the Greet descent
