Summary

The Church in Time offers a disciplined, century-by-century exploration of Christian architecture from the 1st through the 11th centuries CE. Rather than imposing later stylistic labels, this volume follows the Church as it emerged, adapted, and institutionalized across changing political, cultural, and religious landscapes. Beginning with house churches and persecuted communities, it traces the gradual transition to public worship spaces, imperial patronage, regional variation, and the architectural foundations of Christendom. Each century is examined on its own terms, revealing how theology, liturgy, geography, and power shaped the built environment of Christian life. This approach highlights continuity and transformation without oversimplification. The Church in Time provides essential historical grounding for understanding later architectural developments, while restoring attention to the formative centuries when Christian space was still being invented. It is a work of architectural memory—careful, chronological, and foundational.

Chapters

  1. 1st Century CEHouse churches

  2. 2nd Century CEDedicated worship spaces

  3. 3rd Century CEAdapted basilica forms

  4. 4th Century CEImperial monumental churches

  5. 5th Century CECruciform stone churches

  6. 6th Century CEDomes and mosaics

  7. 7th Century CERegional hybrid forms

  8. 8th Century CEClassical revival churches

  9. 9th Century CEExpanded Romanesque planning

  10. 10th Century CEImperial vertical emphasis

  11. 11th Century CEMature Romanesque architecture

  12. 12th Century CEEarly Gothic light

  13. 13th Century CEHigh Gothic cathedrals

  14. 14th Century CELate Gothic transition

  15. 15th Century CERenaissance proportion revival

  16. 16th Century CEBaroque dramatic space

  17. 17th Century CETheatrical Baroque movement

  18. 18th Century CERococo ornamental interiors

  19. 19th Century CEHistoricist revival styles

  20. 20th Century CEModern experimental forms