An atrium is an open courtyard associated with big churches from the time of Constantine until the 6th century. Temples of the Imperial Period furnish prototypes. As a rule, the atrium is located at the narrow end before the main entrance – usually at the western, rarely at the eastern end (e.g. St. Peter's Basilica in Rome, Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem); exceptionally it appears on one of the long sides. It is usually rectangular, with colonnades along the four (more…
Atrium(175 words)
Cite this page
Koch, Guntram, “Atrium”, in: Religion Past and Present. Consulted online on 19 March 2024 <http://dx.doi.org/10.1163/1877-5888_rpp_SIM_01251>
First published online: 2011
First print edition: ISBN: 9789004146662, 2006-2013
▲ Back to top ▲