Religious Architecture Case Study
Religious Architecture: Comparative Study
(Wells Cathedral and Friday Mosque, Isfahan)
The purpose of this research is to compare and contrast two selected religious buildings, one of which Islamic, and another that is Christian. This will respectively exemplify and illustrate the development of Christian and Islamic styles of religious architecture before the end of the 14th century. The research will mainly focus on the importance of furniture design and interior decoration in each of the two buildings. It will also appraise the urban or landscape context of each example, as well as an analysis of the architectural form in order to point out the example with the superior form of architecture.
INTRODUCTION:
The term ' 'Religious Architecture ' ' refers to the design and creation of spaces of worship. The form and structure of religious architecture manifests a community 's understanding of the relationship between the spatial environment, the definition of God, and the God-human relationship1. This research paper focuses on two religious buildings; the Friday Mosque (Masjid e- Jami) in Isfahan which was built to Islamic style, the other is Wells Cathedral in Somerset, Wells which was built to Gothic style. Each building will be analyzed based on urban/landscape context, plan scheme, Interiors, and form to draw a conclusion of the key differences between the two buildings, and consequently compare and contrast them. The Conclusion will also include the design merits of each, in addition to the building that has the superior form. Islamic Architecture (Overview):
I
slamic architecture extended from the 7th. to the 19th. century. Muslims communicated with other cultures and steered them to cope with Islamic principles and concepts in order to derive their own unique architectural style2. And since statues and paintings were forbidden in Islam, Muslims mastered abstract decoration, mosaic and foliage. Islamic architecture was aimed to serve rituals
(Wells Cathedral and Friday Mosque, Isfahan)
The purpose of this research is to compare and contrast two selected religious buildings, one of which Islamic, and another that is Christian. This will respectively exemplify and illustrate the development of Christian and Islamic styles of religious architecture before the end of the 14th century. The research will mainly focus on the importance of furniture design and interior decoration in each of the two buildings. It will also appraise the urban or landscape context of each example, as well as an analysis of the architectural form in order to point out the example with the superior form of architecture.
INTRODUCTION:
The term ' 'Religious Architecture ' ' refers to the design and creation of spaces of worship. The form and structure of religious architecture manifests a community 's understanding of the relationship between the spatial environment, the definition of God, and the God-human relationship1. This research paper focuses on two religious buildings; the Friday Mosque (Masjid e- Jami) in Isfahan which was built to Islamic style, the other is Wells Cathedral in Somerset, Wells which was built to Gothic style. Each building will be analyzed based on urban/landscape context, plan scheme, Interiors, and form to draw a conclusion of the key differences between the two buildings, and consequently compare and contrast them. The Conclusion will also include the design merits of each, in addition to the building that has the superior form. Islamic Architecture (Overview):
I
slamic architecture extended from the 7th. to the 19th. century. Muslims communicated with other cultures and steered them to cope with Islamic principles and concepts in order to derive their own unique architectural style2. And since statues and paintings were forbidden in Islam, Muslims mastered abstract decoration, mosaic and foliage. Islamic architecture was aimed to serve rituals
References: Negar, Hakim. ‘’Mosque Architecture Past and Present.’’ Sacred Buildings. Design Manual, 2008, part3: pp 46-53. Credo. Database. Web. 6th. November.2012. Malone, Von Carolyn Marino. Façade as Spectacle: Ritual and Ideology at Wells Cathedral. Brill Publishers (2004), pp: 183-185. E- book: Credo Reference. Consulted on 9th Nov.2012 Migeon, Gaston