ECCLESIASTICAL ART. The science of ecclesiology consists of two entirely distinct and separate branches of religious work. One of these concerns itself with the organization and development of the Church body, the polity of the Church community, all from the side point of the clergy or prelates. The second branch of ecclesiology treats of Christian church edifices, the churches' contents, including all that goes into the furnishing of the interior of the building, such as its decoration, every thing that pertains to the material or articles used in the religious ceremonies. This article devotes itself entirely to the category of sub jects pertaining to the latter branch of ecclesi ology. Few writers appear to have attacked this subject as a whole in a monograph. The sculptured mural decorations of the different periods have been expatiated on in works on °Christian Architecture"; the sculptured statu ary and bas-reliefs of the world's Christian churches have been written on by laymen and clerics under the title of "Christian Icono graphy"; the painted mural, altar and other polychrome decoration of Christendom's churches has been treated by works on "Christian Art." Church furniture has found numerous writers to expound the topic of the construction and carved decoration of altars, pulpits, choir-stalls, altar services, embroid ered art work on priestly vestments, deco rative lighting apparatus, etc. Many of such works are written in a lucid and popular style, devoid of all clerical Latin terms unin telligible to the lay reader. But the works entitled "Christian Art" include in their text and illustrations paintings and sculpture de picting religious subjects created for public buildings other than ecclesiastical, such as courts ofjustice, city halls, public galleries, etc. As the entire subject of Ecclesiastical Art in its various branches is quite volumi nously covered in the volumes of the ENCYCLO PEDIA AMERICANA, this article necessarily avoids long repetitions of such treatments. Articles on the church edifices, their groundplans, façades, etc., will be found under the different specific titles as cross-referenced in the body of the text, such as ARCHITECTURE, ROMAN ESQUE; BASILICA; BYZANTINE ARCHITECTURE, etc. The same can be said of altars and their furnishing, which are fully discussed under the titles ALTAR; CHALICE; CORONA; CHANDELIER; CROSSES AND CRUCIFIXES; COSTUME, ECCLESI ASTICAL; ART ENAMELS, etc.
An exceedingly interesting feature that con fronts the student of ecclesiastical art is the fact that practically all art talent of Christen dom up to, and perhaps inclusive of, the 14th century was dedicated to the Church. And until the last few years of the Middle Ages all art was either carried on by the Church or under the supervision of the clergy. Much of the early art work was created in the cloisters (manuscript writing and illumination exclu sively, of course) by the monastic orders. And under the tutelage and patronage of such prel ates as Abbe Suger and Saint Eloi of France, Bishop Bernward of Germany, etc., schools of art were established and the Fine Arts sus tained while all the lay world was battling in dynastic and baronial feuds.
Art of the Catacombs and of the Primitive Christians.—The more distinguished among the early Christian dwellers in Rome received in terment in the Catacombs in specially contrived chapels dug out from the sides of the innu merable subterranean passageways of the vast series of excavated galleries then existing. These mortuary chapels usually took as ground plan a Greek cross ( ; the roof was scooped out to form a dome or cupola (generally painted over in blue), the entrance of the recess was surmounted by conch-shells, the sides covered with symbols and devices of Christianity. (See SYMBOLISM). In the re
cessed spaces dug out at the extremity and two sides were placed the sarcophagi of confessors, bishops, martyrs, etc. The sar cophagus at the furthest end was used as an altar or communion table. There are a number of these in the Catacombs of Rome. These subterranean specimens of architecture and the art of the earliest Christian believers remained forgotten for many years after Constantine I was converted and the secret assemblage of the persecuted believers became unnecessary. In 1578, by accident, the presence of these under ground passages was discovered by laborers and public interest was excited to investigate these very ancient remains. Antonio Bosio spent 35 years exploring the intricate cavernous laby rinth and making plans of its ramifications and producing copies of sculptures and paint ings; the work resulted in the monumental 'Roma sotterranea' (1632). Aringhi (1659) and others continued the work. These acts of devotion preserved to us a view of these in teresting works which have since decayed and perished. With the freedom of worship ac corded the Christians by Constantine grew up, by the 4th century, three forms of buildings in which to perform religious ceremonies : baptisteries for Christian initiation; churches for the congregations' worship; sepulchral chap els for prayers in commemoration of the 'de parted." The architectural plan adopted for a building in which the devout could worship was that of the pagan basilica (see BASILICA) with its atrium (front court), narthex or portico, nave, cancellum (choir), ambone (pulpit with entrances on both sides), "triumphal arch* (entrance to sanctuary), transept, presbytery (sanctuary), altar, absis (tribune) with its bishop's throne (suggestus), side aisles. A crypt beneath the sanctuary contained the tomb or shrine of the saint or martyr to whom the church was dedicated. It is frequently claimed by authorities that this crypt was added to the pagan plan of basilica as reminder of the cata comb location of the first Christian church; in fact, a number of the early churches had preten tious subterranean quarters for worship. The steeples were later additions of the Lombard architects about the 8th century, when bells were introduced from Greece. Some writers recognize a resemblance in the early baptisteries to the ancient Roman baths. Mostly they are octagonal buildings. Some claim that the octa gon form is symbolic of regeneration; very ap propriate for the rite of regeneration by bap tism. By early orientation the baptisteries were placed in front of the central entrance to the cathedral; symbolic of the initiation before en trance in the Church (see BAPTISTERY). The font was located in the centre of the building, which was surmounted by a dome. The font was reached by descending three steps to the shallow octagonal basin; the early rite was one of submersion. Even when they built baptis teries in circular form the font persisted in its octagonal shape. Baptisteries continued to be distinct, if not always detached, buildings for eight centuries after Constantine's time, but later the fonts (still octagonal) were placed in the church near the main entrance to maintain the idea of initiation to the convert.