NARTHEX (ARCHITECTURE): CHARACTERISTICS, EARLY CHRISTIAN, ROMANESQUE - ART - 2024

Narthex or portico of the atrium, according to the architecture of early Christian and early Romanesque churches, is called the covered vestibule between the atrium and the temple, whose space was intended for those penitent Christians and catechumens (people who were preparing to be part of the Christian faith).

Likewise, this space gave rise to the formation of other models that are considered as variations of this structure, such as the open exonartex, and the esonartex considered as a second part of a narthex that was also seen as a kind of corridor.

According to some specialists, these enclosures were the first constructions that were erected in order to bring together the followers and other followers of the Christian faith. It is worth mentioning that these functions changed over time thanks to the spread of religion.

Regarding its reproduction, it varied due to the influence of new architectural currents from the West.

Origin

The narthex was a structure that emerged in conjunction with early Christian architecture, during the 3rd century. During this period, the first spaces were established for the gathering of practitioners of the faith, in the midst of Christian persecution.

At that time, this hall-like space gathered those who were not accepted by the rest of the congregation: catechumens, lepers, Jews, and penitents.

According to some specialists and historical records, there were two types of narthex: one of an external nature called exonartex, and another internal one known as esonartex. These, in turn, were separated by an atrium, a place that served to separate the church from the outside.

Narthex and its relationship with the basilicas:

Likewise, it was common to find a fountain in the courts so that Christians could wash their hands. Some sources identify it as the first manifestations of the holy water fonts.

Due to the characteristics of these enclosures, they were called "basilicas" whose nomenclature still persists today, except with some differences due to the fact that several of the spaces built in their time, changed over time.

Although at the beginning, the narthex was a place destined for penitents, its name as such also changed to be renamed “vestibule” and / or “porch”.

characteristics

Some important features about these spaces can be highlighted:

-Its appearance dates from the III century and it is estimated that they were built until the XIII century.

-In general terms, it was a separate nave from the church in order to concentrate the catechumens and other faithful who were not admitted by the rest of the believers.

-There were two types of narthex: the interior or esonartex and the exterior or exonartex, the latter also giving way to the patio.

-The outer narthex was used as a kind of "passageway of judgment", to later become a cemetery. As for the interior narthex, it came to be used as a place for women and other important figures of society to be located.

-The vast majority of the narthex were connected by the atriums or internal courtyards that separated the churches from the outside.

-The construction of the narthex underwent a series of important changes, largely due to the influence of different architectural movements. In fact, it is said that it completely disappeared during the development of the Gothic.

-Nowadays it is possible to find some examples of these structures in medieval abbeys such as those located in Cluny and Vézelay, or in the Byzantine Church of San Salvador in Chora, Istanbul.

-According to its etymology, its name translates verbatim as "giant fennel", while its meaning in modern Greek is "entrance porch to a church".

Paleochristian

According to some historians, this stage was crucial for the development of the first Christian buildings. Despite its birth in Egypt and Syria, this type of architecture was absorbed by the West.

Some interesting aspects that stand out in this regard, is the presence of religious symbolism from biblical images -which also stood out due to their decorative value-, the design of different rooms and spaces for the celebration of rites, as well as the congregation of the faithful; and finally the appearance of the basilicas.

As a result of the above, it is important to highlight a series of aspects:

-They were rectangular shaped places.

-The spaces were divided longitudinally and by means of columns.

-To access the temple it was necessary to cross the atrium and then reach the narthex and thus to the other spaces distributed in the basilica.

-The distribution corresponded to the intention of making the faithful fix their gaze towards the central area where the liturgy was celebrated.

-The exterior was sober and the interior stood out for the wealth of decorations.

-They were the first enclosures to include crypts and mausoleums for important religious figures.

Romanesque

This architecture came to be seen in the late Middle Ages (11th to 13th centuries) and was mainly characterized by combining Byzantine and early Christian components with Celtic and Germanic styles.

Unlike the previous style, in this one there is a greater concern for the exterior decoration, whose roughness was improving with the passage of time. Likewise, the main buildings were built in France and Spain.

During this period, the narthex was already a space protected by a couple of large towers –this in terms of basilicas and large constructions-. On the other hand, when it came to youth or country-style venues, the structure was much simpler.

Likewise, it is important to note that the uses of the narthex changed drastically, since it was intended for the celebration of rituals or to be reserved for important figures of medieval society.

Disappearance

With the arrival of the Gothic - the transition period until the Renaissance - the figure of narthex disappeared completely, since the place reserved for catechumens was eliminated, and because there was no need to allocate a specific space that was already becoming known as "Vestibule" or "portico".

In fact, in certain documents of the time, the narthex is considered to be a kind of enlarged portico and somehow connected to the patio.

References

1. Early Christian architecture. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: September 30, 2018. In Wikipedia from es.wikipedia.org.
2. Romanesque architecture. (sf). On Wikipedia. Retrieved: September 30, 2018. In Wikipedia from es.wikipedia.org.
3. Characteristics of the early Christian basilica. (2016). In Moreartes. Recovered. September 30, 2018. In Másartes de masartes.portalfree.net.
4. Definition of narthex and related concepts. (sf). In Dictionary of Architecture and Construction. Retrieved: September 30, 2018. In Dictionary of Architecture and Construction of parro.com.ar.
5. Manjarrés, José. Notions of Christian archeology for the use of the council seminaries. (sf). In Google Ebooks. Retrieved: September 30, 2018. In Google Ebooks at books.google.com.pe.
6. Narthex. (sf). On EC Wiki. Retrieved: September 30, 2018. In EC Wiki of ec.aciprensa.com.
7. Narthex. (sf). In Illustrated Glossary of Architectural Art. Retrieved: September 30, 2018. In Illustrated Glossary of Architectural Art at glosarioarquitectonico.com.
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