Jacob's INT 231 Blog.

 WHAT I LEARNED:  This week focused on Romanesque and Islamic design. Although these traditions developed in different regions and religions, both demonstrate how architecture can express faith, power, protection, and cultural identity. They also reused earlier building knowledge while creating new spaces for worship and community.  The word Romanesque means "In the manner of the Romans." The style began developing in Italy and southern France around 800 CE. Charlemagne encouraged education, art, monasteries, and construction based on Roman building methods. Religious life became especially important after 1000 CE as people traveled on pilgrimages to visit Christian shrines. Churches needed to accommodate larger congregations and groups of visitors.  Romanesque churches developed from the Early Christians basilica. They normally included a nave, transept, apse, and side aisles. Builders added choirs, side chapels, and ambulatories where visitors could move around the...

 WHAT I LEARNED:  Before studying this period, I also did not realize how closely the development of Christian architecture was connected to changes in the Roman Empire. Early Christians could not immediately construct large public churches. Instead, Christians gathered privately in house churches. These spaces show how existing residential architecture could be adapted to support worship and community.  One example was the house church at Dura-Europos. Private rooms were connected to create a larger gathering space, while other rooms supported prayer, education, baptism, the Eucharist, and the storage of charitable items. The building still resembled a regular house from the outside. This allowed Christians to gather without creating an obvious public religious building. I found this interesting because the design developed from necessity rather than appearance.  The Catacombs of Rome were another important part of Early Christians' history. These underground networ...

WHAT I LEARNED: Before studying this period, I mostly connected Greece and Rome with famous ruins and statues. After going through these presentations, I learned that their influence goes much further than that. Their architecture, interiors, furniture, artwork, and engineering created ideas that designers still use today.  Greek civilizations helped develop many important Western ideas, including democracy, philosophy, science, medicine, and the value of the individual. Greece's geography also influenced its development. Mountains separated communities, while the Aegean, Mediterranean, and Ionian Seas encouraged travel and trade. This helped different communities develop independently and compete with one another. The Greeks also had access to marble, which became an important material in their architecture.  What stood out to me the most about Greek architecture was its focus on balance and visual perfection. The Doric, Ionic, and Corinthian orders created organized systems ...