reading response 5

this reading response addresses examples of early hellenistic, buddhist and christian architecture.  9 blocks are color coded according to religion, each illustrating a specific religious site and its characteristics.  on the cover and case of this response, i have chosen to use a few words to express the diversity of architectural religious expression: 

SOLITARY + INTIMATE + COMMUNAL : ARCHITECTURE + WORSHIP + RITUAL + FAITH

these words are intended to engage us in thinking about the ways we choose to worship and how ritual shapes architecture/how architecture shapes ritual.  in the case of buddhism, the ritual is inward and relies on personal reflection and solitude, which is achieved through rock carved architecture, circumambulation and a very personal space.  this stands in high contrast to the hellenistic rituals of the greek empire, where buildings such as the parthenon were erected as homes to the gods-- an extended family, worshipped in an intimate setting illustrated with ritual sacrifice.  and then we come to the expansion of christianity where once out of the catacombs,  ritual became a large scale, communal event-- a passage to salvation and imperial glory best experienced in large churches based on the layout of a basilica.